Kingdom Hearts: Secrets of Memories
by shirozora
Summary: Memories still sleep, waiting to awaken. A war awaits but the great leaders still slumber. The fates of four teenagers intertwine when Sora meets a stranger in the heart of Twilight Town. Love, hate, loss, light, and darkness await them...
1. Seekers in Twilight Town

Author's Note: I realize that the Jump Festa 2005 trailer just came out and it's the hottest ever!. but I see that some people already have a problem with a certain character here. So listen up: everything in this fanfiction is done for a purpose. If it seems to contradict JF2005, too bad, so sad! Welcome to my epic of Kingdom Hearts…2 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 1: Seekers in Twilight Town 

_The monstrous white creature towered over him, the strange length of cloth wound around his neck flowing behind him ominously. Aozora took a step back in fear, his innocent brown eyes staring up in horror at the strange white being as he took a slow step after step towards the edge of the circular column he stood on, a column with a strange design on its flat surface. A design of a woman of royalty, that was for sure; she had long, golden locks, a soft purple gown, and was surrounded by rose vines riddled with thorns, with a large circle underneath her. Within the circle were smaller circles, with three above her head, so that they were visible to all who spotted the surface of this strange column. The three circles held the silhouettes of three fairies. The woman had a dainty crown on her head and in her hands held a rose._

_Aozora continued to stare up in horror at the white monster through his golden bangs as he inched towards the edge of the column. The white monster, with huge shoulders and an odd, hourglass-like body, made no move towards him, seemingly content to just stand there and scare him to death. Then, when Aozora expected it the least, the monster swung his right hand down onto the surface and darkness exploded from it, swamping up Aozora in its murkiness. Aozora thrashed in it, trying to reach the ever-fading light but it was out of his reach…_

_He saw the face, if only for a moment, as the darkness overtook him. It was the face of a youngster, a toddler in fact, with light brown hair that spiked everywhere and the bangs that fell over his innocent, bright blue eyes. He was wearing a black shirt and blue pants, no shoes, and was sitting on a beach of light yellow sand, with the sea rippling up in white waves behind him. The toddler grinned, giggled joyfully, and held out a tubby hand, stating, " Come on Aozora!"_

_The image faded and Aozora screamed out, " Wait! Come back! Come back and tell me who you are! Come back-"_

_A cloaked, hooded figure stood before him, only his chin, nose, and mouth being visible. He stood in the rain, unfazed by the wetness. He whispered ever so quietly to Aozora, " The time will come, Aozora, when the past comes back. The seeker of light needs your help, you, who are also a seeker of light. But you are also the guardian of the seeker and must protect him with all your life. He will come to you, the sky-child, and you, child of the blue sky, will journey with him to the end of the dark."_

" _Wait, no! Tell me who you are? Tell me who that kid was who called out my name! You must know everything to tell me this! Tell me about my past! Tell me about that child in my dreams, the white monster, everything! Wait, come back-"_

Hands shook his shoulders hard and Aozora jerked back into the waking world. Gasping for a breath, drenched in sweat, Aozora looked up into the eyes of his concerned friends.

" Its that dream again, isn't it?" Ashita asked quietly. The sixteen-year-old blond teenager in a gray-green vest, a sleeveless camouflage shirt and matching pants, and green and white shoes looked at Aozora face-to-face with dark green eyes.

Aozora nodded numbly.

" The one with that white monster and that little kid?" Yuri added. She was fifteen-years-old, like Aozora, and had wavy brown hair split into two parts that went over her shoulders, wore a spaghetti-strap orange shirt, yellow Capri pants, orange socks, and light yellow shoes with green lacing. Her brown eyes matched her hair and she had a brightness that glowed around her.

" Yeah, that one," Aozora agreed hoarsely. He must've been screaming that loud to have such a gravelly voice.

" Oh geezes," fifteen-year-old Orion sighed. " And there was that black, hooded dude, right?"

Orion had dark brown hair that literally sprouted on his head, thanks largely to the blue headband with yellow bordering that he was always wearing on his head. He wore a bright red vest, long-sleeved white shirt with red cuffs, blue jeans, and white and blue tennis shoes. His eyes were also brown and he was Yuri's cousin.

" Yeah," Aozora sighed, shaking his head, his blond bangs swinging in front of his face. " And I still don't understand what that guy means. He tells me that I'm the protector of a person he calls 'sky-child' and that I'm to work with him to destroy this darkness."

Aozora sighed, yawned very openly, and stood up to stretch his limbs. He was a lean, athletic fifteen-year-old teenager, with short, spiky blond hair and bangs that always fell in his face. He wore a white short-sleeved jacket, a v-neck black shirt belted at the waist, and long pants that were three-fourths white and one-fourth a dark greenish color. His shoes were black and he wore a black-and-white checkered wristband on his left wrist. He had a gently serious face, with innocent brown eyes. It would take a sharp eye to note the sadness behind the kindness in those eyes.

Aozora could not remember the distant past but he knew he had a family: a father, a mother, and a twin brother. He knew they lived on a world called Deep Tranquility, until something happened and killed them all. Everyone on Deep Tranquility died…except Aozora. The lone survivor, he was adopted by a family in another world, Celt Circle, where he lived until the age of ten, when another event destroyed that world. He was then taken in by a strange, small king in a place he learned to call D.C. and was brought up in the arts of swordsmanship, warfare, and magic. Two years later, he was out on his own, and then began a student of a hermit mentor for a year. It was then that he was first hinted about his past and his future, as a guardian and seeker of the light. Then he was told to find the 'sky-child' and join forces with him, in order to conquer a strange darkness that had become the guilty one in the destruction of Aozora's homes. And so Aozora, equipped with three keychains, set off in search of this 'sky-child'.

That was two years ago. Now Aozora had made a home in Twilight Town, an industrial word basked in a sunset glow, in an ancient bell tower. There, he hangs around with his three friends Ashita, Yuri, and Orion, procrastinating and not willing to find this 'sky-child'. But dreams like the one he had moments before had begun to pester him in his sleep and handed the teenager a great deal of stress. He would need to begin searching again.

" I think…I think I'm going to have to go," Aozora admitted quietly as he finished stretching and stood on the balcony of the bell tower, looking out at the busy city he had considered to be his 'home' for have a year.

" Oh really?" Ashita, the oldest and the leader, asked.

" Yes," Aozora replied sadly. " I don't want to but the dreams…they're telling me something."

" Is it really that important?" Orion asked curiously.

When Aozora nodded, Yuri added, " Why is it that important?"

Aozora's mind went blank. He had not expected that sort of question and was now baffled while searching for the answer.

" So is there a reason?" Ashita asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing as he continued to stare at Aozora.

" Um…" Aozora looked a bit lost. " Basically has to do with my past life…you know."

" Oh," Yuri said. " You mean about that thing about being a 'seeker of light'. Am I right?"

Aozora nodded and stated solemnly, " I might as well start getting supplies before heading to the train station."

By train station, he meant this universal station that can take you to any world in the universe.

" Do you have the munny?" Orion asked with a sneaky smile on his face.

Aozora groaned. " No, I'm all out."

" Not to worry," Ashita said sternly. " We've got enough to pool together something for you. You need elixirs and potions, right? I'll go buy that stuff-don't try to stop me, Aozora; you know you haven't got the munny."

Aozora reluctantly inched away from the door down the stairs of the bell tower to ground level. Ashita gave him a reassuring slap on the back before opening the red door and heading down the stairs, the door swinging behind him.

" And your cloak," Yuri stated as she stuffed a long black, hooded coat into his arms. " It's been gathering dust for a long time but thankfully no moths."

" Thanks, Yuri," Aozora grinned, causing Yuri to blush slightly before looking to Orion, who was clearing his throat rather loudly.

" You crazy lovebird," Orion teased. " Come on, Aozora; I've get to get you some stuff from our chest."

While Orion led Aozora away towards the group's 'treasure' chest, Yuri stuck out her tongue at her cousin's back. Aozora spotted that little childish rudeness and grinned as Orion proceeded to bend down in front of a very old, battered green chest with lighter green straps on it, and fumbled with the lock with a tiny, golden key. A musical click occurred and Orion continued with what he had set out to do; he began to pull out maps, a matchbox rammed with matches, a pocketknife, a small, handy First Aid kit, and, of all things, two pairs of socks.

" Here's some maps so you know where you're going, a matchbox in case the night catches you in some rural world, a pocketknife because everybody needs on, a First Aid kit to help you if you ever run out of potions and elixirs, and socks because you'll regret it if you don't' bring enough," Orion listed the items and their uses as he stacked them on Aozora's arms.

" Believe me, he's not kidding," Yuri added as she approached them. " I've been lost before in this weird world with no socks and I came so close to getting a frostbite."

" And mud in your shoes without socks is a very nasty feeling," Orion agreed. " And no need to thank me, Aozora; you've done enough for us already. We'd never have gained complete control of this bell tower without your help."

" Yeah," Yuri added. " And you kept Ashita from dying on us after that fistfight with Shanks."

Shanks was a complete 'weirdo', as Orion calls him, and he was a homeless drunkard in search of fistfights with anybody he thinks to be a good target. Take Ashita for instance. Shanks nearly pounded Ashita into complete pulp had Aozora not come up on the scene. A complete stranger at that moment in time, he cast a strange wind-like spell on himself and approached the attacker-Shanks. When his spell came into contact with the attacker, Shanks got knocked off a barely alive Ashita. While Yuri and Orion, who were watching in fear and helplessness in the distance, rushed to their friend to administer an elixir on him, Aozora proceeded to beat the stuffings out of Shanks. Since then, nobody in Twilight Town had seen Shanks.

It was then that the four became friends and they had proceeded to help each other in any way they can. Like right now, in which Ashita, Yuri, and Orion are helping Aozora get ready for a new trek to unknown lands in search of the sky-child.

" Basically, I've got to find this sky-child," Aozora told Yuri and Orion as Ashita returned with an armload of potions and elixirs. " And I've also got to give the keychains to the people I know who they really belong to."

He fingered the three keychains the pocket of his coat. One of the chains was the darkest steel, with a black, iron crown at its end. One was a silvery white chain, with a pale moon pendent at its end, the shape of three circles, one bigger than the other, etched into it. The last was a clear, crystalline chain, with a strange star at the end that glowed in the colors of the occasional auroras that traveled through the sky of Twilight Town.

" And that means that it'll be the last time I see the moon chain, right?" Yuri asked, pouting at the same moment in time.

" I'm sorry, Yuri," Aozora grinned, placing a reassuring hand on the girl's left shoulder. " It just doesn't think you to be its master."

" Oh…" Yuri moped. " But it's so pretty…I wish it was a charm instead of a keychain or whatever it is."

" Can't always get what you want, my spoiled friend," Ashita stated calmly, before his voice turned hard and serious. " Be careful out there, Aozora. There aren't as many nice people as you think there are. If you run into any trouble here, come back to us or use that whistle we showed you and we'll help you, okay?"

The grin on Aozora's face revealed his deeper emotions for his friends: gratitude.

" Thanks, you guys," Aozora said quietly. " If it weren't for you three, I'd never have lasted this long out in that wild world."

He slowly made his way to the red door, before he found himself being hugged by three pairs of arms at once.

" Good luck," were their parting words and Aozora slipped out of the top area of Twilight Town's bell tower and made his way downstairs towards an unexplored universe, this time on his own.

I've got to find this sky-child, he told himself. I must.

" So this is where we start looking for Riku and King Mickey?" Sora asked of his friends, his arms behind his head, as he surveyed the scant crowd in the train station of an industrial city bathed in the colors of the sunset.

" That's what Leon said," Goofy replied, referring to one of their friends back at Traverse Town, the place where Sora, Donald, and Goofy first met and began an adventure to ultimately led to the doors of Kingdom Hearts.

" The info which he got from Cloud," Donald responded, mentioning that cold knight they met at the Coliseum. He never really did trust the moody warrior and probably never will.

' The info which he got from some distant friends," Sora finished, fingering the hood of his black jacket. His sky-blue eyes surveyed the crowd and the whole of the train station. " There aren't a lot of people around here. We might be able to find one of them wandering around in this place."

" King Mickey does NOT 'wander around', Sora," Donald snapped. " He knows where he's going. King Mickey always knows where he's going."

Sora sighed and rolled his eyes. Ever since they saw King Mickey and Riku within Kingdom Hearts, Donald had become very protective and loyal of his king. Use even one single word when talking about King Mickey and the white duck would blow up in your face.

" Um…" Goofy patiently waited while Donald began a tirade on what words to use when talking about King Mickey. Sora, visibly bored by Donald's rampage, yawned and turned away to explore yet another area of the train station with his eyes, ignoring Donald all the while.

" Hey, look, it's a map!" Sora suddenly exclaimed when he spotted a huge white sheet on a wall of the train station.

" …should not use casual talk when talking about the king-hey!" Donald yelped when he suddenly realized that his comrades had abandoned him and were instead reading a huge map on the wall to his left. Two maps in fact. One was of the world itself and the other was of the universe that included the world.

"…the bell tower is right here," Goofy pointed out a rather visible landmark on the map.

"And the bell tower is right there…" Sora looked out the huge windows on wall to his right to the rustic tower that loomed above the smokestacks of this industrial city.

" And there's the information center for newcomers two blocks from that bell tower," Sora turned back to the map and looked over the labels of the grid of squares and buildings that represented the whole of Twilight Town. " North of the bell tower."

" You think we can get information on King Mickey and Riku?" Goofy asked uncertainly, leaning casually on his round, steel shield that bore the insignia of the king he served-the outline of the king's head.

" Yeah, we can ask, " Have you seen a small person with huge round ears and a tall teenager with silver hair?" Do we know of anyone other than King Mickey with big ears?" Sora asked sarcastically.

" Big ears?" Donald gapped at Sora's use of vocabulary when describing his king. " That is NOT-"

Sora reached over and held his beak shut. Donald took to squabbling from his throat and flailing his arms about.

" Look, Donald, we are looking for your king and my friend and that means we don't' have time to use formal vocabulary. We are running out of time and therefore we have to find them the fastest way possible. Now let's not talk about vocabulary and focus more on finding Mickey and Riku. Finding Mickey is your priority, isn't it?" Sora questioned.

Donald pulled Sora's hand off his beak and grumbled, " Fine."

Sora suddenly grinned and, slapping the court wizard on the back, said, " Aww, cheer up! I know how protective you are of your king. It's actually kind of funny watching you vent your anger on us in public. But we really don't' have time to get into small arguments-Goofy?"

Goofy was staring out one of the windows that faced north, north towards the bell tower. In fact, he had himself literally squashed up against the window, his nose flattened against the glass and the whole of his body seemingly pasted to the glass.

" Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Goofy asked as the others approached him. " Right there…on that street."

Sora and Donald peered through the glass window down on the busy streets of Twilight Town. Not being able to see much, they pressed their faces against the glass window-at least Sora did. Donald was forced to turn his head and look down from the side of his head; his beak sometimes provided a bit of a disadvantage in situations like this.

" No, I don't see anything," Sora admitted.

" You see that street," Goofy tapped the glass, his finger pointing in the direction of the bell tower. "That white, jumpy thing?"

" I don't see it," Donald complained, leaning even harder on the glass window, his eyes straining to see what Goofy could see.

" Don't you guys see it?" Goofy asked, uncertainty subtle in his voice. " That there is a funny-looking white jumpy thing going down that there street-"

" Isn't that one of those Heartless we fought back at Traverse Town before coming here?" Sora asked, worry blooming in his voice, yet his voice also grew a bit high with excitement with the prospect of yet another battle awaiting him and his friends.

" Not those again," Donald moaned. " I've seen enough of them, thank you very much. I don't' need to see this one, either."

With that, he strutted away from the window and took to reading the map of Twilight Town, while the other watched the white Heartless leap and traverse about…on a definite direction towards the bell tower.

" It's going towards the bell tower!" Sora exclaimed. " Right at it! But why?"

" It says that the bell tower's been shut down for a few years, " Donald replied as he read an inscription of the bell tower on the map. " Funding for the keeping of the bell tower failed and they had to close it down. But somebody scribbled here that some darkness resides in the bell tower for decades. Darkness?"

He turned to the surprised faces of Sora and Goofy.

" Darkness here? Gawrsh, and that's before King Mickey disappeared," Goofy stated, visibly puzzled and scratching his head.

" Even before Ansem started his research?" Sora asked carefully, referring to the Ansem Reports he and his friends had to find in order to learn Ansem's purpose in merging with the Heartless.

" Gawrsh," Goofy commented. " The Heartless have been here for a really long time, then, right?"

" Let's go to the bell tower," Sora decided immediately.

" It's been closed for decades," Donald objected. " Wouldn't it be all boarded up?"

" I think the white Heartless is trying to get in," Sora countered stubbornly. " If it can get in, so can we."

" But those white Heartless can twist into small spots while we can only stay as we are now," Donald protested. " It probably can get into small cracks on the bell tower and all but we can't. If we try to break in, we'd create a scene-hey! Wait for me!"

Donald waddled madly after his departing friends, who were pretending to talk with each other and making Donald furious that he was left out. When Donald finally caught up with them, they made their way out of the train station and headed in the direction of the bell tower.

" The Dream Heart is moving, Master," the hooded figure spoke to the being sitting in an elegantly carved chair in the room. " It is determined to get to the seeker before we can. What can we do?"

The being was swathed completely in red, adorned in a thin red cloak with black belts crisscrossing all over his body and arms. He wore red trousers and black boots, and his hands were encased in red and black gloves. His head was in red, too, with belts going all over his face. Only one of his eyes were visible and its was narrowed down in frustration, the yellow iris glaring.

" Try to stop it without being seen," the red being replied, his voice, cold, clear, and precise. " It cannot give the seeker the information the seeker seeks. If it has already reached the seeker, kill it and stop it from telling the seeker more than we want the seeker to know. Make sure you are not seen."

The hooded figure, cloaked and swathed up in black, bowed its head and turned to go.

" Remember," the red figure stated. " You cannot be seen. If they see you, they will eventually find out. And if they find out, our plan will be ruined. Do not be seen."

The cloaked figure paused to contemplate the words, before turning away completely and leaving the room.

The red being smiled darkly and put his hands together.

" The Keyblade Masters…we know of two already; we must find the third one! Three Keyblade Masters must reveal themselves and then…we can carry out our plan. And all will fall into darkness!"


	2. Lost Worlds and Time

*Author's Note: Ok, so I lied. This chapter's being updated probably less than a week after the first chapter. Okay, so I lied. Sue me. No flamers because I am, sad to say, one of those kinds of people who get easily insulted. I hate it when that comes over me but that happens. And when that happens, I'll probably get in an extremely bad mood and never type this story again. So please, no flamers. Sue me but no flamers. Enjoy!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 2: Lost Worlds and Time  
  
Shanks did not like waiting, period. The homeless street fighter leaned against a wall of a closed store, puffing on a cigarette, waiting for his client to arrive. Shanks was a middle-aged drooped mustache drunkard, who habitually took a swig from his metal canteen that he always wore on a leather strap hung over his shoulder. Adorned in a faded woolen jacket, with a faded plaid shirt, and dusty, muddy jeans, wearing black leather boots he stole from a shoe store in Twilight Town, he was the one, the homeless drunkard who usually made his rounds around the underground bars in Twilight Town, downing beer and ale until drunk and getting into huge fights with the other drunkards in the bars. Shanks, a blond with stringy hair tucked under a felt hat with a wide rim that often hid his face from unwanted attention and a long moustache that dropped downwards to a weak chin, peered down the alley he was in with stormy blue eyes. A wound on his cheek suddenly pained and Shanks clutched at it, wincing. And with that, his eyes clouded over in rage, rage and hatred at the one who inflicted the wound.  
  
He was drunk at that moment in time, drunk dead but still standing. He had come staggering out of a boarded up, running bar late at night when he spotted three teenagers waling down the opposite sidewalk of a gloomy part of Twilight Town. Thinking that they were gang members searching for a fight, he yelled a profane word at them. The one with blond hair shouted back something that Shanks interpreted to be vile and he charged that one, while the other two scattered. He proceeded to fight the teenager, pounding his fists into the blond person's face and body. Blood began to seep onto the cold, dark street yet Shanks, not the kind of person to let blood run, kept pounding the kid into the ground. He kept at it when he was suddenly hit by some forceful wind and knocked off. Through his drunk eyes, he saw some strange blond teenager in a black cloak, surrounded by the wind that pushed Shanks off the blond teenager. Infuriated that he could not finish his little duel with the other teenager, he yelled at the stranger and tried to shove him aside so that he could get to the teenager. But the stranger had stopped him immediately, swinging something cold, cold like metal, into his face, onto the cheek of his face, leaving behind a painful wound.  
  
Shanks was beaten by the stranger and left to nurse his wounds and start a crazed obsession with revenge. He had seen the strange teenager several times through the months following their odd meeting, and yet could not just run up and strangle him; there were just too many people around. Shanks instead went into hiding, coming around once in a while to pick up or steal some liquor from places and hiding again to find away to kill the teenager who stopped him from beating up the other teenager.  
  
And now, nearly a year after that fateful meeting, Shanks was going to meet someone, someone who would pay him handsomely to do something very secretive and important. Shanks can use the munny to purchase more liquor and items to help him get the stranger to pay. Yes, to get the stranger to pay.  
  
He heard footsteps, slow, steady footsteps in the distance, coming close to where he was standing. He heard the footsteps splash through the puddles of water left by a recent drizzle, heard the footsteps rustle through littered paper, and Shanks knew: his client was coming.  
  
Through the gloom that swamped Twilight Town at night, Shanks could see a man, cloaked and hooded in black, walking slowly towards him, slowly and steadily. Shanks grew excited; he could almost smell the munny, liquor, and revenge that were within his grasp.  
  
The stranger came to a standstill a few feet from where Shanks was standing. He could see only a chin, a mouth, and the tip of a nose; the hood was pulled down so low over his face that the shadows covered two- thirds of his face. The cloaked stranger also wore black trousers and black boots, blending in almost perfectly with the darkness in the alley.  
  
" Shanks?" the mouth moved. The voice was firm and with a chill.  
  
Shanks shivered at the tone and the sound of the voice but he willed himself to say, " Yes, Mister."  
  
" You will be paid five thousand munny to do as I tell you to do and to keep very, very quiet about what you have done," the stranger stated briskly, waving aside Shanks' attempt to find out his client's name. " You must also never mention anything about me. No description of me, nothing. If you do the opposite of what I just told you, then you will pay dearly in something instead of munny. Is that clear, Shanks?"  
  
Shanks nodded numbly, stunned into silence by this person's overwhelming authority.  
  
" What do you want me to do?" he managed to say.  
  
" There are three newcomers here in Twilight Town," the stranger spoke coldly, almost as though he was spitting out something disgusting from his mouth. " They're easy to spot, especially two of them. One is a short- tempered white duck, the other is a clumsy dog-like knight from another kingdom. They're with a fifteen-year-old boy with light brown hair and sky- blue eyes. He'll be wearing black, blue, and red. The boy's name is Sora. The duck's name is Donald and the knight is known as Goofy. You must follow them to the bell tower and then you must report to me back here at this very spot. If you see a huge white creature head towards the bell tower, abandon those three people and come back here immediately and report to me. Whatever you do, do not be seen and do not mess this up. The white one cannot reach those three nor can they reach him. If a meeting is inevitable, use this whistle I will give you and my soldiers will come and make sure they will not meet. Do you understand?"  
  
Shanks nodded his head. Then the stranger took his right hand and slapped a small, thin silver whistle into the palm of his hand.  
  
" Don't' lose this whistle and don't mess this mission up," the stranger ordered him. " You will pay dearly if you do."  
  
With that, the stranger turned smartly in another direction and strode off, leaving behind a rather bewildered Shanks.  
  
" What the hell is he talking about?" Shanks muttered as he pocketed the whistle. " Find some people and follow them around? For five thousand munny? This must be something so big or else he wouldn't even find me out. Me, the master stalker in Twilight Town. Heh, I can walk around on the busy streets, following one person and nobody would have any idea who I am or what I'm doing. Hm, maybe that's why this guy found me out."  
  
He was muttering to himself like an eccentric homeless as he walked off into the darkness of the alley, until the gloom swallowed him.  
  
*~*~*  
  
" Where is he.I must find him!" he told himself as he wandered through the many streets of Traverse Town. The sixteen-year-old teenager had gone about practically the whole of Traverse Town and yet there was no sign of him.  
  
The teenager was tall, lean, and muscular. He had a serious face, a face half-hidden by a black scarf that covered his eyes. Silvery white hair flowed down his face and around his neck, a strong contrast to the dark clothing he wore. Dressed in a simple black coat with a hood, walking about in black boots and trousers, he was a formidable sight to see.  
  
" Where can they be? I know they've been here before but where have they gone? The guy at the accessory store saw them leave his place two weeks ago and never saw them since. And they're regular visitors to his store so that means they've gone somewhere.but there's so many worlds. How can I find them?"  
  
The teenager paced the length of an alley, an alley with a boarded up dead end. He continuously paced the length of it, outside one of two accessory shops he had been to. He had questioned the three white ducks that ran the shop but they had no further information on the whereabouts of his friends than the yellow-haired clerk in the other shop.  
  
" Cid said that they probably went to another world through the World Exit," he told himself, " but which world? And do I have to go through all the worlds? Come on, Riku, think: where have Sora and his friends gone? Think, think."  
  
" Think, think, think, think," continued a voice near where he was walking.  
  
Riku turned to see an orange-yellow bear sitting on the steps in front of Cid's accessory shop, tapping his head continuously with his right hand. Wearing a short-sleeved red shirt and with a large black nose and toy-like appearance, the bear looked most certainly like a teddy bear. An overly huge, live teddy bear.  
  
" Think, think, think, think," the bear continued to repeat.  
  
Riku cautiously approached him and greeted, " Hello, is there a problem?"  
  
" Huh?" the bear looked up. " Oh, no, not really. I'm just trying to think of a way to get back to my friends. Think, think, think, think-"  
  
" What do you mean?" Riku asked curiously.  
  
" You see," the bear attempted to explain, " I was with my friend, Piglet, and I was trying to get some honey from the honey tree."  
  
" Uh-huh." Riku said.  
  
" So we got a balloon so I can go up, up, to where the honey is on the honey tree," the bear said. " And I was going up, near the honey and the bees, when I heard Piglet shout, ' Pooh, Pooh! We've got to get out of here!' I shouted back, ' What happened, Piglet?' and I heard his scream. Oh what a horrible scream."  
  
With that, the bear, apparently named Pooh, covered his face with his hands.  
  
" What happened after your friend screamed?" Riku asked as gently as he could.  
  
" Huh? Oh," Pooh looked back up to the blindfold on Riku's face. " I looked down and I saw these black things swarming all over the place. Huge, long, crooked ears, long claws, and yellow eyes. They were all over the place. I couldn't see Piglet anymore nor everything around us. And the balloon kept lifting me up, up, until poof! I was sitting on this cold floor in a very cold room. I looked back and I saw a book, a thin, red book. The pages were open and black stuff was slowly covering the white pages. And then.the book was gone."  
  
" Black things.crooked ears, yellow eyes.oh no," Riku gasped and sat down next to Pooh. He covered his face with his arms. " Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no."  
  
" Why, what happened?" Pooh asked.  
  
" I think I know what happened to your friend, Pooh," Riku explained sadly. " I think, and this only what I think happened, these black creatures called the Heart-Heartless came to your world from another world."  
  
He stuttered over that world. Heartless. He shuddered. That word, the darkness in it, the hatred. He hated that word.  
  
" My world?" Pooh thought. " You mean, the red book?"  
  
Riku nodded.  
  
" Hm.then those Heartless took the book and took my home in the process?" Pooh asked, his voice trembling. " Piglet.and my other friends: Tigger, Roo, Rabbit, Eeyore.oh.and the honey."  
  
Riku tilted his head at this. So this Pooh really did like honey.  
  
" More outsiders," Pooh suddenly said thoughtfully. " First Sora, then these-"  
  
" What? Say that again!" Riku exclaimed, his sympathy for Pooh replaced by the excitement that Pooh may have met Sora before.  
  
Pooh looked at him, a startled expression on his face, before saying, " I said, ' First Sora, then these-' and then you cut me off. Why?"  
  
" You've met Sora?" Riku fired.  
  
" Yes, he came to my place," Pooh replied. " He helped us out with a lot of stuff, like saving Eeyore and finding the pin for his tail, and helping me get honey."  
  
" Sora, doing that?" Riku snorted. " And I thought he had more important things to do!"  
  
" He pulled out this huge key of his and did something to our place," Pooh mused.  
  
" What? His key?" Riku demanded, startled by the added information. " He must've sealed your world!"  
  
" I don't get it," Pooh mumbled.  
  
" I don't' get it either, Pooh," Riku sighed, suddenly deflated after the outburst of energy. " He sealed your world, Pooh, and that meant that those black creatures weren't supposed to return to your world. But something happened."  
  
" What did?" an unfamiliar voice asked behind them both.  
  
Both Riku and Pooh turned around to the steps behind them. All they saw were a pair of bare feet so they looked up into the long, lean face of a man, a man slightly hunched down like a gorilla, and with long brown hair. His green eyes, serious and kinda brooding, peered at them. He was wearing a brown loincloth and in his right arm, his strong hand clenched a spear.  
  
" Um.hello," Pooh waved a greeting.  
  
" Er.hi," Riku said slightly nervously. " What can we do for you?"  
  
" What happened?" the man asked. " You said something about sealing, world, and Sora."  
  
" You know Sora?" Riku asked in astonishment. He was barely able to fish out anything useful out of those three young ducks and the guy named Cid who both ran accessory shops and all of a sudden he met two people-er, make that one person and a bear who knew Sora.  
  
" Sora came to my world," the man answered, placing his free hand to his chest to emphasize 'my'. " Came with his friends. He helped reveal who Clayton was. He sealed my world. Then something happened."  
  
" What is your name?" Riku asked.  
  
" I am.Tarzan," the man answered.  
  
" Tarzan." Riku rolled the name in his mouth. What a strange name. But Pooh was a strange name, too. Where DID they come from?  
  
" What did your home look like?" Pooh asked curiously.  
  
" Full of trees, green leaves. It is warm, wet and warm. My family lived in the trees. Kala, my mother, Terk, my best friend, Kerchak, the leader of my family, and.Jane."  
  
Sorrow filled his eyes and voice. Riku knew something serious had happened. This sounded like a world, another world, one like the world Pooh lived in. Oh no.  
  
" Did your world-did your world disappear, too?" Riku asked carefully. " Pooh here said that the Heartless came and destroyed his world. What about you?"  
  
" The Heartless are stronger," Tarzan replied. " Stronger, more powerful. I could not save them. I could not save my family, my friends, Jane.the Heartless took everything."  
  
" But didn't Sora do something with a huge key, too?" Pooh asked curiously. " Judging from what you guys are saying, he used a big key, right?"  
  
" He sealed the Keyhole," Tarzan said. " He sealed it where the blue butterflies are. But something happened."  
  
" Two worlds gone.that means more worlds are going to disappear, right?" Riku asked. " Oh my god, that's it! Something's wrong with the keyholes and that means the worlds are disappearing-what about Traverse Town?"  
  
With that, he got up and made a dash for Cid's shop, with Tarzan and Pooh following him.  
  
" Sir-Cid!" Riku gasped out, remembering that Cid liked to be called by his name only. " Cid, there's a keyhole here, right?"  
  
Cid, in the act of polishing the glass case that held a synthesized item, looked up. Eyeing the person and the bear next to the tall, silver-haired kid, he grumbled out, " That's right. Sora locked this place. The keyhole's in the Second District. You go up the stairs next to my shop and through the large double doors-why?"  
  
" These guys here, Pooh, and Tarzan, they lost their worlds!" Riku exclaimed.  
  
" Wait a minute, wait a minute," Cid countered. " Worlds.didn't Sora go and seal their worlds?"  
  
" He did," Tarzan answered. " But the Heartless are stronger. My world is gone. This one, Pooh, his world is gone, too. Sora sealed both worlds. But now they are gone."  
  
" Oh no," Cid's voice faded. " That means Traverse Town might go to the Heartless, too."  
  
" What do you think happened, Cid?" Riku asked.  
  
" What I think happened," Cid said, " is this: the Heartless returned, which means something happened when Sora tried to close Kingdom Hearts. It might've been locked wrong, or someone opened it from behind-Riku, are you okay?"  
  
Riku's face turned a ghastly white.  
  
" King-King Mickey," he stuttered. " King Mickey and I.we tried to get out of Kingdom Hearts. Some-somehow the door was unlocked and-and we tried to lock Kingdom Hearts from the outside. B-but we couldn't. King Mickey c- couldn't lock Kingdom Hearts.someone unlocked Kingdom Hearts and King Mickey and I showed the Heartless a way out.oh no."  
  
Riku collapsed onto a couch in the accessory shop and covered his face with his hands.  
  
" I'm so sorry, Pooh, Tarzan," he whispered. " I didn't know."  
  
" I don't blame you," Tarzan replied with a reassuring hand on Riku's back.  
  
" This can be fixed, right?" Pooh asked hopefully.  
  
" I'm going to have to contact Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cloud," Cid stated as he made his way out from behind the counter he was standing behind. " Riku, its not your fault, okay? Whatever you did before, it's not your fault."  
  
" Then whose fault is it?" Riku asked shakily.  
  
Cid paused for a moment at the foot of the door out of his shop.  
  
" Call it fate."  
  
*~*~*  
  
" Oh.a shooting star," Kairi gasped as she looked up at the blue sky.  
  
A white ball of flame streaked across the blue sky, leaving behind a flaming line, before vanishing over the horizon.  
  
The wind blew in her face but the sun warmed her, as she stood a little way from the waves of the sea that surrounded Destiny Island. She watched as the last traces of the shooting star fade before turning to go back to her room.a shooting star.  
  
She froze. A shooting star.what does it mean?  
  
" Kairi, are you okay?" Selphie asked worriedly. " You turned all pale and everything."  
  
" No, its nothing, Selphie," Kairi sighed and shook her head, her red hair falling over her face.  
  
" Are you sure?" Selphie asked. She restlessly whipped at the sand they were standing on with her nunchaku. Her green eyes followed Kairi's blue eyes to the sea. " Don't tell me.you're still waiting for Sora and Riku to come home."  
  
Kairi sighed and lowered her head.  
  
" Yes," Kairi replied. " I still am."  
  
" Will they ever return?" Selphie wondered. " Living on this island without either one of them is as bad as living on this island without Tidus and Wakka."  
  
Two other people who had lived on Destiny Islands with them were Tidus and Wakka.  
  
Tidus was thirteen, one year younger than Sora and Kairi and two years younger than Riku when the Heartless first swallowed up Destiny Islands. Wakka, a tall fifteen-year-old who played and fought with a blue blitzball, was something like Tidus and Selphie's big brother and he looked after everyone on Destiny Islands, even Riku, who insisted that he look after the others while Riku looks after himself.  
  
One year ago, the Heartless took Destiny Islands, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Kairi, and Riku and had flung Sora into another world, Traverse Town. Destiny Islands had been restored but only Selphie and Kairi were its inhabitants now. Nobody knew the whereabouts of Sora, Riku, Tidus, and Wakka.  
  
" Living without Sora and Riku is a lot worse than living without Tidus and Wakka," Kairi replied. " At least that's what I think."  
  
" I understand," Selphie replied. " Tidus and Wakka were closer to me than to you guys. You three were always together. It was almost like all three of you were truly connected by the heart. Sigh.if a Heartless ever comes close to this island, I'm going to make it pay."  
  
Kairi had told Selphie the whole story of what happened after their island was destroyed and ever since then, Selphie had trained herself vigorously with a nunchaku, until she became so skilled in it that she had nothing else to learn, no new skill to teach herself. She seemed to be planning a revenge for one year for the destruction of her formerly peaceful life.  
  
" But did you see the shooting star?" Kairi asked, her eyes riveting to the sky.  
  
" Yeah, the biggest one I've ever seen," Selphie said in a hushed tone. " And the first one, too."  
  
Kairi nodded her head, before her eyes grew wide with realization. Shooting star.shooting stars.Ansem's Report.  
  
" Oh no," she whispered, her voice trembling.  
  
" What? What's wrong, Kairi?" Selphie asked. " I don't get it. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"  
  
" Selphie, that WAS a shooting star, right?" Kairi turned to Selphie. " Yes, it was but that only means."  
  
" Means what, Kairi?" Selphie asked, impatience exposing itself in her voice.  
  
" In Ansem's Report, it spoke of shooting stars in the sky and a visiting king," Kairi explained, softly, seriously. " He connected the two strange events as.the worlds connected."  
  
" The worlds connected," Selphie repeated.  
  
" I learned from Leon and the others that when the Heartless came, the barriers around the worlds fell and left the worlds open to travel. Shooting stars signals that," Kairi looked up at the sky again. " And the barriers fall only when something happens, something so big that the worlds all become connected."  
  
" Like when the Heartless attacked," Selphie added with clenched teeth, her hand gripping the handle of her nunchaku harder.  
  
" Maybe they've come back," Kairi said softly.  
  
A silence spilled over the island, an island devoid of the sounds of the happier times, happier days. Times when Riku, Wakka, Sora, Kairi, Selphie, and Tidus ran the whole of the islands and played and fought with the blitzball, the wooden swords, and the nunchaku. Days when they all sat in the sand and watched the sunset. Days when they charged in the shallows after the gray fish, laughing, splashing, and nabbing at the slippery, shiny fish. When they watched as Sora and Tidus tried to defeat Riku in swordfights. Sora and Tidus failed so many times, everyone lost track of the record of wins, losses, and draws. And then, one day, Riku suggested that they leave the islands, Destiny Islands, their home for who knows how many years.  
  
Everything began at that moment in time. Time.time seemed to be repeating itself. The worlds, Kairi was certain, connected again. Their barriers had gone down. Are the Heartless trying to reach the heart of each world again? Weren't they behind Kingdom Hearts, the huge white double doors that Sora, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy shut and locked? Or was there a third enemy-  
  
" Tied to the darkness." a chillingly familiar voice whispered across the land. " Soon to be eclipsed."  
  
" Did you hear that?" Selphie said with a gasp.  
  
Kairi stood, numbed by the voice. Not only did she know whose voice it was but she knew something nobody else really knew. She had heard the voice before, a long time ago, and she had responded to the voice with happiness before. And so she knew this: she was connected to Ansem in some unknown way when she was young, before she came to Destiny Islands.  
  
" You think you know so much," the voice said, " yet you know so little. You know nothing, Kairi."  
  
It was Kairi's turn to gasp. The voice was addressing her.  
  
" What-what's he saying?" Selphie stammered. " What's that voice saying? What does he mean?"  
  
" Time, time is everything," the voice hissed. " Time and memory. Memory. There are so many secrets in memories. But only some come to mind easily. Others sleep, unbidden, untouched, below the surface of consciousness, waiting, waiting to be remembered."  
  
" I don't get it," Kairi said slowly.  
  
" Memories?" Selphie's forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember something, anything from the past.  
  
" You should know of what I speak," the voice spoke. " But time is everything. It erases. It heals. It destroys."  
  
" Time is not everything," Kairi retorted in a bold voice.  
  
" Oh really?" the mysterious voice replied. " Time. How long is it? How long must you wait for Sora and Riku to come back? For Tidus and Wakka to return?"  
  
" Why you-" Selphie blew up at the statement.  
  
" Remember what I said," the voice began to fade. " Time is everything. Time and memory. This world.paradise. Yet it is tied to the darkness. Soon to be eclipsed."  
  
The voice seemed to disappear. Kairi and Selphie cast frightened eyes on each other when the voice returned.  
  
" How long will his voice stay in your heart? How long before it fades? Time, time and memory. They are everything. As real as the darkness, soon to be eclipsed by the darkness. Darkness.remember, Kairi, and you shall see."  
  
The voice was gone. Kairi digested his words, trembling ever so slightly. And then, she heard it.  
  
Somewhere within her mind, came his voice, " The bell tower, you guys. Come on."  
  
The voice was gone. Kairi tried, tried to hear his voice again, Sora's voice.  
  
But for the first time, she could not recall his voice. The words, they were gone, too. She usually could hear his voice, each time saying something different, and she could remember how his voice sounded, what he said. But the words, they were gone. The voice, it had faded.  
  
" Oh no, no, no, NO!" she cried, her hand pressed to her heart. " No!"  
  
" Kairi!" Selphie exclaimed in shock. " What's wrong?"  
  
" His voice.it's left me." she whispered, her voice shaking, shaking badly. " It's gone." 


	3. The Bell Tower

Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 3: The Bell Tower  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran down the streets of the town basked in the colors of sunset. They didn't realize it until a few minutes ago that the bell tower was further away than realized. And so they went about the streets, asking people what was the fastest path to the bell tower. The people, all claiming that they were extremely busy, merely pointed in the direction of the bell tower before hurrying away. Sora, with a scowl on his face, had muttered, " Thank you for pointing out the obvious!" before continuing the trio's run to the tower.  
  
" How much longer?" Goofy gasped, his arms hanging down before him. He ran with a lopsided gait, more lopsided because of the weight of the shield on his right arm.  
  
" I don't know," Donald replied, waddling as fast as he could after Sora, who seemed to be running faster and faster by the second.  
  
" I think we're almost there!" Sora called over his shoulder, his face half- obscured by the black hood of his short jacket that kept flying up and down as he took each step.  
  
Sora was right. The bell tower loomed over them as they got closer and closer. And they could see the white Heartless dancing his way there, too. Apparently, the white Heartless got lost trying to get to the bell tower and they were going to the tower at the same rate, one trying to beat the other to the door of the tower which.apparently was not boarded up at all and inviting to whoever wanted to get there.  
  
" The Heartless is gonna beat us to it!" Goofy called out as they got closer.  
  
" Finally, we reached the tower!" Donald gasped out.  
  
" The Heartless!" Sora shouted as he made a mad dash for the door of the bell tower, willing his silver Keyblade into his hand as he ran. The white Heartless was heading straight for the door and the way he was able to stretch his body and bound by huge steps established the fact that it would get to the door before Sora and would be able to do whatever it was going which, Sora and his friends guessed, would be very, very bad.  
  
Sora calculated everything into his mind before angling out and charging at the Heartless instead, his Keyblade bared and ready to sing with its mighty swiftness.  
  
The door to the tower swung open at the last moment and Sora, unable to stop himself, ran right into it.  
  
" Sora!" Donald and Goofy shouted as Sora fell back and the white Heartless pressed forward to the open door.  
  
As the person who opened the door screamed, Donald shouted, " Stopga!" and the white Heartless froze.  
  
" Get it, Goofy!" Donald told his comrade as he made his way to Sora, who was moaning something about sleepwalking and broken noses.  
  
" Sure will!" Goofy replied and whirl-winded his way to the white Heartless. He spun around it, his shield slashing at the frozen Heartless continuously. Then Goofy charged the Heartless and sent its immobile body sprawling. The white Heartless regained its ability to move but the effects of Goofy's attack, which had accumulated during the effect of the Stopga spell, destroyed it before it could do any more than regaining movement.  
  
" Come on, Sora, wake up, wake up!" Donald slapped Sora's face several times before Sora was able to say, " Stop that!"  
  
" Aozora?" a very confused voice wondered.  
  
" Ao-what?" Sora looked up into the face of a girl his age, a girl with wavy brown hair, expressive brown eyes, and she was decked out in orange and yellow.  
  
" Oh! No, never mind, I'm sorry," the girl quickly apologized. " My mistake. I thought you were somebody else."  
  
" Oh, well, that's okay-ow, my face," Sora rubbed the whole of his face with his hand, a hand gloved in black. " Must've been running fast. Should slow down when doors open up in my face."  
  
" Hey, Yuri! Who's that you're talking to?" a very mature voice shouted from an elevated level.  
  
" I really don't know," the girl, apparently Yuri, replied. " I thought he was Aozora but this guy looks more like his look-alike. He ran into the door while I was going to go out and his friends stopped this funny white creature from literally jumping me!"  
  
" Funny white creature-oh, that stretchy thing WAS HEADING HERE?!" the voice shouted. There were the loud sounds of somebody pounding down some staircases and a sixteen-year-old boy, dressed in green and with emerald eyes, peered at him from behind Yuri.  
  
" He does look like Aozora-hi, my name is Ashita, what's yours?" the boy seemed to suddenly remember to introduce himself before getting down to the real matter.  
  
" My name is Sora," Sora answered slowly. " This is Donald and that's Goofy. We were heading here, following the white Heartless-"  
  
" Heartless?" Ashita asked. " What's that supposed to be?"  
  
Donald and Goofy's jaws dropped to the ground.  
  
" You mean you don't know about the Heartless?" Sora demanded, puzzlement scrawled all over him.  
  
" What is Heartless?" Yuri asked curiously.  
  
" Creatures without hearts, that's' what," another voice answered and a fifteen-year-old boy appeared next to Yuri and Ashita. The boy had brown hair pushed slightly back by the blue headband on his head. Wearing red, white, and blue, he looked like a very average boy. His brown eyes, nearly identical to Yuri's, showed that the two were related by blood.  
  
" You know what they're saying, Orion?" Ashita and Yuri looked at him.  
  
" Well, I do read the newspapers in Twilight Town," Orion replied with a shrug.  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at all three of them, appalled at how ignorant two of them were of the universal events.  
  
" Do explain what you're talking about," Ashita asked with authority.  
  
" Simple," Orion replied. " Ansem was researching creatures without heart, which he called the Heartless. After a meteor shower and a visit by a neighboring king, he kicked out everybody in his kingdom and suddenly, we were all homeless. Then-"  
  
" You lived in Ansem's kingdom?" Sora's jaw dropped as well.  
  
" Citadel Realm," Orion nodded in agreement. " My dad was King Ansem's cousin-"  
  
" WHAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelped.  
  
" Geezes, calm down!" Orion exclaimed. " Let me get on with what I know. So I come here to Twilight Town with some of the people we know. Next thing you know, I run away from home, meet these fellows here, and join them. Then I started reading the newspaper. It kept saying about how the worlds like Citadel Realm were being destroyed, starting with twelve years ago or something like that. Then, a few months later, it mentioned that several worlds, including a place called Deep Destiny, were restored. The newspaper hinted that Citadel Realm was restored and so, my family and everybody else I knew who came with me from Citadel Realm packed up and left to go back to it. Never heard from them since."  
  
" Would it insult you to say that Ansem played a hand in the disappearance of those worlds?" Sora spoke up cautiously.  
  
" What?" Orion's voice suddenly dropped down to a whisper. " What did you say?"  
  
" The Heartless, they went after the worlds," Sora explained carefully. " They-"  
  
" I don't' know if you should be saying it, Sora," Donald interrupted.  
  
" No, no, tell me," Orion countered.  
  
" They," Sora paused, before saying, " Ansem was their leader."  
  
A long, cold silence followed that last word.  
  
" Are you telling me that a good, just king, not to mention my father's cousin, put a hand in the destruction of worlds, including our own?" Orion hissed. His brown eyes darkened.  
  
" You're saying that you and Yuri came from Citadel Realm?" Ashita asked with puzzlement. " How come you never said that before?"  
  
" Because it was useless information," Orion snapped. " Until now. Now this guy who calls himself Sora says that my father's cousin is cruel, cold, and somebody willing to rid this universe of worlds, killing people or forcing them to lose their homes and lives in the process. Ansem would never do that, never!"  
  
" I told you you shouldn't have said that!" Donald muttered. " Now look at what you've done!"  
  
" I don't know who you are but I don't care. I don't care if you're Aozora's lost twin or something like that but I do not know you. I don't' know anybody named Sora nor have I met anybody named Sora! Good day and good bye!" Orion shouted and with that, he stomped back into the bell tower.  
  
Another hefty silence followed, before Ashita said, " Okay, I will now say that I come from Deep Tranquility. The end of that."  
  
Sora sighed, his mind still stunned by Orion's temperamental outburst, and shook his head to wake himself back up. " I'm sorry for ticking your friend off."  
  
" Don't worry," Yuri replied gently. " He seems extremely explosive and all but he's really a good, dependable friend. He'll get over it, you'll see."  
  
" I don't' know," Goofy replied. " But when people talk about someone's family, that someone would get really mad, especially if its some sort of a gossip or just something bad."  
  
" I didn't know," Sora was saying. " I didn't know Ansem was that good in people's eyes."  
  
" Judging from what you and he just said, I think that was why my uncle never attended most of the yearly ceremonies in the Citadel Realm," Yuri said thoughtfully.  
  
It took two minutes for the information to sink in but when it did, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared up at her in shock.  
  
" Hey, I'm only saying what I think," Yuri replied. " Orion mentioned researching so probably my uncle was so busy researching these 'Heartless' of yours so that was probably why he almost never attended the fall harvest celebration."  
  
" I think all this information is going to blow my brain off," Sora moaned. " Stupid door. If I didn't run into it, I wouldn't have a painful nose or a headache."  
  
" You know, Aozora always said that whenever we give him a lengthy response on a question he asks us," Ashita suddenly commented.  
  
" Oh yeah-who's this Aozora?" Sora asked.  
  
" Oh, he's a friend of ours," Yuri replied. " Fifteen, blond, brown eyes, wears white under his black cloak, came to Ashita's rescue when ol' Shanks was about to pound Ashita into pulp, kept having weird dreams, and now he's gone."  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy blinked at her.  
  
" He looked a lot like you, Sora, which was why when I first saw you I thought you were Aozora, who decided to come back for some unknown reason," Yuri explained. " See, he kept saying about searching for this sky-child and finding people to give these keychains to-"  
  
" Keychains?" Donald interrupted immediately, before Sora could open his mouth.  
  
" Yeah, keychains," Yuri replied. " A black one with a little medallion of a black crown, a pretty silvery one with a moon and the outline of three circles etched into it, like Goofy's shield, and a crystalline one with a flowery-looking star the color of an aurora."  
  
" What like my shield?" Goofy asked curiously, staring at his shield.  
  
" That three-circle design," Yuri replied, pointing to the outline of King Mickey's head. " That was etched on the silver moon."  
  
" Keychains." Sora muttered to himself, his blue eyes narrowed in thought. " Keychains.the Oblivion."  
  
The chain of the Oblivion was black with a black crown at its end. But how did this Aozora get that keychain?  
  
" Where's Aozora?" he asked loudly.  
  
" Oh, he left hours ago," Yuri replied. " He was going to the train station to go to other places where he can keep searching for the sky-child and the people the keychains belong to. Why?"  
  
" Really sorry but we've got to go," Sora replied, jumping up. The sudden movement, however, jarred his head and a blooming headache pounded painfully in his head.  
  
" Oh man," Sora placed his hand to his head. " That hurts."  
  
" Are you sure you've got to go?" Yuri and Ashita asked at the same minute.  
  
Sora smiled a bit painfully. " Sorry for making your friend Orion so mad. I hope you're not mad, too, Yuri, now that you know what Ansem did to the universe. And nice meeting you, Ashita. Come on, Donald, Goofy. Let's go find Aozora!"  
  
With that, they made a mad dash before Sora stopped, turned, and shouted, " Which way was Aozora headed?"  
  
Ashita and Yuri pointed in a different direction.  
  
" Right," Sora said and turned in that direction.  
  
*~*~*  
  
" Follow them to the bell tower, that's what he said!" Shanks muttered to himself as he followed them at a safe distant. " Go back to him if I see something big and white, oh sure. And what am I supposed to do if the big white thing doesn't show up and they get to the bell tower-oh great, oh !$#@$% great!"  
  
Shanks, while muttering to himself, had lost the three people his client had told him to follow.  
  
" They move faster than I thought!" he told himself. " Oh great, just @%$*^ great!"  
  
Swearing to himself, he ran down alleyways and remote or abandoned streets in an attempt to find Sora, Donald, and Goofy.  
  
" Right, I'll just follow them or look out for the big white thing," he decided. " From the way my client says things, the big white thing is expected to be here. That means that I should follow them and watch out for the white thing and I should definitely use that silver whistle he told me to use."  
  
He continued to run down alleyways and streets, trying to find them.  
  
" And then what would happen? I wonder what the whistle is used for-"  
  
A huge white foot slammed down right in front of him.  
  
" Holy shit! Holy @#&#$% shit!" Shanks swore richly before scrambling away. His eyes traveled up to a monstrous white thing, with huge shoulders and a blue piece of cloth that wrapped around its neck and branched into four ends that flowed like a cape from it.  
  
" Oh my god, what is that thing?" Shanks stuttered, before his mind clicked on the fact that this was big and white.  
  
" The whistle! Where's the whistle?" Shanks fished into his pocket for the silver whistle. He pulled it out and without any hesitation, blew into it.  
  
A low, faint scream tore through the air and the whistle disintegrated into nothingness in his fingers.  
  
" Your job is done, well done," the client's voice whispered into his ears. " Now go, run away before the events that will follow hurt you, even kill you."  
  
Shanks stared as the white thing moved away, numbed by the contents of what the voice said.  
  
" Run!" the voice shouted and Shanks, without further ado, got up and made a mad dash in the opposite direction of where the huge white thing was moving. As he bolted down the street, he swore he saw black things, huge black things with yellow eyes rising out of the ground in alleyways.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Aozora sighed as he walked down one of the many large streets that pointed in the direction of the train station. Only a few hours and he already miss his friends.  
  
Maybe I should just forget about the keychains, he thought. Maybe I should just forget about my mission and just turn around, go back, and stay with them at the top of the bell tower. I'm tired of this.  
  
He sighed even louder and longer.  
  
" Its hard enough just making it here; do I have to keep going?" he asked himself. " Do I have to keep going?"  
  
A flash of white.  
  
Aozora whirled around, only to see something long, stretchy, and white dance away. Bouncing on lampposts and the shades over doors, it flipped like a gymnast.  
  
Aozora, entranced by its uniqueness in his world, decided to see where it was going. He began to run, run as fast as he could, for the white creature was moving faster and faster.  
  
Down an alley he turned, and onto a lonely street. The white creature bounded before him, just out of reach, as it bounced into a town circle near the train station. Aozora, running after the white creature, had just enough time to see the white creature leap up into the air, whirl in midair, and plunge, headfirst, into the side of a building.  
  
Aozora stared. He did not see a white creature jump and vanish into the side of a building.  
  
" What the hell-" he was about to exclaim.  
  
And the huge white monster from his dreams suddenly loomed before him. Its head turned to him, its blue cloth ends flowing behind it like a cape. It still had the wide shoulders, the hourglass body, everything, every single detail from his dream.and yet.this time, it was real.  
  
" Oh no, oh no," Aozora slowly backed away.  
  
There is no need to run, child, a quiet, feathery voice whispered.  
  
" What? Are you talking to me?" Aozora stammered.  
  
Why run? There is so much I have to tell you. So much I must tell you. About memories, forgotten memories, the voice answered.  
  
" Forgotten memories?" Aozora demanded.  
  
The sky-child, he is drawing ever so near, the voice stated as the white monster turned its head to him. Aozora suddenly realized that the voice WAS coming from the white monster.  
  
" He-he is?" Aozora stuttered.  
  
The sky-child and your memories, young one, the voice continued to speak. For long I wanted to tell you of this. For long I wanted to reveal to you what you must know. But time and fate worked against me and I could not speak to you in person. And there is not much I can tell you in dreams. Child, dreams are not everything. Is your mission really to seek out the sky-child? Yes it is but do not be easily fooled by dreams. Sometimes, dreams can mean nothing and sometimes, dreams can mean everything.  
  
" What does that mean?" Aozora demanded. " Can you speak more clearly and less vaguely?"  
  
I cannot, young one; time is short, time is pressing, the white monster answered. Don't' you see the importance of time? Time is everything, time and memory, all and one, one and all. You have memories, memories that the universe depends on and time, time which is everything, for everything. Time is what keeps us moving, keeps us forward, keeps us forgetting.time has hidden your memories, child, but it is your memories all seek.  
  
" Who's the 'all'?" Aozora asked uneasily, peering over his shoulder nervously.  
  
Oh, many things, the white monster answered. The Heartless, though, are the ones you must look out for. They are searching for your memories ceaselessly, are trying to capture you, use you, try to harness your memories. They are my opposite, my enemy, and they are coming.  
  
" Who's coming?" Aozora demanded.  
  
The Heartless, they are coming, the white monster spoke, looking to the distance, looking in the direction of the bell tower. They seek what the sky-child seeks. Do not, child, do not, whatever you do, fall to the Heartless. They are coming for you, child. Let us see if you can defy them.  
  
" Wait!" Aozora shouted, before the white monster faded away. " What is your name?"  
  
My name? the white monster repeated. I am the Dream Heart.  
  
And with that, the Dream Heart was gone.  
  
" The Dream Heart?" Aozora asked himself. " Heartless.dream heart.oh, they're opposites of each other! And if the Dream Heart isn't all that dangerous or strange, then won't the Heartless be dangerous."  
  
He turned to go, only to see a humanoid, black creature, with yellow eyes, a black body, and long ears. It stared at him, its ears twitching, it staring at him soulfully with hungry yellow eyes.  
  
" Oh my god!" Aozora turned to go; another humanoid black creature stood there, barring his only other safe way out.  
  
I don't want to have to do this, he scolded to himself as more creatures rose up. But they leave me no choice.  
  
His hand reached into a pocket in his coat and two keychains dangled from his hand as he pulled his hand back out. Two chains, one black, the other crystalline, nearly clear. The medallion of the black one was a black crown; the other had a lovely star the color of the aurora.  
  
The creatures were swaying back and forth and around and around when he first saw them. But now, they were standing still, staring, glaring at the keychains in his hands. They watched very attentively as Aozora transferred the black keychain to his right hand and the star keychain to his left hand.  
  
" You leave me no choice," Aozora said loudly and, closing his eyes, felt about in his heart for the power that gave the keychains their forms.  
  
The keychain in his left glowed first. In every battle or duel or practice, the keychain of the star glowed first. He did not understand why.  
  
The keychain flashed a brilliant white and Aozora could feel it pulsing, could feel the hilt pulsing with live energy, as he gripped the handle of the keyblade in his hand, the one that keychain with the star 'created'. The keychain was now dangling from the end of the keyblade, at the very end of the handle. The keyblade itself was beautiful, glowing and flowing in the colors of the aurora. To the one who had seen the Oathkeeper, one would say that the star keychain looked like it. But no, it was not the Oathkeeper. It glowed a different color, was shaped slightly different, and so, it is safe to say that Aozora's keyblade was not the Oathkeeper.  
  
The hand to his right exploded in the wild dark energy that the keychain possessed. In his hand held the hilt of the black keyblade, the Oblivion. Radiating in dark powers, it gleamed in his hand, the opposite of the star keyblade in his left, the Starlight.  
  
The creatures were glaring at the keyblades, were staring at them like they were the most hated things in the world, and were threatening to approach him. Aozora merely stood in a stance, his keyblades out in a way that they could move in any given, different direction. He glared back at the creatures, tried to outdo them in the glaring contest.  
  
While Aozora busily engaged himself in a staring contest with a creature, another creature suddenly leaped into the air, his faint shadow casting a shadow on his back. His claws were sharp and gleaming, ready for that sweet chance to take Aozora's heart.  
  
The keyblade that flew through the air stopped the creature. Aozora had flung the Starlight into the air like a boomerang so it came back while destroying the creature. The creature shrieked and exploded into black particles.  
  
Aozora caught the keyblade as it came back to him. Gripping it tightly in his left hand, he faced the swarming creatures, swinging both keyblades and watching the creatures try to decide how to attack him.  
  
" Come on," he taunted, his brown eyes flashing as he faced the group of the creatures watching him, waiting.  
  
" Show me your best."  
  
~*~  
  
The battle was horrendous.  
  
That was the only way Aozora would describe it as. He had used every ounce of energy in his body in fighting these creatures. They were very odd. They were able to flatten themselves onto the ground and slink around like moving shadows. Then they would rise up again and would charge forward with claws. Aozora had a heck of a time dodging them; they popped up whenever and wherever and several times he was almost downed when he tripped over one who was a bit slow rising up.  
  
His two keyblades were covered in strange dark sprays of liquid and he himself was a bit splattered by what the creatures gave off when they were sliced up and through. He had received a few scratches from the claws he could not evade.  
  
Odd as it seemed, the creatures seemed to be after the area on his chest where his heart resided. They almost never went for his back; they attacked at his front, their arms aiming for where his heart beat.  
  
" Very odd," he muttered to himself as he started to where he had dropped his cloak during his battle with the creatures.  
  
Fingering the keychains in his hands, he was only ten feet away from his cloak when he heard voices. Three voices, in fact. One was an odd voice, a voice that only a volatile person would have, cynical and with rising tones, threatening to explode. One was a rather 'goofy' sort of voice, kind of dumb and simplistic. And the last voice.  
  
Aozora froze as the last voice spoke, " They were all headed this way."  
  
That voice, it sounded almost exactly like his. Almost exactly. Not quite but it was there, his voice, his tone, his mood. The voice radiated his personality: stubborn, at times obnoxious, many times determined. Almost.  
  
What was going on?  
  
Aozora decided to see who these three people were and made a mad dash up the street, round the turn, and into the ally closest to the street circle. He knew this place and very easily located the escape ladder. He leaped up, grabbed a rung and began to pull himself up, until his feet reached the last rung. Then he continued to climb his way up, up to the roof of the apartment building the ladder was attached to. Then he proceeded to the edge of the apartment building, to see the owners of the three voices.  
  
They appeared from the direction of the bell tower, from the street leading to the bell tower. Aozora stared at them, thrown off by the physical images of the people who owned the three voices.  
  
The volatile voice belonged to a duck, a white duck dressed in blue. He had a beret on his head and wore an odd tunic-thing with zippers. He was holding a staff, a staff with an odd hat on it. He was rattling away something about Heartless and white creatures.  
  
The owner of the 'goofy' voice was a monstrously tall black dog-like humanoid creature. He had a very large, peachy snout and rather simple- minded eyes. He had on an odd hat with goggles perched on them, and wore a vest over a green shirt and pants. He had a lopsided gait, exaggerated by the round shield hitched onto his right arm/hand, a shield with the image of three circles, one bigger than the rest, imprinted on its face.the image was exactly like the etched picture on the keychain of the moon! Where was the keychain-the cloak!  
  
Aozora looked down hurriedly, only to spot a kid with brown hair lean down to pick up his cloak. The kid looked to be his age and height. He was wearing a black, hooded, short-sleeved jacket, a blue shirt, and black shorts with yellow belts crisscrossing and red pouches on each side of the pant leg. A metal necklace dangled from his neck. The medallion was of a crown.  
  
".this is the oddest thing I've ever seen or found on a street," the kid was saying.  
  
The duck, in the act of scouting out the area, quacked back, " What's that?"  
  
" Hey, look, that there's something funny," the dog-like creature spoke, pointing to the ground, where most of the creatures had died in the vain effort to kill Aozora or do something very horrible. Black splatters of liquid decorated the street and that was what the dog-like creature saw.  
  
" Looks like the Heartless have been here," the kid said, looking in his direction.  
  
" Dammit, I can't see his face," Aozora muttered to himself.  
  
" But who could've done that?" the duck asked.  
  
" Beats me, Donald," the kid replied.  
  
So the duck's name is Donald, Aozora told himself.  
  
" Got any clue on what might've stopped the Heartless from taking a heart, Goofy?" the kid asked.  
  
The owner of the 'goofy' voice is Goofy? That's interesting, Aozora thought.  
  
" Well, um.no," Goofy replied, scratching his head.  
  
" But someone attacked or defended himself or herself against the Heartless," the duck, Donald, said. " Do you think the person could wield a keyblade?"  
  
" But King Mickey's the only other one to have a keyblade besides me," the kid answered.  
  
Keyblade? Does that kid have a keyblade? Like me? And who's King Mickey? I've heard his name before, many times, Aozora thought. Yes, I've definitely heard his name before, many times.in the past.  
  
His brown eyes fazed into space as he attempted to recall exactly how he came to know and easily recognize that name. King Mickey, King Mickey.  
  
His mind remained blank, all other possible memories of this king erased. Only his name remained, hovering in his thoughts.  
  
" Perhaps this kid may know something about King Mickey-"  
  
Aozora looked down, only to see that they had taken his cloak and were headed somewhere else.  
  
He panicked. He cannot lose that cloak. Whatever happens, he must not lose that cloak! It had the moon chain in it, and his mentor had told him, ordered him not to lose the chain and to cling onto it with all his life until he found its owner. And the chain was in the pocket of that cloak. And the three people-make that one person, a duck, and a dog- were carrying it off like it was theirs.  
  
Yet another victim and victor in the 'finders keepers, losers weepers' game.  
  
Aozora gritted his teeth. This trio may seem to know something about the creatures that had attacked him and King Mickey but they were like thieves! They were taking away the things he held responsible with his life, his soul, and he needed them back.  
  
Without a thought, he pulled out his keychains, gripped them in each hand, and called out with his heart for their forms.  
  
With light and power, the Starlight and the Oblivion appeared in his hands, and Aozora ran towards them, until a gap appeared, a gap between two buildings. Aozora wasted no time in jumping over that gap, as he dashed on the roof towards the three who were carrying away the coat and the keychain.  
  
Then, he was very nearly above them, as they made their way to some place, unaware of the eyes watching them, glaring at them accusingly. The eyes spoke: Dare you take away what belongs to me? I shall regret it but you leave me no choice!  
  
Aozora, with his blades outstretched, with the only intention of knocking all of the trio unconscious before making away with his coat and the keychain, leaped off the building and down towards them.  
  
The wind blew in his face as he began that slow descent towards the trio. His brown eyes centered in on the oblivious brown-haired kid, who was talking to the other two.  
  
The dog saw him and shouted out something like, " Sora, above you!"  
  
The duck looked up and gave an odd quacking shout.  
  
The kid looked up, when Aozora was only feet above him. Aozora stared. He was completely caught off guard, not expecting at all to see the face of his would-be victim of ambush.  
  
He found himself staring at his own face, his very own face. Besides the slightly longer brown hair and the sky-blue eyes, the face was his own, his face, like his voice.  
  
" Look out!" he screamed, realizing at the same instance that he was not able to stop himself from landing on the kid that resembled him.  
  
The smack of body on body was coupled with an insane quacking and a 'goofy' voice shouting, " Help! Help!"  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note: The next chapter will feature Riku and Kairi. After that, though, a chapter featuring them will come up every third or fourth chapter, so that we can focus more on Sora and Co. and the blond kid, Aozora, who will play a huge role in Sora's destiny. 


	4. From Many, One

Author's Note: I wrote this and then realized that Sora, Kairi, Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie all GO to Destiny Islands to play and screw off. And then I also realized I made a huge mistake concerning those white 'Heartless' which are not Heartless at all but are known as the Nobodies. Har har har, so many mistakes! Ah well, this is how my story goes. I'll just have it so that the Heartless will have a new white form and that these six people lived on Destiny Islands their 'whole' lives. How, I don't know. Enjoy!  
  
P.S. After this chapter, any chapter concerning Riku and Kairi will come up two or three chapters later, depending on my writing mood.  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 4: From Many, One  
  
We are probably the oddest set of trios on the face of this universe, Riku smirked to himself as he watched Tarzan and Pooh deep in conversation, completely shutting themselves off from the rest of the world. What where they talking about? Perhaps their friends? Perhaps their loss, the world they lived in, everything and everyone in their worlds before the Heartless began a new invasion?  
  
".Halloween Town, Neverland, Atlantica, and Hollow Bastion are safe so far," Leon was telling Cid. The veteran of many battles and the wielder of the Gunblade, a difficult weapon to master, he leaned against the wall of the Green Room casually, the scar nearly faded from his sharp, serious face.  
  
" Agrabah's gone," Yuffie, the female ninja, spoke up. " At least Aladdin and Jasmine got away. There's been no sighting of Monstro in months, and we've got news from Olympus Coliseum that Phil's canceling all tournaments and closing down the place; the Heartless are trying to attack and destroy."  
  
" No more tournaments, my nightmare," Cloud, the cold and distant warrior, muttered from 'his' corner of the room.  
  
" Aw, cheer up!" Aerith, the flower girl, grinned, her hand on his shoulder. " At least you can practice against the Heartless and protect me, right?"  
  
Riku swore he saw a blush flit through Cloud's face.  
  
" Okay, okay, so here's the deal," Cid spoke, his stern face surveying the scene. " Riku, I need you to go to each remaining world: Halloween Town, Atlantica, and Neverland. Check up on the events there. Jack, Ariel, and Peter Pan can tell you everything. Most likely everybody there'll be tired from preparing for an attack against the Heartless. See if the Heartless is making their move."  
  
" I'll go with Riku," Tarzan spoke up in his serious, gentle voice. " We might be able to find a way to get our worlds back."  
  
" I'll go, too," Pooh stated, " but I really don't know what to do."  
  
" What can you do, Pooh?" Leon asked.  
  
" Well.um.think, think, think, think," Pooh tapped his hand against his head.  
  
" Oh no," Riku sighed as Tarzan discreetly rolled his eyes. " Here we go again."  
  
" Think, think, think, think.oh, wait!" Pooh exclaimed. " When I first saw those.Heartless, you call them? Well, when I saw those Heartless, I shouted, ' Stop, leave Piglet alone!' And the Heartless froze and Piglet was trying to find a way out. Then poof! I was on a cold floor and the book was going black, oh so black."  
  
Riku turned to Cid. Cid nodded at the facial expression (his eyes are blindfolded) and told Pooh, " You might have magic in ya. You said ' Stop' and they stopped, right? They froze on the spot, right?"  
  
Pooh took a minute to think, before nodding yes.  
  
" Then you can use magic, I believe," Cid said thoughtfully. Then his eyes widened with an unknown idea that soon began known to all when he told Pooh, " Point your right arm at that vase over there-" he pointed at a very fine vase on a wooden table underneath a landscape picture "- and say, 'Fire.'"  
  
" Fire?" Pooh questioned in confusion, his arm pointing at Cloud.  
  
Cloud bolted as a ball of flame seared in his direction. The fireball exploded once it made contact with the wall and the distinct crackling sound of a fire merrily eating away at the wall was heard.  
  
" Oh! W-we need water! Where's the-the water?" Pooh stammered out in surprise, his arm still pointing at the corner.  
  
Water gushed out and splashed against the burning corner, leaving behind steam, smoke, and burnt bits of the wall.  
  
This all happened in exactly two minutes.  
  
Cid had the most unlikely look on his face. His jaw hanging open, his eyes wide, he was staring at the smoking wall. Yuffie and Aerith smothered their giggles behind their hands and Tarzan risked a smile as the man turned to Pooh with a stunned expression on his face.  
  
" Merlin has so got to see you," he told Pooh.  
  
" Who's Merlin?" Pooh asked curiously.  
  
" He's a wizard," Leon replied for the now-voiceless Cid. " Resides behind the Burning Door in the Third District. Helped Sora master magic and summoning."  
  
" He knows Sora?" Riku exclaimed. He was very much eager to get every bit of knowledge on Sora and his whereabouts no matter what. " Where's this Burning Door?"  
  
" The Third District," Leon replied simplistically.  
  
" I think we all know that," Tarzan answered.  
  
" Can you feel the Heartless?" Riku asked the others as they made their way towards the staircase that led down to the floor of the Second District. " Its like they're there, waiting, just waiting."  
  
" Yes, I can feel them in my heart," Tarzan replied, gripping his spear tightly and looking about warily.  
  
" I can't feel anything," Pooh declared outright.  
  
" You know, I wonder how you could cast water," Riku mused. " I know there's Blizzard but I've never heard of a spell called Water."  
  
" It seems, Riku, that whatever 'spell word' he says, like 'fire' or maybe 'thunder', the actual element would appear," Tarzan answered.  
  
" Yes, that may be it," Pooh agreed. " Now, only if I knew what you two were talking about.think, think. Think, think."  
  
" Oh no," Riku sighed as they walked down the stairs and towards the fountain with the mosaic panel on the wall behind the gushing water. " Here he goes again."  
  
Tarzan suddenly turned his head in the direction of the alley that led to the Third District. His hands gripped his spear tightly, until his knuckles turned white.  
  
" There's something there," he whispered, his spear gesturing in the direction of the alleyway. " Something flashed by that way."  
  
Riku and Pooh looked in that direction. Riku tensed up. Where the Heartless ready to do battle with them? That was when a realization hit home.  
  
He still had that dark keyblade, the one that unlocked hearts. Will that keyblade have any affect on the Heartless?  
  
" Did you see that?" Tarzan muttered. " Another flash. I think they're the Heartless but something tells me that there's more to it than-its white."  
  
His eyes widened.  
  
" What's white?" Riku and Pooh asked at the same instance.  
  
" The Heartless.can they be white?" Tarzan asked. Riku shrugged.  
  
" Wait a minute.there are white Heartless?" Riku gaped.  
  
He never really did have time to gap as white, stretchy creatures with immensely flat heads and rows of fine teeth bounded out from the alleyway and right at them.  
  
" Circle!" Tarzan ordered and the three of them backed up into one another. Tarzan was gripping his spear in a deadly stance; Riku had reluctantly called the dark keyblade to his side and Pooh was putting his hand to his mouth and was attempting to bite his hand off.  
  
The white creatures cartwheeled and danced about, almost like the Soldier Heartless. Their hands, which looked more like daggers, flashed continuously as the creatures wandered around them, looking for any sort of opening to attack.that is, if that's what they were looking for.  
  
" What are these guys?" Pooh finally ventured to ask.  
  
" White creatures, I suppose," Tarzan answered rather dryly.  
  
" Possibly white Heartless?" Riku gestured at the flat tops of the white creatures' heads.  
  
The Heartless insignia was 'painted' on their foreheads, a strong contrast to the white background it was on.  
  
" White Heartless?" Tarzan questioned.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Riku spotted a white Heartless make a sudden dash at the unsuspecting Pooh!  
  
" Pooh, behind you!" Riku exclaimed, swinging his keyblade about and running at the white Heartless.  
  
" Uh.uh.uh." Pooh seemed to be lost for words as the Heartless leaped into the air, ready to slice Pooh into cotton stuffing with its odd hands.  
  
" Say some spell!" Tarzan shouted, just as the white Heartless surged forward in a massive wave.  
  
" Stop!" Pooh shouted.  
  
The white heartless froze in midair. So did the other white Heartless, the ones headed at Riku and Tarzan.  
  
" Quick!" Riku shouted, swinging his keyblade and walloping each frozen figure, unmindful of the fact that he had no clue whether or not the keyblade affected the Heartless. " Hit them before the spell wears off! If you hit them a lot, the damage accumulates and-"  
  
The white Heartless were suddenly moving again, though one-third of the force facing Riku, Tarzan, and Pooh exploded into white particles. Riku gave a thankful smile; it seemed that all Heartless were weak against keyblades, no matter what they were. The other Heartless immediately scrambled away to a safe distance, still retaining a circle around the odd team of three.  
  
" How did you know?" Tarzan asked Riku. " About Stop."  
  
" I've seen it being used before," Riku answered briskly, his tone warning, threatening to snap back if asked more. " You?"  
  
" Fire is Fire, Water is Water, Stop is Stop," Tarzan replied airily. " Isn't it so obvious?"  
  
Riku bit back a smirking smile that threatened to creep up onto his face. That tone definitely did not go with Tarzan's personality.  
  
" Um.Riku, Tarzan?" Pooh stammered. " The Heartless are getting closer."  
  
Riku and Tarzan surveyed the scene. The Heartless were inching in, making their way towards the three, for a final kill.  
  
" Oh boy," Riku sighed. " And we're not even close to finding this Merlin."  
  
" We must really fight them," Tarzan added sternly, seriously. " We must cooperate. That is the only way we can make it to the Third District."  
  
" How-" Pooh began to ask when Riku leaped into the air, at a heartless that was suddenly in the air above Pooh.  
  
The white Heartless shrieked and exploded into white nothingness, while the keyblade returned to him.  
  
" Pooh can bombard them with magic," Riku was saying as he slashed away at a grounded Heartless; the original target dodged away but the others nearest to it were wiped out of existence. " Tarzan and I can use our physical attacks. We'll all head towards the alleyway and the Third District. Agreed?"  
  
Tarzan and Pooh nodded.  
  
" And then we need to leave Traverse Town, go and find the people Cid mentioned," Riku continued to say. " And we need to get to the bottom of the whole situation. Find out what is happening to the worlds."  
  
" Agreed," Tarzan answered. " Whatever it takes to get the universe back to normal."  
  
" And then we can find my friends, right?" Pooh asked, a hopeful look on his face.  
  
Riku smiled, a brief, warm, true smile at Pooh's eternally close friendship with the friends he lost to the Heartless. Just the opposite happened to me, he thought. I was the one lost to the Heartless. But Sora's eternally close friendship with me saved me. And Tarzan, trying to get the whole universe back to normal, so that he can go back to his family and friends, the ones taken by the Heartless. Our situations aren't different after all. We are all so alike. We come from many worlds but we really do share the same sky.  
  
" Yes, Pooh," Riku replied. " Pooh, Tarzan, we'll save our friends and families from these Heartless. Now let's show them what we've got!"  
  
And with that, they turned around and faced the onslaught of white that was the white Heartless.  
  
Speed. Everywhere, everything was speed. Riku felt light, very light, as though he was made of air. Swirling around, his dark keyblade destroying the white Heartless with incredible ease, he 'danced' about through the narrow alleyway, white Heartless exploding all around him.  
  
Tarzan was holding off the Heartless quite easily, jabbing with his spear, whacking them, slicing at them.basically using every technique that can be done using a spear.  
  
Pooh was a little.unstable. Once in a while, a huge flood of water with flush the streets. Once in a white, a maelstrom would come whirling in. Once in a while, a fire tornado would burn out of thin air. But Pooh was able to cast spells. And the spells were definitely effective against the Heartless.  
  
" Are we there yet?" Pooh gasped out for the millionth time as another fireball of his dispersed a mass of white Heartless trying to get at him.  
  
" N-" Riku was about to roar at the top of his voice, from exhaustion, annoyance, and frustration that the white Heartless keep coming at them.  
  
" Almost!" Tarzan shouted quickly. " We need to cut our way through that sea of white to that door!"  
  
His arms too preoccupied with keeping the white Heartless from taking his heart, Tarzan threw a glance at the doors at the end of the alleyway.  
  
" Right," Riku hacked at the Heartless, amazed at how fast the white creatures were. They bounded and bounced and sped here and there, leaving you in a daze. Riku had to use all he learned, from his duels against an increasingly stronger Sora back on Destiny Islands in the old days and when he was under Maleficent's wing.  
  
Riku shuddered, his keyblade trembling, and the Heartless jumped at him. Riku jerked away from a past threatening to unfold to answer to this jump attack. Then he wondered: how were you supposed to attack an enemy in the air?  
  
" Strike Raid."  
  
It was simple, pure and simple. The voice was there, an abrupt sentence consisting of two words, a name, a name for a certain move involving a keyblade.  
  
" Sora?" Riku whispered, as he threw his dark keyblade high into the air.  
  
It spun like a boomerang, slicing through the white Heartless as it came back to him. Riku reached out his right hand and snagged its handle.  
  
He then turned to the mass of white Heartless before him and suddenly he knew what to do.  
  
" Tarzan, Pooh!" he called out. " I'm going to unleash an attack. It'll cut a path through the Heartless. Once I'm done, make through the opening to the door. I'll cover you guys!"  
  
" Okay!" Tarzan shouted. " Pooh's a bit busy but the same goes for him!"  
  
" Very well!" Riku exclaimed and, facing the door to the Third District, yelled, " Strike Raid!" and threw his keyblade at the white Heartless.  
  
A path opened up where unfortunate Heartless once stood; Tarzan grabbed Pooh's hand/paw and dragged him to the door. The unfortunate Pooh simply let Tarzan pull him along, as a toddler would do with his all-too-heavy teddy bear.  
  
Riku smiled at this, remembering when he did exactly that, drag his teddy bear everywhere when he was a toddler. A teddy bear that looked remarkably like Pooh.  
  
The memory still fresh and playing in his mind, Riku dashed after the man and the bear as they pushed through the doors into the Third District.  
  
" There are no Heartless here," Tarzan said, as soon as the door shut tight behind them. " Why?"  
  
They looked behind them, to the doors that separated the Third District from the Second District. No Heartless came. They expected the doors to blast open, with wave after wave of white Heartless swarming through but nothing happened. Nothing, absolutely nothing, or so they thought.  
  
Riku slowly walked to an empty building, to the immediate left of the doors. Tarzan and Pooh watched him carefully as Riku placed a hesitant hand on the dusty, dark window of the empty building and sighed. He peered into the window, trying to see that image, that image again, even though he hated it, how he himself had reacted to it.  
  
Riku wanted to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy in there, in a brightly lit room with Squall, Yuffie, Cid, and Aerith. Cloud was, of course, not there; he was off probably around the Coliseum at that time. Riku remembered how he had looked through the window, watching his best friend and rival interact with the others, and he remembered the quiet hatred and jealousy that flamed in his heart and soul. Maleficent had built upon that emotion, that 'human' emotion, and had turned Riku against Sora.stop it, Riku! Get over it! The past is the past! Now we must look to the future and your new friends.  
  
Friends.  
  
Riku turned to Tarzan and Pooh, his mouth silently forming the word, " Friends."  
  
Tarzan looked steadily into the dark blindfold that shielded Riku's eyes from the outside while Pooh merely stood there.  
  
" You have trouble with the simple concept of friendship," Tarzan spoke bluntly, outright.  
  
Riku was quite startled. How'd he know?  
  
" You are a lost soul," Tarzan analyzed, " searching for your true self. You have yet to find it, for it is locked deep within you. In your situation, accepting the concept of friendship fully, truly, with all your heart, will unlock the person that is you."  
  
" But how will I be able to do that?" Riku asked, in awe of Tarzan's insight.  
  
" We'll help," Pooh offered.  
  
The other two gave him blank stares. Pooh, paying attention to what they were saying?  
  
" I love friends," Pooh spoke. " Wherever I go, I make friends. Like you two. I love friends because we get to share the same experiences, enjoy each other's true personalities, and face life together. I think Riku's been through so much, he never really got to share his experiences with others, enjoy being in the company of others, and I do know that he faced life alone. Aren't I right, Riku?"  
  
Riku nodded dumbly. By some twist of fate, he had partnered up with two very wise, insightful souls, one in the body of a jungle warrior, the other in the body of a stuffed teddy bear with a forgetful mind.  
  
" Yeah," Riku agreed. " Before my childhood was over, the Heartless took it away. The innocence of life, the carefree joys, they're all gone, gone. The Heartless have taken everything. I wish they didn't. I just wish.that I had my friends back, Sora, Kairi, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie.I wish I could do what you did, Pooh, I wish."  
  
He hunched his shoulders and dropped his chin to his chest, trying to make himself smaller than normal.  
  
Tarzan smiled and hung his arm across Riku's back and over his opposite shoulder.  
  
" Relax," he said. " Before long, you definitely will do what Pooh here's done."  
  
Pooh clasped Riku's right hand in his own hand.  
  
" And maybe we can find your friends, too."  
  
*~*~*  
  
" Kairi, Kairi! Wake up, wake up!" a voice shouted frantically as a fist pounded harshly against the door to her room.  
  
" Wha-what?" Kairi muttered drowsily, getting up on her elbows.  
  
" Kairi, we have to get outta here!" Selphie's voice shouted frantically.  
  
" Why?" Kairi demanded, dragging herself off her bed; she had fallen asleep on her bed reading a book and was still wearing her clothes.  
  
" Something's happening!" Selphie yelled. " If we can outrun it and get to the boat before it does, then we can row to mainland!"  
  
" Mainland." Kairi's voice drifted and was squashed by a sudden howl that ran through the room in the trees of Destiny Islands. " What was that?"  
  
" That's the 'it' I just mentioned earlier!" Selphie answered impatiently; she sounded really scared. " Its like a huge monster made up of storms! And it's headed this way!"  
  
" This way?" Kairi repeated.  
  
" Kairi, get your stuff and let's get outta here!" Selphie shouted, total panic threatening to overcome her. " I'm scared!"  
  
" I'm coming, I'm coming!" Kairi shouted, grabbing the wooden sword that leaned against the wall next to the locked door.  
  
The wooden sword had belonged to Sora a long time ago, before the Heartless first came to their world. Now she used the sword, used it every day for a whole year practicing the art of swordsmanship. She had gone to the secret place, the cave shrouded by the trees, where there were many etchings scratched onto the cold gray boulders there. She remembered staring at the wooden door in that room, at the emblem of a keyhole in the center of the door, a gaping darkness outlined by yellow. And she remembered wishing that he would come through that door, that Sora would step through that door, with Riku at his side. She wished that they would come out, their missions in life fulfilled, to live on Destiny Islands with her for the rest of their lives, in peace, in joy, in happiness.and in healing.  
  
But that wish, she knew, would never be fulfilled. None of them could be healed, not after what they had gone through. Riku had made the mistake of accepting the darkness, ultimately allowing Ansem to use his body for his own purpose. Kairi herself was taken by the darkness, losing her heart and living, suspended in the unconscious world, seeing images of her shrouded past flit before her eyes, unaware of everything around her. And Sora, who had stabbed himself to save the princesses of heart and her, and had fallen into the arms of the darkness, until she had saved him herself. Each of them carried the scars of the Heartless. There can be no healing. None.  
  
She had made a weekly visit to the secret place every week of the month. She had sat there, in front of an etching in the stone wall not far from the mysterious door. She had watched it, touched it carefully, had felt the hot tears flow down her face, wishing, wishing he would come back. She'd trace her fingers along the paths of the paupu fruits, had imagined if they did share that legendary fruit, so that their hearts would be connected forever. But, they didn't need to share the fruit. Their hearts were already connected.  
  
And now, Kairi felt like she was going to collapse. First she had lost that connection to Sora, no longer was able to hear his voice within her. And now she and Selphie had to leave the islands, had to go to the mainland, the land that she and Selphie had discovered not long ago. She would be leaving behind memories, memories of a distant past, when the laughter of children rang through the sea air, when they had played on the beaches, had lived with each other in peace and harmony. A harmony that was shattered with the coming of the Heartless.  
  
" Hurry up, Kairi!" Selphie's voice was beyond desperate now. " A storm's tearing up the sea! We have to go now!"  
  
" I'm coming!" Kairi shouted and shoved on her shoes. Brushing her purple skort and pulling a blue jacket over her sleeveless white polo shirt, she snatched the wooden sword, and pulled open the door.  
  
Selphie, in a yellow shirt and green pants, wasted no time in grabbing Kairi with her free hand, the nunchaku swinging from her other hand. Together, they bolted out of the tree trunk that held Kairi's room, ran down the ramp, and onto the dark beach.  
  
A mass of darkness was inching ever closer to their islands, spitting out thunder and lightening. The sea frothed madly, white foam throwing itself up the beach. The wooden rowboat, tied to the dock, rose and fell with the tempo of the waves.  
  
" Come on!" Selphie shouted, her voice nearly lost in the torrential wind. " We have to get off this island, Kairi! Kairi!"  
  
Kairi stood quietly, alone, looking to the secret place. The wind blew around her, rain hit her, and yet she stood alone, unyielding to the furious weather around her, looking to the secret place, to the etching she and Sora had done years ago of each other, in the days of innocence, when they were both so young. Since then, they had forgotten about that moment of innocence until, about a year ago, Sora entered that place and came back out, a bit dazed by something he would not explain. And after Destiny Islands had been restored and Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy going down their paths to destiny, she had discovered what he had done in the secret place. He had etched in a drawing of himself giving a paupu fruit to her. Crying, she had added in her own drawing, of her giving him the paupu fruit as well.  
  
And now she and Selphie had to flee Destiny Islands, leaving behind that mural, a mural she held dear to her heart. Will she ever see the mural again? Or will the darkness come with such fury that it would utterly destroy Destiny Islands or shroud the beloved islands in a blanket of darkness that she cannot go through?  
  
(Imagine Suteki da Ne playing in the background)  
  
" Kairi, please," Selphie was begging her. " Let's go, Kairi, please!"  
  
Kairi turned to go, to the dock where Selphie was standing, alone, vulnerable to the darkness. Kairi had experienced the darkness, had survived it, was a veteran of it. She must defend Selphie, must not let the rising darkness touch her friend, or else Kairi herself would be alone, for Selphie would have been taken by the darkness.  
  
" I'm coming!" Kairi cried out, her voice so filled with the pain of leaving the islands and the mural in the secret place that it pained her heart, her very soul.  
  
I promise you Sora, I will be waiting here always, until you return.always.  
  
Tears welling up in her eyes, she ran to the dock, where Selphie was frantically untying the rope that fastened the boat to the dock.  
  
No matter what, Sora, I'll be standing on these islands, now and forever, until we meet again.  
  
They jumped into the boat and each grabbed an oar, slick with the rain on it. They began to row away quickly, battling the waters, as they fled from the islands that were their home. Kairi looked over her shoulder, watching the islands, watching as the darkness reached the distant edges of the islands and began its slow, horrifying crawl up the shores, to consume the islands. In her soul was a tugging, a tugging at her heart, and Kairi felt a weakness there that she had never felt before. Where did it come from?  
  
Sora. are you there?  
  
Kairi understood now, the weakness in her heart, the strange weakness that had.had ached in her heart since the day she found herself and Selphie alone on Destiny Islands, devoid of Sora, Riku, Wakka, and Tidus. It was there, pulsing softly, sadly, unwilling to show itself yet crying out for help.  
  
Sora's heart was growing weak, she could sense it. Their hearts were connected; she could feel that want, that need to return home, to the way things were. Sora wanted to come home but he couldn't. She could tell, it was so obvious.  
  
The weakness was dangerous, she knew. And this she knew: she had to get to him, she had to be able to see him, touch him, talk with him, with her voice and heart, before that weakness overcomes Sora and drags him down into darkness. And she would have to fight the rising darkness to do that.  
  
" Kairi, keep rowing; we're almost there!" Selphie panted out as she rowed as hard as she can with her paddle.  
  
Kairi obliged; within minutes the shores of the outer world came upon them. They could see the people at the shore's edge and on the many docks, watching the darkness destroy Destiny Islands, waving to the two lone survivors of the destruction. The people waited for them to come to their land, their land that was safe, so far, from the darkness.  
  
Kairi looked back once more and caught a glimpse of Destiny Islands, just moments before its destruction. It stood there, determined not to give in but unable to defend itself. Like the weakness that she could sense in Sora's heart.  
  
This time.I'll fight.  
  
~*~  
  
So.was it okay? Is everybody happy with the weirdest trio in Kingdom Hearts history: Riku, Tarzan, and Pooh? And an interesting duo: Kairi and Selphie?  
  
No flamers please, thank you very much; please send flamers to me by e-mail if it is a must. And I hope nobody gets offended as soon as they learn what I have in store for them. 


	5. The Master and the Guardian

Author's Note: Whoever's a fan of Final Fantasy X and X2, please don't kill me. I just decided to put some people in there to make things a bit 'fun'. Don't sue me; I don't know a lot of Final Fantasy X and X2. Damn me for not researching hard enough. Anyways, have fun!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 5: The Master and the Guardian  
  
The white monster loomed before him. Sora backed away, towards the edge of the top of the pillar he stood on. The design of the pillar was similar yet different. It was of a woman, a kind, gentle woman who understood all, dressed in a dazzling gold gown. Behind her was the hideous head of a beast and around them were the images of dancing utensils, like the branched candlestick, the clock, and the teapot. Overall, the flat of the pillar was beautiful, soft, kind, and full of love. Why he was standing on Belle and Beast, he did not know but what he did know was that a huge monster was standing before him, a knightly white monster, with huge shoulders and a flowing blue cape that wrapped around his neck and flowed like a cape behind him.  
  
" W-who are you?" Sora asked stoutly, attempting to make a stand against a creature that actually did not seem to want to harm him at all.  
  
I am called the Dream Heart, a true enemy of the Heartless, the creature replied in a feathery voice. I am the messenger of fate, who can speak only in the vagueness that comes only because of destiny and time. I have come to warn you, Sora.  
  
" Warn me?" Sora demanded, crossing his arms before him.  
  
A person, dressed in blue and black, standing before a creature wholly of white and pure colors. A contrast indeed.  
  
A darkness is growing in your heart, the Dream Heart whispered. It is eating away at the pureness of your heart. You may deny it- he held a huge hand up to stop Sora as he opened his mouth to protest- but sooner or later, you must face that fact. You cannot hide from the pain you suffer, Sora. That will only agitate the pain more. Sooner or later, you will have to either fight the pain openly or fall.  
  
Sora stared at him.  
  
" Then what must I do?" he asked pleadingly, his voice revealing his half- defeated inner emotions. He slowly dropped his gaze from the Dream Heart to the stained glass image of Belle and Beast.  
  
A guardian is near, the Dream Heart whispered.  
  
" A guardian?" Sora asked skeptically.  
  
One who may help you defeat the weakness in your heart and who may help you find the door to the light, the Dream Heart replied. It will not be hard to find him. Your hearts are connected, in the way you are connected to Kairi.  
  
" But I lost it," Sora cried out. " I've lost that connection! I can't hear Kairi within me anymore!"  
  
Then it is time for you to find that guardian, time to continue your destiny to the door of light, the Dream Heart explained. You are connected to several beings: Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and the Guardian. All of you are connected by the heart. Nobody knows how or why but such is fate. All you need to do is find the Guardian.before it is too late.  
  
" What do you mean by ' before it is too late'?" Sora demanded but the Dream Heart was fading into darkness. " Tell me!"  
  
But the Dream Heart was gone.  
  
Sora shuddered as a sudden wind blasted into the empty world he stood in. Sora looked about him for the source of the wind and was stunned to see a Darkside loom before him. It floated with the airiness of the Dream Heart.they were literally opposites. White, black, with something flowing behind them of different colors, Heart and Heartless.what was it doing here?  
  
It came towards him and a mysterious voice issued these words: All hearts will return to darkness. It cannot be denied.  
  
The Darkside plunged its hand into Sora and Sora felt coldness grip his heart, attempting to tear it out.  
  
" No! No!" Sora screamed and struggled against the hand as it tried to pull out the heart. Pain exploded in his soul and his mind, pounded into his body; he tried to call the Keyblade to him but it would not come.  
  
" Leave me!" Sora screamed and fought against the Darkside but it was in vain.  
  
The hand was still in him, still griping the heart, when he fell into darkness, the black swamping him up.he could no longer see.was that a light?  
  
~*~  
  
Aozora stood on the same pillar, the same platform, that featured the golden woman and the beast that, unknown to him, loved her so. His eyes were fixed on the Dream Heart, as it loomed before him, an air of sadness bellowing about him.  
  
" What do you want now?" Aozora demanded.  
  
The Dream Heart hung its head.  
  
He is going to be lost, the Dream Heart murmured to himself. The sky-child will be lost, unless the Guardian understands.  
  
Aozora stared at him. What?  
  
" Um.hello?" Aozora waved at the Dream Heart. " You know, I'm still standing."  
  
The Dream Heart looked up and the wave of sadness hit him.  
  
The time has come, Aozora, the Dream Heart whispered. You must find the sky- child for he is so very near and you must protect him, with all the protection your unscarred heart can give, so that the sky-child does not become lost to the cause of the light.  
  
" Cause?" Aozora asked carefully.  
  
We of the light have fought the darkness for more then a million years, the Dream Heart explained. For millions of years, we have gone to war against each other. Now it comes down to this. In a few years, the Last War will come and the true fate of the universe and fate itself will be determined.  
  
" Oh my god," Aozora gasped. How big was this issue becoming?  
  
Beyond, the Dream Heart replied. Ah.  
  
"What?" Aozora asked curiously.  
  
Maybe it is time, the Dream Heart answered. Time I tell you, as I have told him.  
  
"Told what?" Aozora asked. " Told who?"  
  
Your hearts are connected, Aozora, the Dream Heart replied. You, the sky- child, the small king, the wizard, the knight, the lost one, and the princess.. Connected, in a circle of light. And who else I have told this to?  
  
" Yes," Aozora insisted. " Who else knows of this.connection?"  
  
My child, you shouldn't have left your cloak like that, the Dream Heart chuckled, completely changing the subject, much to Aozora's irritation. The sky-child picked it up, lucky for you, but if it were Shanks or the Heartless-  
  
" The sky-child picked up my cloak?" Aozora demanded. " That brown-haired kid in black with my face and voice is the sky-child? What? And what does Shanks have to do with this?"  
  
Shanks works for the Heartless now, the Dream Heart stated. I hope your friends will stay clear of him. As for the sky-child-  
  
" Hey kid, are you okay?" a gentle voice asked.  
  
Aozora blinked, as a hazy image came to his brown eyes. The gentle, sad face of a woman looked into him. Oval-shaped and delicate, with a blue eye and a green eye, the sad face looked into him. Her hair was brown, short and flaring outward. A braid fell over her right shoulder and a long braid, covered protectively in red fabric, ran down her back.. She wore a red hood attached to a sleeveless, rather revealing white tunic. Yellow armbands were tied to the upper arms and she wore seriously short shorts of the color black, with a belt crossing over it, the pouch attached to it heavily decorated. A long piece of clothe, the colors of the blue in the sky, floated down over her left leg. She wore high leather boots with white laces.  
  
The thing that made Aozora really uncomfortable were the odd weapons attached to her belt. Ashita had described them before as pistols. He told Aozora, Yuki, and Orion that they were dangerous, that they were loaded with small metal bits called bullets. When you pull a trigger, the bullet would fly out, spinning as it goes, and nothing can stop it, not a body, glass, or even metal.  
  
Aozora gulped. The woman must've noticed where his eyes went to, because she gave a gentle smile and said, " It's okay, kid. They're unloaded at the minute."  
  
At the minute?  
  
" Is he up?" a rather cheerful, boisterous voice shouted from somewhere out there.  
  
" Yeah, Rikku, he's up!" the woman replied.  
  
A smiling face popped up from what seemed to be an opened doorway. Her eyes were very green and bright and the smile on her face was very much genuine. A blue band was wrapped around her head and her hair and braids, golden in color as though they were touched by the sun, spilled over. She grinned madly and exclaimed, " Look's like he's the stronger of the two!"  
  
" If you had landed on the top," the woman answered.  
  
The girl, apparently Rikku, said, " He's kinda cute. What's his name?"  
  
Aozora, amidst the blush that flared up on his pale face, stammered out, " Ao-Aozora."  
  
" Aozora?" Rikku repeated. " What a cure name for a cute kid. Blue sky.hm.it would've made more sense if your eyes were blue, though.oh well."  
  
The woman gave a smile as Rikku's head vanished.  
  
" Paine says that if you don't do something, that duck and the dog will drive herself nuts!" Rikku called out from the end of what seemed to be a hallway. " What should we do?"  
  
" Just tell them that he'll be up in no time," the woman replied before looking back to a rather stunned Aozora. " So, Aozora's your name?"  
  
Aozora nodded. Her eyes were such a strange combination.who was she? And what was that sadness that hovered behind the eyes?  
  
" Y-yes," Aozora nodded, then groaned as a huge headache bloomed in his mind. " What happened?"  
  
" Well," the woman replied. " We three: Rikku, my cousin, a companion, Paine, and I were walking down the streets of Twilight Town, not far from the train station, when we were beset by the pleas of a knight dog and a magician duck. So we decided to help them, followed them, and found you on top of another kid with your face. I have absolutely no clue what you did to land on top of him but you guys were knocked out cold. What happened?"  
  
Aozora shrugged.  
  
" I remember running across the rooftops of homes," he said thoughtfully. " And I looked down on the three from a particular apartment. The kid was taking away my cloak, which had something valuable in it. I jumped down to knock out all three of them and to make away with my cloak when the knight saw me and warned the kid. He looked up and there it was, my face, only with longer hair that was brown and sly-blue eyes. Both of us were like staring at each other and then I blacked out."  
  
" My but were you smart," a cold voice remarked as another head poked in from the doorway.  
  
Her eyes were a strange, hellish red, and she had an air of tomboyishness about her. Her gray hair was short and brushed in a way to stand up, like how a boy would style his hair. An air of coldness surrounded her and he shivered.  
  
" I know that," he managed to speak out.  
  
" Paine, how are the other two?" the woman asked.  
  
" Maddening, just maddening," the woman, Paine, answered. " The duck especially. I had to tell him that if he didn't shut up and sit down on the couch, I was going to knock him upside the head with my sword."  
  
" Probably shut him up, eh?" the woman stated with a smile.  
  
" Sure did, thank goodness," Paine flashed a dark grin. " So, Mister Ambusher wakes up, I see. How do you feel? Feel good that you thankfully landed on another person?"  
  
A red flush of embarrassment rushed up his face. Aozora stared at the blanket covers he lied under, colored in a harmonious trio of green, blue, and purple.  
  
" Oh Paine, you've got him embarrassed!" Rikku exclaimed as she poked in, too. " Aw, he looks just as cute as that other kid!"  
  
Aozora really did look like a tomato by the time the two of them left.  
  
" Don't mind them," the woman gave a smile. " Rikku is just like that and Paine's just amused at how you guys were knocked out, on top of each other like you literally landed on him."  
  
" Well.I did," Aozora mumbled. " How's the kid, anyways?"  
  
" Getting better," the woman replied, then her face grew a little sad. " He seems to be suffering something like what I'm suffering."  
  
" Your eyes look sad; why?" Aozora could not resist asking; the face looked so sad and her eyes spoke of a horror of the distant past.  
  
The woman smiled gently, sadly, and said, " Maybe later. Right now, I've got to check up on the other kid."  
  
" What is your name?" Aozora asked as she turned to go.  
  
" My name?" the woman asked. " I'm Yuna."  
  
As she left, Aozora felt the weight of sleep pulling down on him. The world grew dark and he fell asleep again, only to see flashes of two worlds being destroyed, and two sets of friends along with them.his dark, hidden past that he never told anybody else.  
  
~*~  
  
" I wouldn't trust any guy that lands on me, Sora!" Donald snapped as Sora pulled on his black jacket. " Don't talk to him unless he's coming over to say sorry."  
  
" I get it, I get it!" Sora sighed, rolling his eyes at Donald. " I won't talk to any weirdo who jumps on me from on top of a six-story apartment unless he's coming over to say sorry."  
  
" Good," Donald replied.  
  
" Gee, Donald," Goofy said hesitantly. " What's up with you lately?"  
  
" Nothing," Donald snapped. At that, Goofy gave a very goofy grin. Sora realized what he was going to say and opened his mouth to stop him.  
  
" It's about Daisy, isn't it?" he asked.  
  
Sora slapped himself on the face for being too slow and hid under the bedcovers of the bed in the room as Donald jumped at Goofy and a minibattle ensued.  
  
" Well.that's our story," Sora replied, leaning back in his seat on the red couch in the small living room.  
  
Yuna, watching him intently with her blue eye and her green eye, said, " You've lost your childhood.at such a young age."  
  
" Harsh," Rikku exclaimed. " A cute little boy like you having the face the brunt of the Heartless. At least now I know what those white jumpy thingies are."  
  
" Very skilled and very much a veteran," Paine muttered. " But exactly why are you here?"  
  
Sora gave a tired grin as he said, " My friend, Cid, said that-"  
  
" Cid?" Rikku exclaimed. " My old man, the bald guy?"  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at her and Sora got the impression that she wanted to sink into the floor.  
  
" The Cid we know has yellow hair, goggles, and has a toothpick or something of the like sticking out of his mouth," Donald explained.  
  
" Oh, that Cid!" Yuna grinned. " Yes, yes, we are good friends, too. He told me one day that he was going somewhere else to set up shop, so that the competition wouldn't get too hot between him and his cousins-"  
  
" Cousins?" Goofy asked.  
  
" All named Cid?" Sora asked, then added as an afterthought, " At least that's what it seems like."  
  
" Probably true," Yuna nodded. " By the way, where did he park?"  
  
" Traverse Town," Sora answered. " A little way from here."  
  
" A little way?!" Donald quacked. " You call that a little way?! Talk about the hours spent cooped up in the gummi ship with a drooling, dozing king's knight and a maniac of a Keyblade Master whose trying to do tricks in space while trying to dodge those crazy obstacles-"  
  
" No more," Goofy interrupted and clamped Donald's beak shut. Donald squabbled in his throat and flapped his arms madly. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were slightly taken back by the furious magician but Sora and Goofy acted as though nothing had happened. After all, they had to suffer because of Donald for a year.  
  
" Okay.so it did take some hours," Sora restarted.  
  
" Thirteen hours, to be exact," Goofy added.  
  
Yuna, Rikku, and Paine stared at them.  
  
" You know, I forgot to ask this but.what's a gummi ship?" Rikku asked curiously.  
  
Sora looked at Goofy, who did remarkably well in not flinching as Donald's arms windmilled about and continuously karate-chopped the arm attached to the hand that kept Donald's mouth shut. Sora sighed and muttered, " Here we go again."  
  
" He had ter explain what the gummi ship was to almost every stranger we met the year we went about, looking for our king and his friend," Goofy explained.  
  
" The gummi ship are made of strange building blocks that come in sizes, colors, and uses," Sora butted in before Goofy could say more. " Big cockpits, small cockpits, shields, nets, radars, missiles, etc. You should check out the engines."  
  
" Firaga engines," Goofy added, unaware that Yuna had started in her chair at the mere mention of a world that seemed similar. " Big, huge-" Donald nodded his head madly in undeniable agreement and Goofy had some trouble saying the next words as Donald's mad nodding jerked his arm up and down and, consequently, moved himself as well "-and very, very fast. When Sora started that half-hour barrel roll, it was all done very fast and very wildly. We almost crashed on a huge asteroid."  
  
The last sentence he said proudly and Sora shrunk into his chair, his face red with embarrassment.  
  
" Kid, you've got serious thrill issues," Paine commented.  
  
Rikku laughed and Yuna smiled sadly. Sora wondered at that. Why was she so sad?  
  
" Why so sad?" he asked rather bluntly.  
  
Donald gave an even bigger squabble and tried to wrest his beak out of Goofy's grip. Goofy, knowing full well the consequences, gripped the beak harder.  
  
" Why?" Yuna asked and the sadness in her voice was almost heartbreaking. " I'm looking for.someone."  
  
" Yeah, someone," Rikku added, rolling her eyes.  
  
Yuna glared at her cousin before continuing, " He's.been lost.for a long time."  
  
" What do you mean?" Sora asked curiously. Donald and Goofy stopped their silent minibattle to listen.  
  
" In our homeland," Yuna said, " a darkness rises every few thousand years and destroys the world. Then the world is renewed and the cycle continues. The darkness is called Sin."  
  
Sora watched intently, unaware of the copper-like brown eyes that watched the scene quietly from the shadows.  
  
" My father and his friend, Auron, had defeated Sin a long time ago," Yuna continued. " But it was up to me to stop Sin and its cycle once and for all."  
  
" Wow," Sora said. " That's tough."  
  
Yuna sighed sadly and said, " And that was when he came."  
  
" Whose 'he'?" Sora questioned.  
  
" A blitzball player-" Yuna began to answer.  
  
" Blitzball player?!" Sora exclaimed. " Blitzball?!"  
  
" Y-yes," Yuna answered, startled by the sudden outburst. " Why?"  
  
" Wakka knows how the play blitzball!" Sora exclaimed, then realizing that he never did explain who Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus were.  
  
Apparently, he didn't need to. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were staring at him in such astonishment he felt quite embarrassed at his outburst. Why does he get embarrassed so easily nowadays?  
  
" You know Wakka?" Rikku asked eagerly. " How?"  
  
" Well.um.," Sora searched for words to say. " He was one of my friends on Destiny Islands. There were also Selphie and Tidus-"  
  
" What?" Yuna whispered, in a voice so intense with shock, that the whole room became deathly silent. The copper-like eyes watched carefully, taking in everything that had been said.  
  
" Um.I just said Tidus-" Sora began hesitantly.  
  
" You know Tidus?" Yuna demanded. " How?"  
  
" Well, we grew up on Destiny Islands together, with my other friends," Sora explained. " Why?"  
  
" Grew up on the islands together?" Yuna repeated. " But the age difference.is vast."  
  
" Age difference?" Sora demanded. " He was only one year younger than me!"  
  
" Only?" Rikku jumped in. " But he was like.seventeen, eighteen, nineteen- oh, I can't remember."  
  
" Nineteen?" Sora demanded. " H-how?"  
  
" I wish I knew," Yuna answered. " I wish I knew."  
  
" This is so weird," Paine stated. " Because it's Tidus we're looking for."  
  
" You're looking for Tidus?" Sora asked.  
  
Nodding, Yuna explained, " His father was fated to become Sin. We and some of our allies, including Rikku and Wakka, aided Tidus in defeating Sin but.but."  
  
She said no more and turned away.  
  
" He had to go back," Rikku jumped in for Yuna. " See, Tidus told us he came from the past, from like a thousand years ago. And now that he had defeated his dad, he was going back. And so.he left."  
  
" It was not until a while ago," Paine actually said, " that we started to look for Tidus. Yuna saw some movie sphere of Tidus or someone like him and realized that he might still be alive. So here we are and I doubt we're any closer to finding him than ever."  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat still in their seats. Goofy slowly let go of Donald's beak and said, " Good luck."  
  
Yuna, smiling sadly, said, " Thank you."  
  
A tear trickled down her blue eye.  
  
~*~  
  
" So that's the whole story," Aozora told himself as he put on his black cloak. Rikku, who was arranging the bedcovers of the bed Aozora was in, answered, " True."  
  
" Well, then, I wish you three good luck," Aozora replied. " When did those three leave, by the way? I never really did get to see them."  
  
" Oh, they left last night," Rikku answered absentmindedly. " Went right after this huge, long talk about our issues-what?"  
  
Aozora dropped the Starlight Keyblade that he had called to his hand to examine for any breaks. It clattered on the floor but Aozora did not make a move to pick it up.  
  
" They left?" he demanded. " Gone?"  
  
" Um.yes, why?" Rikku asked.  
  
" I need to talk to them!" Aozora exclaimed. " Where was he headed?"  
  
" You know, I really don't' know," Rikku replied, pushing aside a braid as she smoothed down the covers.  
  
" Hey, Rikku," Paine stuck her head into the room. " Kid, make sure Rikku doesn't make any moves on you. She's got a fondness for you ever since she saw you two knocked out on top of each other. Oh, and Rikku? That other kid left this-I should say, these."  
  
With that Paine, held out two necklaces, ignoring Rikku's embarrassed blush.  
  
One was a metal chain, with a crown medallion dangling and shining at one end of it. The other necklace was of a finer, silvery chain, with a star at its end, a star that seemed remarkably similar to his Starlight Keychain.  
  
Aozora immediately called the Starlight Keyblade to his heart and stored away the Keychain that it left behind.  
  
" What should we do with them?" Paine asked, waiting for Rikku to respond.  
  
" Well, I don't know," Rikku answered. " Why don't we just keep them, if the kid doesn't come back to reclaim them. I like that star necklace."  
  
" I'll take them to him," Aozora quickly offered; the star necklace spoke of something immeasurable, something very importantly immeasurable. That kid would be wanting it back, very badly.  
  
Rikku pouted but did not protest; she did know what was right and what was wrong. Aozora pocketed the chains in his pocket and looked to the two to thank them for helping him recuperate from his crazy fall.  
  
" Don't thank us," Paine started before Aozora had even begun to open his mouth. " Thank Yuna. We could've told the dog knight and the duck magician to go and find somebody else to help them but for Yuna."  
  
" Hey," Yuna popped in. " I'd like to say, 'You're welcome.' And don't forget to get those necklaces to Sora. I'm sure he's gonna go into full panic when he finds out they're gone."  
  
She knows, Aozora thought. She knows.  
  
Aozora shared a smile of understanding and walked down the hallway of the apartment to the door. Opening the door, he took one more glance behind his shoulder to the three women with a mission, and, stepping outside, closed the door behind him.  
  
" Now where would Sora be?" Aozora muttered to himself. Didn't the Dream Heart say that Sora was the sky-child-Sora does mean ;sky', doesn't it? And the Dream Heart also said that our hearts were connected. Doesn't that mean that I can sense where he's going or something-  
  
Sora was headed for the train station.through the wrong neighborhood.  
  
He's headed for the Silent Castle! Aozora realized. Shit!  
  
The Silent Castle was, well.silent. It was bathed in the colors of the sunset and stood all by itself in its sad, majesty glory. Aozora had heard many stories about it from his closest friends. Ashita always spoke of it and Orion, oddly enough, spoke of it the least. Ashita had said that a strange cloud of darkness hovered over the Silent Castle and that anyone who went near it usually never came back to tell his or her tale.  
  
Who knows what might happen to him, Aozora realized. Great! I've got to stop him!  
  
With that, Aozora took off for the neighborhood that the Silent Castle sat in, unaware of the gleaming eyes that watched him, with hunger, hate, and, most of all, revenge.  
  
~*~  
  
" He says that if I blow this whistle at the right moment, I can avenge myself," Shanks muttered to himself as he watched the kid he hated the most run off in the direction of the Silent Castle. " Everything's set up perfectly. The trio he told me about is headed for complete ambush and I can follow that blond idiot until he's at the right place. Then I can blow the whistle and begin my clients' plans. And I will see the blond kid's destruction. I can wait, I can wait just long enough to see it happen."  
  
A dark grin crossed his face. Had it ever dawned on him that there really was no cause behind his want for revenge? Just because that blond kid stopped him from killing another and beat him up doesn't mean that he can get revenge for it, or can he?  
  
But revenge boiled in this drunk who sided with the rising darkness. He lived without that reason, that why. Why does he want revenge so badly? Why would he join this darkness?  
  
How strange life really is. How strange indeed.  
  
".and we shall place that device on him, oh yes we will," Shanks grinned as his dirty right hand fingered the silver whistle. " We shall be able to follow him that way, be able to track him all the time, always. And the only way for him to get rid of the device is if he becomes truly aware of it. But that device.no one knows of it except my client and me.oh yes, that blond kid would really pay, oh yes he will."  
  
With that, he set off into the dark alley, muttering to himself, fingering that silver whistle, blending into the darkness until it swallowed him.  
  
He was not aware of the eyes that followed him, of the ears that had heard everything he had said. Those eyes had widened in recognition of who Shanks was talking about, the one he was bent on killing. But then those eyes narrowed. From what he could decipher and put together, Aozora would join that kid who so insulted the man he admired and looked up to the most. He had never really liked Aozora and was just being extremely nice when Aozora left.  
  
No, Aozora would never know what Shanks was planning to do with him. Orion would never tell him.  
  
With that, the teenager walked away, back to the bell tower.  
  
Another Author's Note: This is a late 'Christmas gift' to whoever wanted to know the fifth chapter. The next chapter will start exploring the stuff behind Nobodies, I think. Oh I don't know, but I hope you liked this!!! Again, please don't flame me or sue me or do anything bad. I'm just some idiot writer. The idiot part is no joke. 


	6. Welcoming Committee at the Castle

Author's Note: An apology to everybody. I was grounded from the internet for TWO WHOLE MONTHS!!!! Argh! But here's the next chapter, just to make everybody happy. And don't worry, soon everything will start to make sense. Hopefully...  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 6: Welcoming Committee at the Castle  
  
"Der...is this the right way to the train station?" Goofy wondered aloud as Sora, Donald, and he trudged through the gloomy streets of a rather deserted area of Twilight Town.  
  
"Why?" Donald asked grumpily; he was sopping wet, thanks to a game of tag that Sora started that ended with Donald cannonballing into a huge, muddy puddle of street water.  
  
"I sure don't see any train station and if I can't see the train station, I sure can't see the bell tower," Goofy said, looking around.  
  
Sora froze and his sky-blue eyes scanned the scenario before him. Goofy was right; he couldn't see the bell tower and that meant that they were nowhere near the train station.  
  
"Oh great," Sora sighed. "Now we're really in deep trouble."  
  
"Maybe we made a wrong turn," Goofy suggested, looking behind him to the street they were walking through.  
  
Sora looked at the royal knight. "Goofy, we made lots of turns."  
  
"Oh...right."  
  
"Do we have to retrace our steps?" Donald muttered hopelessly.  
  
Sora looked behind him as well.  
  
"I don't' think that's a good idea," he answered. "We might get even more lost in the...in the...never mind."  
  
They continued walking for an hour, with Donald complaining that his feet were going to peel off and he'd have to walk on stumps. Sora told him that it was really gross and that he was getting images in his head. Donald merely glared.  
  
"Hey look, that there's a castle!" Goofy exclaimed and pointed at the huge castle that suddenly loomed before them.  
  
Sora froze and stared. Where did that come from?  
  
"That is big," Donald commented, looking up. "Where did it come from?"  
  
Sora shrugged. "I don't know but let's go. Maybe whoever lives there can give us some directions."  
  
"You sure its safe to go there?" Goofy asked, looking at the gloomy castle. "It looks sad. Sad and silent."  
  
"Somebody has to be there?" Sora answered. "Come on."  
  
He slowly approached the huge gates that led to the towering castle. He knocked on the marble doors that towered over him and he yelled, "Hello? Is anybody there?"  
  
Nobody answered and the doors creaked open. Sora immediately jerked back but nobody was there. Nobody.  
  
"Hello?" Sora called out as he peered into the huge, empty courtyard that lay between the gates and a staircase that led most likely to the doors of the castle.  
  
"Looks like nobody's been here for years," Goofy stated as he peered above Sora's head.  
  
"Let me see, let me see!" Donald yelled and scrambled up Goofy's back. He peered over the knight's head and said, "Very dusty."  
  
He was right; the cold gray stone floor was covered in fine dust. The few trees that stood in the courtyard were bent over, gnarled, and very much dead. A rusty fountain stood in the very center; it was of mermaids and dolphins.  
  
Everything was covered in grime. It was not very pretty, not pretty at all.  
  
And the worst part was...the silence. An odd silence that hovered in the air, with a haunting, whistling wind. Donald shivered as a wind blew behind them and hitched himself onto Goofy's neck.  
  
"This is so weird," Sora commented. "Hello?"  
  
There was no answer. Sora, Donald, and Goofy inched into the courtyard, towards the staircase.  
  
The door shut quietly behind them. Those three did not notice that nor did they realize that the door had just locked itself.  
  
"Sora?" Goofy said. "This place feels...weird. I'm pulling out my shield."  
  
With that, he kept the shield in front of him and inched forward. Because the shield was in front of him, however, he could not see a thing. What a surprise; he tripped.  
  
"Yah!" Goofy exclaimed as he hit the ground and the shield clattered madly on the stone. A huge cloud of dust billowed from underneath him. Donald, who had been clutching onto his neck, bounced away, squabbling.  
  
Sora jumped literally six feet into the air and came down in a spin. He swung the Keyblade out in front of him and went into fight-mode, ready to take on...nothing. It was only Goofy who was trying to get up and Donald, who was rubbing his bum painfully.  
  
Sighing, Sora called the Keyblade back into him and helped Goofy up. Donald muttered angrily to himself as he joined them.  
  
"There really is no reason to panic, you guys," Sora told them. "I mean, what is there here that can be scary-"  
  
From the castle itself, a strange, ringing sound flew through the air. Sora jumped and looked about nervously.  
  
"What was that?" Donald asked.  
  
"It sounds like...uh...a bell," Goofy replied.  
  
"How can it ring by itself?" Sora wondered in puzzlement. "I mean, nobody answered the door."  
  
"And nobody shut the gates and locked them behind us," Goofy pointed out, looking behind him.  
  
"What?" Donald shrieked.  
  
Sora saw that the doors were shut and, of all things, locked.  
  
"What is going on here?" Donald grumbled angrily. "If this is a joke, I'm not laughing."  
  
"No joke," Sora answered, calling the Keyblade back to his hands, his sky blue eyes watching everything in the courtyard warily. "Something's up. If nobody answered the gates, then nobody's in the castle. That means that nobody could've touched that...bell or whatever it was. I think somebody is here, but I have no idea who. Why don't we go in?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Sora, who had started forward, turned around and replied, "Donald, let's go see who or what rang that bell thing."  
  
Donald gaped at him. "This is an empty castle!"  
  
"Yes," Sora replied. "Nobody answered the doors and shut the doors behind us. Yet something or someone definitely rang that bell. Why don't we go see if somebody really is in the house but just didn't hear us."  
  
"Yeah! Great idea!" Goofy said happily.  
  
Donald muttered, "What if there's something evil in the house?"  
  
"Like a ghost?" Sora grinned. "Is Donald afraid of ghosts?"  
  
"No, of course not!" Donald retorted angrily, brandishing his staff in the boy's face.  
  
"Are ghosts real?" Goofy asked curiously.  
  
"Either they are or they aren't," Sora replied as he headed for the staircase that led to the doors of the castle. "Man, whoever built this place must've really loved heights. I'd never build my doors up high."  
  
"So Sora...are ghosts real or not?" Goofy questioned again.  
  
"I really don't know," Sora answered. "But if they're real, they're real, and if they're not...then the Search Ghosts are pure heartless and they're made based on what people say about ghosts."  
  
"My but are you wise in the matters of the supernatural," Donald grumbled. "Don't like this place. There's something really weird about this castle..."  
  
"I wonder if anybody's in here?" Sora wondered as he reached the door. He knocked loudly and called out, "Hello, is anybody there?"  
  
The doors creaked open. Nobody had answered.  
  
"Hm...that's funny, nobody's here and the door's left unlocked," Sora noticed. "This castle is like, open to all visitors, literally."  
  
"But why aren't there anybody here besides us?" Goofy asked curiously.  
  
"Maybe 'cause this place scares everything out of people!" Donald exclaimed.  
  
"But it doesn't scare me," Goofy replied in confusion.  
  
"Nobody's in this main hall either," Sora butt in. "Come on, let's look around."  
  
They entered the house, with Sora in the lead and Donald staying as close as humanely possible to Goofy and looking around nervously. All three of them did not notice the doors shut and lock behind them.  
  
A man, whose face was shadowed by a dark hood, watched as the three warriors enter the castle. A sinister smile played on his hidden face as a cold, deep voice said, "Yes, Nobody answered the door. Nobody locked the door. And Nobody shall follow you until the Guardian is captured and the first part of our plans are carried out. Let us see how well you three can fight against Nobody."  
  
The tall, dark oak doors in the empty room eased open and a strange voice hissed.  
  
"Take four. Follow them," the man replied coldly. "Do not let him out of your sight. When the Guardian is caught, welcome our three guests. If a problem arises, he will look into it."  
  
The voice hissed again and the door slowly closed.  
  
"Let us see how well you can fight against Nobody."  
  
~*~  
  
"Just my luck they're going to the Silent Castle," Aozora muttered to himself as he picked his way through the water-splattered street. Unknownst to him, this was the very same section of the street where Sora started a game of tag that ended with a very furious, drenched duck. Aozora also did not notice the scorch marks that riddled some of the walls of apartment buildings next to the flooded street. The duck, apparently, was a wizard and had lost his temper so completely, he tried to hit Sora with Fire, missing every single time by a wide margin and scorching whatever the fireballs hit.  
  
Aozora also did not notice the cold eyes trailing him, watching his every move. He was headed to the Silent Castle and those eyes knew he was not supposed to. The plan must not fail.  
  
Aozora was lost in thought, wondering about the Dream Heart's words. He barely noticed the shadows, the shadows that seemed to bubble on the street. He was not aware of the glowing yellow eyes that followed his every move. He was too intent on sorting out what the Dream Heart had said for, as to what he knew, the Dream Heart most definitely did not make any sense.  
  
But he always mentioned memories, Aozora told himself. He always mentioned memories. Was there something that happened in the past that's coming back now? Was there something in my memories that can help the Light defeat the Dark? What kind of memories was he talking about? My childhood? My 'second' childhood? My years with my mentors? The years I spent searching? Or the time I spent with Ashita, Yuri, and Orion?  
  
He failed to notice the fact that he had taken the wrong turn and continued to walk, slowly yet with long strides.  
  
And that guy, the one with my face, my voice, who is he? Aozora wondered. How can we look so alike when we haven't even met each other...well, besides that mad fall from the apartment building. How can we have such similar faces, similar hairstyle, and voices? There's no way we can be related, no way. Somebody would've told me...  
  
A wave of sadness hit him. He just remembered that he did not remember much about his family and that everybody he had been close to had been taken away from him. They would certainly not be able to answer his questions about his past. What was he to do?  
  
"If only I can remember," he said bitterly. "If only I can remember..."  
  
The sharp noice of an aluminum can clattering against the street surface jerked him away from his thoughts. Aozora looked up in surprise, noticing an empty soda can roll down the street to his feet. His eyes ended up surveying the whole scenario.  
  
The first thing he noticed was that he was the only one on the street. The street was completely devoid of all life. The second thing he noticed was that he was headed in the wrong direction.  
  
"Dammit!" he swore as he looked around. "Where am I?"  
  
If there was one thing he knew, it was that he was quite a distance away from the Silent Castle. Whether or not it was a bad thing, he did not know. But how did the can roll down a street that was quite flat? Unless someone had kicked it, it would've been some strange magic that pushed the can to his feet. Some very strange magic.  
  
Ashita said that there were some dark sorceresses that wandered through the darker parts of Twilight Town. Might one of them be here, who could've pushed the can to his feet, who might by watching him right now?  
  
Aozora looked around him nervously. He had never been to this part of Twilight Town before and most definitely he was alone, a very bad thing when you don't know where you are in a place where everyone and everything congregates here or there or anywhere at any given time.  
  
He did not believe what Ashita said when his friend told him that werewolves even came to Twilight. Werewolves? As if.  
  
And yet there could be somebody around, somebody with power, the raw power of magic. He had not believed that someone in Twilight Town would actually have magic; he had not much faith in wizards or sorceresses. That was until he was befriended by the three warriors: Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.  
  
Yuna most definitely had magic in her. He wouldn't call her a sorceress because she didn't seem evil but what other title is there for someone of her status and power? He did not know but he recalled the odd aura of magic that hovered about her.  
  
And her odd, mismatched eyes, so sad...  
  
And that kid had known the one who made her so sad, Aozora thought. He had known that person, someone called Tidus. Yuna was looking for him and that kid knew something. That was really weird. Especially what they said about the age gap.  
  
But then again, this universe was weird. Weird, cruel, and full of unjust. Plenty of cruelty and plenty of injustice.  
  
The universe had taken away his past. He knew no past; he doubt he would have a future. Aozora was only aware of the now, what was happening now.  
  
"...and it would be me who would decide what to do when the time comes," Aozora mouthed silently.  
  
A hazy memory of another past, of a mentor who always went about in a black cloak and hood. Only the bottom part of his head could be seen; Aozora had never seen his eyes or the rest of his head. The mentor was tall, a friend of Aozora's other mentor who was rarely willing to take in a pupil, to take in a pupil and teach that pupil the...what?  
  
Aozora grimaced as he concentrated as hard as he can on that blank spot. What had his mentor taught him?  
  
He had taught him something related to what he had just mouthed. Something on decisions, choices, choices to be made when the time came to make them. But what else?  
  
"I wish I knew," Aozora whispered, looking to the twilight sky. "I wish I knew."  
  
The impact of an aluminum can at the back of his head made Aozora turn around-angrily-only to see...nothing. He could see nothing, nothing as far as he could see-  
  
He called for his Keyblades but was too late, as a wave of white creatures, the like one he saw days before, swarmed all over him. He yelled for help and punched and kicked at the white creatures as they fought to keep him from moving.  
  
"Get. Away. From. Me!" he yelped as the white creatures bounded all over him, piling on top of his head and forcing him onto the ground. The white creatures yanked at his legs, pulled at his arms, and he gave way unwillingly, trying with all his might to fight them off.  
  
"Help! Is anybody there? Help!" he yelled as white creatures buried him, their intention made clear in that they wanted him silent, immobilized, and unable to do anything except breathe.  
  
"Somebody! He-" his voice was muffled and he was 'drowned' by the white creatures.  
  
~*~  
  
He peered over the edge of the apartment building, hoping that Aozora had reacted well to the can he threw at the blond child's head.  
  
The pile of Nobody on him sickened him. He knew what he had to do now. The blond child was now rendered helpless by the Nobody. And only three people can help him.  
  
He turned in the direction of Silent Castle and, silently and without another thought, jumped over apartment buildings as he made his way to the Silent Castle and hoped that the three people he now counted on did not share Aozora's fate.  
  
~*~  
  
"... you do exceptionally fine work, Shanks," his client stated admiringly as he watched the Nobody tie up the blond child. "I will pay you five thousand munny as soon as we place the device on him."  
  
Shanks nodded in happiness. Munny was one thing. Shanks never had much munny before but when his client first contacted him, saying that Shanks would be paid well, he felt like he was on cloud nine. Then he received his first payment, merely for using the whistle to call the Heartless to stop the Dream Heart. It was a hefty bag of gold and Shanks had it tucked away in the broken down shanty. And now he was being paid more.  
  
The second thing was what they planned for the blond-haired kid Shanks hated so much. He did not know that his client had smiled at his idiocy at having a grudge against a kid who did nothing more than fight him in only one meeting, but Shanks was very much eager to help the client when he learned that his client was keen on doing something to the blond-haired kid. And so they were.  
  
"This device sends out a very powerful signal," his client said. "The Heartless, they cannot hear this signal but the Nobodies can. That is what we're keen on. We must make sure the Heartless do not hear the signal for this is something for the Nobodies. The Heartless are keen on the same thing we are searching for and we cannot tip them off. They have a very powerful master, who can use anything within his dark powers to try and get to what we are searching for first. These Nobodies, Shanks," his client said, gesturing to the white creatures, "can take on the shapes of anything. They are shape shifters. They appeared as Heartless when you summoned them to stop the Dream Heart; if they appear in their true white forms, the Heartless will know of our whereabouts. The Heartless have a white form themselves, to infiltrate our forces. They, those white Heartless, are immediately eliminated upon doing so. These Heartless don't know what they're up against. Such as the device we have created."  
  
"I see," Shanks answered. "And what true purpose will the device serve us?"  
  
"Wherever this blond child is, the device will emit a signal for the Nobodies," his client answered with a dark smile. "We are intent on following that signal until the blond kid and the three warriors he is with reach Hollow Bastion. There, our plans will be carried out and you may have the pleasure of destroying the blond child yourself."  
  
"Thank you!" Shanks cried out. "I've waited for so long and I will wait more, until the time has come! Let's get the device on him!"  
  
"Calm down, Shanks-" the client began.  
  
A sudden, cold hiss interrupted and a white Nobody approached. Its flat head bore the sign of the Nobody and his mouth, filled with rows of fine teeth, opened up to emit a strange hiss. The white creature continuously swayed back and forth. Shanks did not know or understand what was going on but his client apparently did; his client was nodding to the Nobody's hissing.  
  
"The Heartless aren't aware of us but they are doing exactly what we don't want them to do," his client told Shanks. "They're headed for our three friends. I highly doubt my 'friend' has enough to stop the Heartless. Take four and go. Stop the Heartless. Then carry out the rest of the plan."  
  
The Nobody hissed again and promptly, four Nobodies detached themselves from the huge dog pile on Aozora and followed the first one away. The client smiled rather darkly.  
  
"These Heartless have never been a match for us, Shanks; do you understand?" the client told him. "The only factors the Heartless have that we don't are the ability to create multiples of themselves very quickly and that they have many different forms, so that they can use many types of elements in one battle. All we have is the ability to shape shift and...the ability to do more than take a heart. Now, let us go place the device on our young friend."  
  
With that, the client and Shanks walked towards the dog pile. Slowly, the Nobodies broke away from the pile and stood a little way, out of respect for the client. The pile gradually got smaller, until only one Nobody remained, who was busy tying Aozora's arms. The Nobodies had stuffed a rag into his mouth; the boy kept sending out muffled cries of rage as the client and Shanks approached.  
  
A gleam of hatred shone in Shanks' eyes and his hands just itched to grab his neck and strangle him to death.  
  
"Patience, Shanks," the client told him. "We must stick to our plans."  
  
Shanks nodded as the child looked up at them with wariness. No trace of real fear could be seen on his face.  
  
"Render him unconscious," the client spoke softly.  
  
The Nobody's hand, long, tapered to a tip, and very much like a dagger, swung forward. The flat of the hand hit Aozora on the head and he fell forward, knocked out.  
  
"Very good," the client said. "Where shall we place the device?"  
  
~*~  
  
"I don't like this place, Sora," Donald said for the fifth time, his eyes peering around the hallway they were walking through. His flat feet slapped ominously on the marble floor as the trio passed by locked doors carved out of oak. Many locked carved doors.  
  
(Makes you think of Matrix Reloaded, doesn't it?)  
  
"How long is this hallway?" Goofy wondered, looking all about him.  
  
"I think I see a door," Sora answered, peering ahead to what seemed to be double doors. "Hey, that's a double door!"  
  
"Finally!" Donald shouted.  
  
Sora bolted to the doors and tried to pull open the doors but they were locked as well.  
  
"Not another one!" Sora groaned. "This is the seventy-sixth time these doors aren't opening!"  
  
"You've actually counted?" Goofy asked in awe.  
  
"It was boring walking through these empty hallways with nothing but rows of locked doors," Sora offered an explanation.  
  
"Paranoid," Donald muttered under his breath.  
  
Sora, apparently not hearing Donald's little comment, looked to Goofy and suggested, "Charge these doors."  
  
Goofy very eagerly ran at the doors and slammed himself against them. He bounced back by the impact and landed on the marble floor. His shield, which was on his right arm, flew off and skid to Donald's feet.  
  
"Goofy, I mean with your shield..." Sora started to say.  
  
The doors silently opened.  
  
"Never mind," Sora added.  
  
"That felt great!" Goofy said cheerfully as he picked himself up. Donald handed him his shield and the knight hooked onto his right arm again.  
  
Sora peered out the doors and stared at what seemed to be a very spacious balcony that overlooked much of Twilight Town. The wall bordering the balcony was high and, as Sora stepped outside and looked up, he could see a tower of the Silent Castle rise up against the rest of the castle. He turned to the balcony before him, unaware of the white creature watching him from above.  
  
"What is this place?" Donald wondered as he followed Sora onto the balcony.  
  
"Look!" Goofy yelped as he pointed to the center of the balcony. "That there's some black splotches!"  
  
"Where?" Sora demanded.  
  
"There!" Goofy answered and bolted out to the balcony to show Sora. Behind them, the double doors slammed shut and all three of them could hear the click of a lock.  
  
"What was that?" Sora demanded. Donald looked about him warily, holding his staff up, ready to fight against whatever there was. Goofy continued to the black splotches. Leaning down, he poked at the splotches and when he lifted his finger, black goop dripped down to the marble floor.  
  
"This looks like the stuff we found where we saw the Heartless were headed towards," Goofy stated.  
  
"What does that mean?" Donald demanded, approaching his friend and 'debate' partner.  
  
"'Member how all them Heartless were headed for that spot behind the train station?" Goofy asked. When Sora and Donald nodded, he added, "This was the same we found on the floor when we got to that place. Didn't it come from the Heartless?"  
  
"Good point," Sora agreed, leaning over to see. "Hey, it does look like it came from the Heartless! But who could've done that? I mean, how can anyone around here destroy the Heartless...besides us."  
  
"What about that kid those three people from the bell tower told us?" Donald questioned. "They said he's got keychains."  
  
"You mean he can use the keychains?" Sora demanded. "He's a keyblade master? Or wielder? Or both?"  
  
"Wow, I'd like to meet this guy," Goofy commented.  
  
"We already did," Sora reminded him.  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's right, we did," Goofy answered.  
  
"Where's that kid?" Donald grumbled.  
  
Goofy, always curious, looked about their surroundings. The knight had a feeling something was going wrong, totally wrong...  
  
"What if it wasn't that kid?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Sora obviously did not hear Goofy's question.  
  
"Der...um...what if something else killed the Heartless?" Goofy repeated, with more detail.  
  
"Goofy, how's that possible?" Donald asked.  
  
"What are those?" Goofy answered, pointing to the left of the balcony.  
  
A creaking sound, the sound of a footstep, made Sora turn around very, very slowly. He could see strange shapes in the shadows, with flat heads, dagger- like hands, long, elastic bodies, and continuously dancing feet. As each of the strange shapes stepped forward, Sora could see that the creatures were white, white with fine rows of teeth and a strange ensign on the top of their flat heads...just like the one on the face of the Dream Heart!  
  
As Sora, Donald, and Goofy backed into each other, the creatures spread themselves out, in a circle around the three warriors. The creatures moved strangely. Their bodies were in one place in the air at all times yet they were flipping around in slow cartwheels. They were practically defying gravity. And they were always moving about, even though they were' standing' in one place; they cartwheeled even though they were in one place.  
  
"Look!" Donald squawked, pointing at the dagger-like hands of the white creatures. Sora narrowed his eyes and ended up staring in total shock.  
  
Black, goopy liquid dripped from the dagger points of the creatures. They had somehow slaughtered the Heartless, who somehow ended up on this balcony for some unknown reason.  
  
"They killed the Heartless?" Goofy gaped.  
  
"This is insane!" Sora exclaimed. "This can't be true!"  
  
The creatures continued to dance circles around the trio.  
  
"Are they going to attack?" Goofy whispered.  
  
A white creature, slightly larger than the rest, threw back its head and from its mouth issued a high whistle.  
  
The white creatures, with their dagger-like hands before them and ready to continue their deadly slaughter, leaped at Sora. 


	7. A Long Shadow

Author's Note: This chapter can get confusing; it even confused me, the author! So if it gets confusing, please don't mention it; I know.  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 7: A Long Shadow  
  
They looked about each other warily. The silence and the emptiness of the Third District was strange, out of place, completely unreal. The Second District was swarming with white Heartless and here, adjacent to that district, was completely devoid of any life. Any life. Or was it?  
  
From the platform they were standing on, Riku could 'see' a strange, crystalline fountain. It was a very pretty fountain, very pretty. To the far right was a strange battery-like structure, with electricity running through the ends, jagged and glowing intensely. He could also 'see' the door that led to First District. And saw that it was boarded up and chained. Why?  
  
"Where's that door of fire?" Tarzan whispered. The silence pressed in on them and Tarzan emphasized the quiet.  
  
"I don't know; I don't see it," Pooh answered, lookin very intently at the vacant house what was once, a year ago, filled with light and life.  
  
"Um, Pooh? Not there. There," Riku pointed out the empty space of the center of the Third District to that forgetful yellow bear.  
  
"Oh, yeah, right," Pooh noted and bounded down the stairs that led to that square.  
  
"Wait!" Tarzan exclaimed. "Pooh, we don't know what might be down there!"  
  
But Pooh was already down the stairs and beyond their view.  
  
"You mean there might be something down there?" Riku demanded. "All I know is that there's a big square of emptiness right there in plain sight."  
  
"Well, I'm only just guessing," Tarzan replied with a shrug. "Who knows what might be down-"  
  
"Oh!" Pooh's voice exclaimed.  
  
"Pooh!" Riku and Tarzan shouted and they charged down the stairs. Riku summoned the dark keyblade and Tarzan readied his spear as they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned left to find Pooh.  
  
"What? What is it?" they exclaimed as they settled into fighting stances.  
  
Pooh was standing just a few feet in front of them, staring at the door before him. The door was meters away, snuggled into a short hallway to the left of the Third District. The door had an ensign of fire on it.  
  
"The Burning Door!" Tarzan breathed.  
  
But something was wrong. The door was oddly shadowed in darkness. The emblem was obviously supposed to flicker like real fire but the color was a flat orange-brown. It did not dance like flames, as Riku remembered it a year ago, when he met Sora here in the Third District square.  
  
"Is that smoke I see?" Tarzan wondered, narrowing his green eyes.  
  
It seemed to be wisps of very dark smoke were leaking through the cracks around the perimeter of the door. Very dark smoke.  
  
"Pity it wasn't that my house was on fire," a very elderly but cheerful voice boomed into Riku's ear. "There wouldn't be a problem, eh?"  
  
Riku jumped into the air, whirled around, and swung his keyblade forward. It rested against an old man's neck.  
  
"My, my, twitchy are we?" the old man chuckled. He had a very long, white beard, moustache, and white hair. He was dressed a long blue robe and a tall, pointy blue hat was perched rather precariously on his head. His round spectacles were slid very forward on his nose, and he carried a long, thick wand and a carpetbag. He looked very ruffled.  
  
"Are you Merlin?" Tarzan asked right out.  
  
"Why, yes I am," Merlin answered with a smile. "Hello. What can I do for you?"  
  
"We're...um, well we were looking for you," Riku replied. "Leon, he told us you were behind the Burning Door. But apparently-"  
  
"I'm not," Merlin finished. "I wish it was just my house on fire. Then again, it's made mostly out of stone so it wouldn't be on fire in the first place."  
  
"What happened?" Pooh asked curiously.  
  
"Very interesting," Merlin answered. "Very interesting indeed. See, I was having tea with the Fairy Godmother when, all of a sudden, Heartless appeared. Everywhere. From the roof, the underground passageway, from underneath the table, behind all my books, even from the little teapot where the tea was. So, to make a long story short, we had to go."  
  
For a long time-in their opinions-Riku, Tarzan, and Pooh stared at the wizard.  
  
"Ah well, all my stuff is here in this bag," Merlin said resignedly, gesturing to the carpetbag in his hand. "No problem. Oh and by the way, which one of you is Pooh?"  
  
Raising his yellow arm into the air, Pooh asked curiously, "How did you know my name?"  
  
"If I didn't," Merlin answered smoothly, "I wouldn't be classified as a wizard and life would've gone downhill from there."  
  
"Ah, good point," Riku replied. He was a bit startled himself.  
  
"Anyways, I know Leon sent you three here because you three would like to know of Pooh's potential," Merlin stated. "Apparently Cid, a good friend of mine, somehow discovered that Pooh, the little bear in my book, can utilize magic. Anyways, if you'd like to know of Pooh's potential, I can only say this: he has more than just magic if you can see very well, for within his heart, more than magic there dwells. Use that magic carefully and with wisdom, for someday we may all save a kingdom."  
  
Merlin finished his poetic statement, only to be met by flabbergasted looks from Riku, Tarzan, and Pooh. Merlin sighed. Not again.  
  
"This is what I meant to say," Merlin grumbled. "Each of you has your own potentials. This bit of information is for Tarzan: you're strength lies in what you have learned deep into your life. Use your strength to you're best advantage and you will recover your own light. And Riku, I believe you must know this: Do not despair though you have for long been in the dark, your destiny still awaits you. Follow your heart, your soul, your faith; do not shy from the light for only if you knew."  
  
Merlin immediately gave himself a mental slap in the face. The three had already been confused by his little poem for Pooh and when he tried to translate it for them, he went off and rattled to Tarzan and Riku their own little prophecies. Well...if your brain's a bit waggled by the event of being chased out of your home by the Heartless, things can happen.  
  
"I apologize," Merlin gave a hesitant, apologetic grin to the bewildered faces of Riku, Tarzan, and Pooh. "Sometimes, my mind rattles off what I try not to say. Sometimes, things come out a bit...poetic. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"If you don't mind," Riku said politely. "Can you tell us what they mean? Those little poems you decided to say to us?"  
  
"I can tell you that," Merlin answered. "What I've been trying to say was- "  
  
"I suggest you step away from those three, Merlin," a sinister, hissing voice suddenly spoke.  
  
A glistening sword rested on Merlin's left shoulder, pressed firmly and steadily against the wizard's neck.  
  
"You..." Merlin's face was suddenly set, grim, and rather with a hint of hatred scribbled in.  
  
"Yes, me..." the voice hissed. Riku looked over Merlin's shoulder to see a cloaked and hooded figure with glowing blue eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" Tarzan demanded fiercely, his spear out before him in defense.  
  
"My business is not with you, ape-man, but with this fool wizard," the figure snapped angrily. "You, Merlin, you told me he was at Agrabah but surprise, Agrabah's gone! I was there just as the Nobodies were finishing up the business-"  
  
"The what?" Riku demanded.  
  
"Well, well," the voice mused. "So Cloud has not told you about the Nobodies?"  
  
The figure spat out the name like it was mud.  
  
"What about Cloud?" Tarzan demanded.  
  
"Oh, its only something very personal," the figure replied. "But to think that you have not heard of the Nobodies...they've only become the second large force of darkness. The Heartless have seemed to take Agrabah but, in truth, the Nobodies have taken that world and killed the Heartless in the process."  
  
"What is Nobody?" Pooh wondered.  
  
"None of your business, teddy bear," the figure snapped. "Now, Merlin, you know you've tried to rid this universe of me. Tell me, did you? Or was it an innocent mistake?"  
  
Merlin's face was beyond grim. His eyes flashed with a hateful fire.  
  
"I did try to rid you," Merlin said with surprising softness. "A good riddance if I had been successful. But fate plays very oddly, doesn't it? Well, I ask that you only deal with me and not these three. I have heard of your recent habit of taking out everyone in a certain vicinity of your target."  
  
"Is that so?" the cold voice said. The blue eyes seemed to flame with a terrible fury. "If I am to keep with my habit, I may as well destroy these three as well as you-"  
  
The jolting roll of the ground beneath their feet sent everyone toppling to the floor. Riku turned his head about wildly, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"What's going on?" Pooh whimpered as he sat on the floor, completely helpless in the face of this restless turmoil of the ground.  
  
"Its-" Tarzan began to say.  
  
It fell from the sky. White like the Heartless, if was tall and floating, like the Darkside. A strange ensign was scribbled on the chest armor and the facial armor of this strange, knightly creature. A dark, nightmarish blue cloak flowed behind it; it had the hugest shoulder blades, the slimmest hourglass body, and its hands were long, very suspiciously looking lances.  
  
"What in the name of Arthur..." Merlin's voice faded.  
  
"A Noknight," the cloaked person hissed. "It is coming for you four and so I must take my leave. Farewell, Merlin. We shall meet again, if you can survive the Noknight."  
  
With that, the person turned to go and, to the amazement of Tarzan and Pooh, for this was something Riku could not see, one black, feathered wing sprouted from the person's back and helped the person lift into the air.  
  
"He can fly?" Tarzan wondered in surprise.  
  
"Coward!" Merlin shouted in a sudden fury. "Willing to kill me before three innocent people yet fleeing when a Noknight comes back. Cloud had thought you were a worthy opponent but all I can see is a coward, Sephiroth!"  
  
The hooded being turned its head to the enraged wizard.  
  
"I'd rather flee than face a Noknight," Sephiroth responded. "Since I do not fight for your cause, I can go whenever I want to. And why do I not want to face a Noknight? They never stop fighting until one gives oneself up and distract the Noknight so that others can flee. Either that...or you destroy the Noknight."  
  
With that, the hooded person, Sephiroth, flew into the night sky, leaving Riku, Tarzan, Pooh, and Merlin alone to face the Noknight.  
  
"Might as well fight," Tarzan muttered as he readied his spear. "Never stop fighting until then...what are these mad beings?"  
  
"They are as Sephiroth says," Merlin sighed as he pulled out his wand. "I don't know who created these Noknights but they must've been very clever to turn them into such killing machines."  
  
"Killing machines or no, I say we fight right now!" Riku exclaimed as he whipped out his dark keyblade. Merlin watched that dark keyblade with a critical eye.  
  
"If I were you, I'd advice you to put that away!" Merlin exclaimed.  
  
"Why?" Riku asked in confusion.  
  
"It cannot affect Noknights," Merlin answered. "As it is associated with the Heartless, the damage caused by the dark keyblade would hardly affect the Noknight."  
  
"Then what am I supposed to do!" Riku shouted, willing his keyblade to vanish. "It's the only one I have!"  
  
"No, it is not," Merlin responded, shaking his head. "No, there is another keyblade, waiting for you-"  
  
"Watch out!" Tarzan shouted and shoved Riku away as the Noknight slammed a lance-like hand down where Riku was standing. The ground cracked and bent by the force of the lance-like hand. Dust billowed up as the Noknight withdrew its hand from the earth and made another stab, again at Riku, who managed to scramble out of the way.  
  
"Why is it going after Riku?" Tarzan wondered.  
  
"F-fire!" Pooh yelped and fired a fireball at the Noknight. It exploded harmlessly against its white armor and didn't even leave behind a scorch mark.  
  
"Hm...let me try something," Merlin muttered. He aimed his wand at the Noknight's face and muttered some incoherent words. Immediately, a storm kicked up, a fiery snowstorm.  
  
"Merlin, what the hell did you just do?!" Riku yelled into the wind.  
  
"Trying to freeze the Noknight!" Merlin shouted, then jumped backwards to dodge the Noknight's sweeping lance-like hand as it attempted to wipe out Merlin. "Close one!"  
  
"I don't think its working!" Tarzan shouted. He then leaped upward as the Noknight attempted a sweep again, landed on the Noknight's arm, and quickly scrambled upward to the Noknight's shoulder. He settled himself on the shoulder and proceeded to hack away at the Noknight's head.  
  
"F-f-f-f-f-fire!" Pooh stuttered and a sizzling, dying fireball barely hit the cape. While it didn't seem to do any damage, he did succeed in getting the Noknight's cape on fire.  
  
The Noknight, taking no notice of that, proceeded to quickly destroy the ground the four people were on with vicious stabs with its lance-like hands. The explosions of rock showered downward, injuring all who didn't have armor like the Noknight.  
  
"This is painful..." Riku moaned. "Especially when you can't do anything!"  
  
"Shouting will not help," Tarzan answered as he picked himself up from the piling snow; the Noknight had managed to throw Tarzan to the ground to keep him from slicing and dicing at his head. "How do you stop this creature?"  
  
"We can't," Merlin replied, panting heavily from the amount of magic he had used to no avail to try and stop the Noknight. He jumped aside as the Noknight stabbed down at him and was injured as the shower of rocks fell on him. "I'll have to hold him off; you three get out of here."  
  
"What?" Riku shouted. "We're not going without you! You seem to know what we don't know!"  
  
"Groan...I knew I shouldn't have said so much," Merlin groaned. "Just get out of here, you'll find out yourselves. Now go!"  
  
"No, you've got to tell us more!" Riku yelled as Tarzan and Pooh proceeded to drag him away. "No, let me go!"  
  
"Good luck," Merlin muttered under his beard and faced the Noknight. " Now, what can stop a Noknight..."  
  
~*~  
  
"Oh there you are, Kairi!" Selphie exclaimed as she ran up to her friend, who was standing on a hill looking to the Destiny Islands. "Come on, Kairi! Dinner's almost ready at the inn!"  
  
"Hmmm? Oh," Kairi sighed. "Okay."  
  
Selphie looked into her friend's purplish blue eyes worriedly. "It's gone, Kairi. There's nothing you can do about it."  
  
"I know," Kairi looked down, then turned to face the islands that were once their home. "But, it's so strange. It's like the islands, they are calling me."  
  
"I know," Selphie replied. "They're calling me back home but we can't go back Kairi; you saw what happened."  
  
"No, it's not that," Kairi answered. "There's something more to it. I think the islands are calling me back home, for a different reason."  
  
"What other reason can there be?" Selphie asked, in obvious confusion.  
  
"I don't know," Kairi replied. "But we have to go back; I'm certain of it."  
  
"There is a dark radiance from our home, Kairi; I don't like it," Selphie retorted.  
  
"What choice do we have?" Kairi replied with a sad smile.  
  
Selphie shrugged. "Simple. We stay here and just wait until they come back."  
  
By they, she meant the guys who had vanished.  
  
Kairi shook her head. "No, there's something more to it, something more."  
  
"Something more?" Selphie asked curiously. "Like...oh!"  
  
The small exclamation of surprise prompted Kairi to look up to her friend's face. "What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
A strangely dreamy look settled over Selphie's face. "Its like...something's calling to me. A voice, it's calling to me."  
  
"What do you think its saying?" Kairi asked.  
  
"Like...it's telling me to go back...go back to the islands and find this...place," Selphie's eyes were narrowed in concentration. "Some place on the islands; the voice says that the place is a secret, because it has a dangerous purpose to hide...or something like that. Or is that what the voice said? Hm..."  
  
It hit her. Kairi knew there really was only one secret place. Only one secret place. It was...the Secret Place.  
  
"Could it be...the Secret Place?" Kairi breathed. Why the Secret Place? Did it have a secret to hide, something dangerous?  
  
"The Secret Place? Oh, that Secret Place," Selphie agreed. "Wonder why we have to go there..."  
  
Kairi grabbed Selphie's hand and pulled her to the inn where they had been staying. "Come on. Let's get our stuff. We need to go back."  
  
"Now?" Selphie questioned. Kairi nodded and continued to drag her to the inn.  
  
"It's cold, Kairi; did we have to go now?" Selphie complained as she shrank back from a splash of frigid seawater. Her shivering hands grippe the oar hard.  
  
"Its calling to us; we had to go now," Kairi answered, shivering all the while. A cold wind was blowing furiously in their faces, trying to push their wooden boat back. Destiny Islands stood alone, in the middle of the sea, ominous, as if something dangerous resided on the islands.  
  
"It looks really scary," Selphie commented as she looked to the islands. The full moon, shrouded by clouds, barely lit the islands and Kairi and Selphie could see no more than a dark silhouette against a strangely starless sky. Then, a light blazed across the horizon and Selphie exclaimed, "A shooting star!"  
  
Another one, Kairi thought. Have the world borders come down? Are the Heartless going to attack again?  
  
The bump of the ship against the shore jolted her out of her thoughts.  
  
They had landed on the shore of Destiny Islands. And the darkness of the former home certainly did not welcome them.  
  
"So...who wants to take the first step?" Selphie whispered. The dark air weighed heavily on them.  
  
"Are you that scared?" Kairi demanded. Trust me, I've been involved in worse things than this.  
  
"No, I'm not," Selphie retorted but her voice shook.  
  
Kairi sighed, shook her head, then stood up and, grabbing her meager belongings, jumped onto the sandy shore.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
"It's safe!" Kairi exclaimed to Selphie as she inched forward from the still-warm sands to the inner areas of the islands.  
  
Selphie, with her belongings, nimbly jumped out of the boat and onto wet, compact sand. She jogged up to Kairi and asked, "Can you find the Secret Place, even in this darkness?"  
  
Kairi nodded; she had literally memorized the way to the Secret Place. Turning right, she went forward a couple of steps and found her footing on a wooden ramp. She walked her way up to the second level of the islands and, upon stepping onto the second level, she became increasingly wary of the sudden chill in the air. Something was not right.  
  
"Selphie," she whispered. "Something's not right."  
  
"What?" Selphie demanded as she groped about in the darkness, unable to see as well as Kairi.  
  
"Can you feel it?" Kairi whispered, her face towards the Secret Place. " There's a heaviness in the air, something dark, something evil..."  
  
"K-Kairi?" Selphie began to stutter. "T-th-look over t-there-there..."  
  
"Where?" Kairi looked about her, before noticing a strange, glowing pair of yellow eyes watching them.  
  
"W-wh-what is-is that-t?" Selphie stammered. A slap was heard against the floor and Kairi knew that Selphie had slapped her nunchaku against the ground, hoping to scare away the owner of the pair of glowing eyes.  
  
Much to their dismay, more eyes began to appear. The way to the Secret Place, Kairi noted, remained clear but everywhere else, glowing eyes appeared.  
  
"Kairi," Selphie said nervously, backing into her friend. "What are they?"  
  
Why did those glowing eyes look so familiar? As if Kairi had seen the eyes before, long ago.  
  
"Where is the source?" a voice hissed, cold as the metal of a knife slicing through flesh.  
  
"It talked!" Selphie exclaimed.  
  
"What source?" Kairi demanded in a firm voice, though her heart and soul shrank away from the voice.  
  
"Our source, kin of our liege," the voice whispered menacingly. "Where is our source?"  
  
"I don't 'know what you're talking about," Kairi replied.  
  
"Who are you?" Selphie wondered.  
  
At that very moment, the clouds shrouding the moon faded away and a powerful blast of moonlight hit Destiny Islands, illuminating everything.  
  
"Selphie!" Kairi exclaimed. "They're-they're the Heartless!"  
  
The Heartless, huge, humanoid, bulging with muscle, long nails grappling into the air, surrounded them. Kairi had never seen these types of Heartless before but she knew one thing: they were Heartless.  
  
"Where is our source, our liege, kin of the liege?" the voice rose to a high shrill.  
  
"Are you referring to me as 'kin'?" Kairi demanded.  
  
"You are kin," the voice replied. "Related to our liege and the only one who had entered our realms and came back with a whole heart."  
  
Kairi concluded that the voice came from the largest, buffest Heartless in the menacing crowd.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't' know where your liege is," Kairi answered as she and Selphie began to back away. "I suggest that you look elsewhere. Goodbye."  
  
With that, she and Selphie turned and made for the Secret Place.  
  
"Stop them!" the large Heartless hissed to the other Heartless. "We cannot let them get away!"  
  
The Heartless began a mad dash after to the two teenage girls.  
  
~  
  
"Kin to their liege eh?" Selphie asked Kairi as they bolted through the twisting tunnel of the Secret Place. "That was interesting-"  
  
They spilled out into the room, the Secret Place, and froze.  
  
Heartless, Heartless everywhere, swarming all over the place. They all froze, though, when Kairi and Selphie charged into the room and watched them darkly, their long crooked ears twitching.  
  
"This does not look good," Selphie whispered to Kairi.  
  
"It never did," Kairi replied and her heart suddenly began to tug hard in her. Kairi looked to the brown door at the far end of the Secret Place. The golden outline of the key on that brown door was glowing, beckoning, calling to them.  
  
"We have to get to that door," Kairi decided.  
  
"And how, may I ask?" Selphie replied, her hand gripping her nunchaku tightly.  
  
"There's only one answer," Kairi sighed as she pulled out Sora's wooden sword. "We fight."  
  
Selphie opened her mouth to protest but then they heard a surge of activity behind them. That could only come from...the Heartless.  
  
"Okay, we do have no choice," Selphie decided and quickly lashed her nunchaku forward.  
  
A Heartless fell.  
  
Kairi stared. "Are the Heartless becoming weaker? It just fell, just like that."  
  
Selphie shrugged, then said, "It still took a lot to bring him down."  
  
So the Heartless aren't weaker; Selphie's just gotten too good with her nunchaku. Note to thyself: don't' get on her bad side.  
  
With that Kairi gave a shout, swung out Sora's sword, and dragged Selphie into a rising melee in an attempt to reach the door.  
  
~  
  
Kairi had never been in combat before. She had never wielded a weapon against anybody other than a friend and she had never used the weapon in any way other than to practice with. But now she was locked in combat, was to slice and dice a path through the new Heartless in order to get to the door. And the door seemed very far away.  
  
"Are we any closer?" Selphie demanded as she whipped another Heartless to the floor, beheading it in the process.  
  
"I don't know!" Kairi shouted as she swung her wooden sword forward and sliced off an arm. "Okay, now that's gross."  
  
Kairi sliced at a Heartless' torso. The attack got the Heartless away from her path and Kairi ran forward, only to nearly crash into the wooden door. She had made it, she had reached the door.  
  
"Selphie!" she shouted. "I've reached the door!"  
  
"I'm coming!" Kairi saw the end of the nunchaku fly in the air and come down hard, leaving a Heartless falling apart, in half. Selphie ran forward; she had made it, too.  
  
"And this is the door?" Selphie wondered at the golden outline of the keyhole but shrank back when a Heartless' hand slammed onto the door only inches above her head.  
  
Kairi reacted quickly, whirling around and slicing at the Heartless. It quickly shrank back, disintegrating into nothingness gradually and, from how the Heartless was acting, painfully.  
  
"That was close," Kairi sighed, then swung the sword as another Heartless came forward. "That was even closer."  
  
"Kairi, how do we open this door?" Selphie demanded as she tried to push the door. "It's not budging..."  
  
Acting on instinct, rather than thought, Kairi whirled around and stabbed at the very center of the keyhole with Sora's sword.  
  
The door glowed in an odd myriad of gray colors. The Heartless began to shrink away from the glowing door, watching the door warily. Selphie shrank away from the glowing door as well but Kairi stood firm. She knew it had happened. The door had called to them, obviously to do something, and she had done it. She had, somehow, opened the door and she didn't know why.  
  
But will she?  
  
"The door," Kairi whispered in awe. "It's opening."  
  
"Why is it turning gray?" Selphie whimpered.  
  
"The Heartless are scared of it, that I'm glad of," Kairi replied. It was true; the Heartless were shying away from the door.  
  
The wooden door was creaking open, easing open, to an opening where a gray light pulsed. Kairi didn't know why the gray light was there but no matter, it was scaring away the Heartless.  
  
"Do you think that whatever's in this door will get the Heartless off Destiny Islands?" Selphie whispered.  
  
"Looks like it," Kairi answered, gesturing behind her.  
  
Selphie cast a look over her shoulder, only to see the last of the Heartless leaving the room. They were casting dark looks at Kairi and Selphie as they left.  
  
"Wow, they left really fast-" Selphie began to say.  
  
A howling wind suddenly ripped into the room. Selphie screamed.  
  
"I think that's why they left so fast!" Kairi shouted over the wind as she grabbed onto Sora's wooden sword, which was still embedded into the door. " The wind's coming from what's inside the door!"  
  
"Kairi!" Selphie screamed and began to slide into the pulsing gray light in the door.  
  
"Selphie!" Kairi shouted and grabbed Selphie's hand. Kairi's other hand gripped hard on Sora's wooden sword, not knowing how long she could hold on.  
  
Her answer came. As the wind whipped around them, causing their hair to slap painfully against their faces, Sora's wooden sword snapped in two. Kairi and Selphie screamed in fear as they were sucked into the door.  
  
As their screaming faded, the door silently swung shut. Half the wooden blade was stuck to the gilded keyhole. It would be a long time before a Heartless would ever step into the Secret Place again.  
  
~*~  
  
"The first human I've seen in months!" a voice, suave and full of bravado, exclaimed in a strange gray world. A rather buff, muscular human in simple, very archaic armor was peering at a heap of two girls, a whole dump of supplies, a strange whip, and half a wooden sword.  
  
"Doesn't look like they'll hurt anybody," he muttered and put away his short sword. "Wonder if Father sent them to me..."  
  
Another Author's Note: Was it confusing? I hope not. Guess who the owner of the bravado voice is! 


	8. A Simple Secret

Author's Note: If this gets confusing, don't panic. All will be explained over time...Please read and review, thank you for taking the time to do so, enjoy!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 8: A Simple Secret  
  
Aozora definitely did not know where he was. Looking around him, all he could see were a couple of strange stones that were, of all things, floating. Yeah, like stones can float!  
  
To make things even stranger, the stones seemed to be glowing, glowing in an odd, bluish-white color. And as Aozora stood there even longer, the stones began to spin around him.  
  
Very strange, he thought. Very strange.  
  
Then he became increasingly worried when the stones spun even faster. And from exactly where he was standing, blue-white lines began to spread out, from under his shoes, spreading out in an intricate, twisting web of light.  
  
"Wha-what's going on?" Aozora stammered. He didn't dare take a step back or a step forward. He could hit the rocks and something bad really would happen. "Where-where am I?"  
  
Do not be frightened, a voice whispered. Do not be afraid.  
  
"Who's there?" Aozora asked. The voice did not belong to the Dream Heart. This voice was different, more...feminine. An authorative, assuring voice...but still feminine. A woman's voice.  
  
Do not be afraid, the voice said again. You will be here for only a little while, just until you awaken.  
  
"Am I asleep?" Aozora wondered. Then it hit him. "Oh no...another dream!"  
  
Is there a problem? The voice asked. If the voice had a face, Aozora knew the face would be smirking.  
  
"No, not really," Aozora answered. "Wait-yes there is. Why am I here? What is this place?"  
  
Within the Crystal, the voice answered quietly. A powerful force, a force that defends my home. A force that my mother gave herself to so that our people are protected.  
  
"The Crystal?" Aozora wondered. "Very odd. I've never heard of it."  
  
You wouldn't, the voice answered. Nobody has...except for the King.  
  
"The King?" Aozora questioned.  
  
Yes, there is a King that all people answer to, the voice replied. He knows ever secret there is in the universe, especially my home. Me, and my people, we used to live on a large, prosperous island in an ancient world. Happiness and prosperity. Then a catastrophe threatened to destroy our home. And my mother gave herself to the Crystal to prevent the catastrophe from destroying our home. And so, our home sank under the sea, protected by the Crystal, where we prosper. We have been erased from the memories of all people. Only the King knows of our whereabouts.  
  
"Very interesting," Aozora acknowledged. "But what does that have anything to do with me?"  
  
Not too long ago, the voice explained, a yellow dog appeared at the foot of my bed. Normally, no foreign creature can gain access to my room, no less step a foot inside the palace or step into our home. But there the dog was, sitting at the foot of my bed, black tail wagging happily. In its mouth was a letter. I was wondering about the letter and where it came from. I was suspicious of it. But then I saw the King's stamp on the letter and I quickly took it from the dog. Then the dog loped away, before I could do anything else. And I did not go after him, for I have learned at if one receives a letter from the King, one must open it quickly to do as told as soon as possible.  
  
"What did the letter say?" Aozora asked curiously.  
  
It told me to seek out someone he has met before, long ago, the voice replied. It told me to contact that someone through the Crystal, to tell that someone what it must know, only what it must know and nothing more.  
  
"Am I that someone?" Aozora asked suspiciously.  
  
Lucky you, the voice answered in an amused voice. You are that someone. You have met the King before in your life, have you not? Lucky you, I say again. I've never met the King before and that was the first letter I ever got from someone outside of my home, no less the King himself!  
  
"Then what did the King tell you to tell me?" Aozora demanded. When did I ever meet the King? Who is this guy?  
  
The prophecy of my people, the voice answered. Our ages-old prophesy.  
  
"The King told you to tell me of your people's prophecy?" Aozora asked in astonishment. "What the-I don't even know you people! We've never met before! What do I have to do with you or your prophecy?"  
  
Before you go on ranting about your past, the voice interrupted before Aozora could finish taking a breath, this prophecy has nothing to do with our people. This prophecy concerns the whole of the universe. The WHOLE.  
  
"The whole universe?" Aozora asked. "Then why's it called ' the prophecy of my people'?"  
  
An ancient seer of my people, long before I was born, was looking to the stars, the voice explained. Suddenly, while he was staring at the stars, he began to speak in a loud voice, a loud and terrible voice. And as he spoke, words appeared on the wall nearest to him, which happened to be one of the walls in my room. The words were written to his very word as he spoke. It was a long speech, a long prophecy. The next day, the seer died and the meaning of the prophecy, if he ever knew it, died with him. When we read it, we immediately knew the prophecy had nothing to do with the foretold destruction of our home, which my mother and the Crystal prevented. No prophecy we ever spoke of mentioned ourselves in it. This was the first one. And the only one.  
  
"I see," Aozora nodded. "Now, can you tell me which part you were supposed to tell me?"  
  
Very well, the voice answered. This is the part I must tell you:  
  
No heart is left unscarred.  
The souls of the angels are hurt far more,  
Than those whose hearts kind Death welcomes,  
In the struggle to find the true meaning behind the ancient war.  
For the flight of birds will sound the death knell,  
The wind and feathers welcome those who fell,  
And touches them with a grace for their virtue  
In a fight to defend what's real and right.  
And to find the true meaning behind the light,  
In the sky eyes of the white one  
And the copper sight of the blue.  
For within those two hides a promise so true,  
For a door will open and a death knell will ring.  
The third key must be found and changed,  
A paradise must be destroyed for the wind to sing.  
Non-existence must be brought into the dark and light.  
  
I really don't know why this part but here it is.  
  
Aozora's jaw dropped open.  
  
"Am I supposed to memorize that?" he demanded.  
  
I highly doubt it, the voice answered. It's already implanted in your mind.  
  
"Right..." Aozora replied. "And what am I supposed to do about it?"  
  
Like I'm supposed to know, the voice chuckled. The King himself doesn't know the meaning of it and yet he tells me to tell it to a kid whose destiny is shrouded in mystery? I can understand my father now when he said the King was farfetched. Sigh...can't blame him. With the Heartless assaulting the corner of our civilization, he's gone a bit...hm...crazy.  
  
"Heartless?" Aozora demanded. "There?"  
  
You have taken up residence in Twilight Town, the voice noted. Of course you would've met the Heartless. But the King's letter also mentioned of another force, another danger. Whether or not it will come here I do not know. But I hope it doesn't. My dad will never live through it all, then.  
  
"Another force?" Aozora asked.  
  
A force, the King wrote, that resides in the gray of the universe, the voice answered. I do not know what it mean-oh!  
  
"What?" Aozora demanded, then noticed that the stones were losing their glowing color. The web of light under his feet were starting to fade and the stones were slowing down in their flight around him.  
  
You must awaken, the voice answered. You must wake up!  
  
"Wait!" Aozora shouted. He began to panic; darkness was creeping in from the corners of his eyes. "I forgot this question: who are you? What is your name?"  
  
My name? the voice asked as the darkness began to cloud Aozora's vision. I am Princess Kida, the princess of Atlan-"  
  
Then darkness swamped his vision and he could hear no more.  
  
~*~  
  
Sora gritted his teeth as the white creature bounced off his Key nimbly. The pressure from the creature as it nearly ran into his Keyblade was very painful.  
  
A slight heat wave hit Sora in the face. Donald had just cast Firaga on one of the white creatures...with no results. The white things nimbly leaped away and the fireball harmlessly flew by them, to dissipate in the air over the dark buildings in this area of Twilight Town.  
  
"Gawrsh," Goofy commented. "They're fast."  
  
"Go figure," Sora muttered and attempted to strike one of the white creatures. He managed to nick the creature as it bounded away and it opened its odd mouth in silent rage as bluish-gray mist emitted from the minor wound on its foot.  
  
"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. Gray mist?  
  
"Sora, duck!" he heard Donald shout and he dropped to the ground. Less than a second later, a heat wave blasted over his back and gray mist blossomed from directly above him. Sora peeked up behind his shoulder, to see gray mist and static-blue power mix and rise up into the dusk-colored sky. Sora stared. The static-blue power was forming a fading heart as it rose into the hazy sky.  
  
"Close one," Goofy stated before whirling at a white creature with his shield. The creature flipped backwards to avoid that often-fatal attack and Goofy found himself staggering away from the railing of the spacious balcony, dizzy from his attempt to destroy that creature.  
  
Its like they teasing us, Sora thought. Like this is a game for them. What are they?  
  
One second later, he dodge-rolled away to avoid being beheaded by one of the white creature's knife-like hands. He leaped up and made a downward slash on a white creature Goofy just conveniently tripped. The white creature swiped out its hand at the same instance and sparks flew as both Sora and the white creature were thrown backwards by the recoil. Was the creature's hand made of metal?  
  
"Damn it," Sora swore at the loss of a chance to get rid of one of the white creatures. Seven remained, bounding around and literally teasing them. Donald was cursing at the top of his lungs as he cast literally every spell possible. Of course he wasn't going to try Thundaga. Several times before, that spell had shocked Sora even though it wasn't intended for him. Sora suspected that something that controls magic was changing the gears, changing the way spells work in the process. After all, Graviga now has a seriously widespread affect. Once, Sora had accidentally leveled one-third of a forest when they were attacked by a rogue group of Heartless Wyvern. He succeeded in bringing down the dragons but he also succeeded in bringing down trees, with Goofy getting knocked out in the process. Thundaga and Graviga, sadly, were now off-limits unless it was a desperate attempt to stay alive.  
  
Goofy was already giving way, gasping and leaning against his shield. Attacking these white creatures was a nightmare of epic proportions.  
  
"Hey Goofy!" Sora shouted as he dodge-rolled another one of the white creatures' attempts to decapitate him. "Need a Potion?"  
  
Goofy shook his head and staggered to his feet. He lumbered forward with the shield in hand and attempted to charge the nearest white creature. While he didn't hit it head-on, he was able to hit it with the side of his shield, causing the creature to go flying in Sora's direction. That done, Goofy did not attempt to do anything else as two white creature went at him, their dagger-like hands ready to slice and dice him into pieces.  
  
"Goofy!" Sora yelled in panic but he was hindered by the white creature thrown at him. Swinging the keyblade wildly in a mad desperation to reach his friend, he slashed at the white creature and succeeded in having the white creature impaled on his keyblade. Shouting in surprise, with the white creature's very audible shrilling vibrating all around him, he dropped the keyblade. The keyblade continued to vibrate madly, which was the reason why he dropped his weapon, and the vibration reached into his ears. Closing his eyes and covering his ears, in a futile attempt to avoid the horrid sound, he staggered away.  
  
Quacking wildly, Donald stumbled backwards, gripping his head, and ran into Goofy. Toppling over one another, they fought against the white creature's dying cry and a new attempt by the white creatures to destroy them. Donald and Goofy barely got away from the white creatures but that took too much effort and they both collapsed. Goofy fell on his back and Donald toppled onto his face. Sora, breathing hard, looked about frantically as he continued to evade the white creatures' attacks. But he was getting slower by the moment, which did presage for not-so-good moments to come.  
  
"Do. They. Ever. Get. Tired?" Sora panted as he staggered away from a white creature before it tried to stab him. He was much too tired to use Aeroga or Curaga now and his arms were aching from holding up the weight of his key.  
  
Suddenly, he felt something smash itself into his back and he fell forward. Then a white foot appeared before his eyes and caught him under the chin. Another foot kicked at his right hand, causing him to release the Kingdom Key; it clattered to the side. Then Sora was thrown, literally tossed aside, and he fell just a little way from the knocked-out Donald and Goofy. Sitting on his bottom, breathing hard, he looked up desperately into the dusk sky and the white creatures, the merciless white creatures who defeated them wish ridiculous ease.  
  
Isn't there anything I can do? Sora thought desperately as the largest one threw back its head, emitted a very low, odd shrill, and leaped at him.  
  
Sora cringed away, throwing his right arm up in instinct, awaiting the final blow.  
  
It never came.  
  
Confused to no end, Sora peeked through his closed eyelids...and saw a rather short being in a long black cloak and hood. There was no trace of the white creatures.  
  
As Donald and Goofy became conscious, Sora became aware of two things. One, the being who seemed to have saved them had two very big round ears. Two, he was holding a weapon in his right hand. A weapon that glittered gold, silver, and red. A keyblade, to be exact, a Kingdom Key.  
  
Sora gaped at him, until he felt hands on his back. The next thing he knew, his face was on the ground and Donald and Goofy were on his back. They were obviously gapping at the person they had been searching for years.  
  
"King Mickey?!"  
  
~  
  
"We have no time to lose," the King said briskly as he helped Sora up. " You must hurry and go to where that building is-" he gestured to a rather pronounced apartment building in a sea of bricks "- get rid of the Nobodies- the ones you were fighting-and get him out of there-"  
  
"Wait a minute!" Sora exclaimed as he called the Kingdom Key to his hand. "He?"  
  
"Nobodies," Goofy said absentmindedly.  
  
"Your blond-haired friend," King Mickey explained. "Or rather, your blond- haired look-a-like."  
  
Sora gave a scowl. Donald decided to step in.  
  
"But Your Majesty," Donald protested. "That-that-that idiot tried to ambush us! Why do we need to save him?"  
  
King Mickey looked at him with calm, all-knowing eyes. "Because he must be saved."  
  
"Huyuk...er...why must he be saved, Your Majesty?" Goofy asked curiously.  
  
Sora noticed how the small king became rather hesitant in answering Goofy's question.  
  
"Because," he finally spoke, "I fear he is connected to the opening of the door. There is a strong connection between him and the forces of the light and dark. And there is a much stronger connection, between him and Sora."  
  
"What?" Sora demanded. "You mean the guy who jumped on me from the roof of an apartment building is connected to me?"  
  
"Remember, he has two keyblades at his command," King Mickey reminded. " That already shows that he is not an average human being."  
  
"Oh...yeah, you're right..." Sora became rather thoughtful. "I saw the two keyblades before I blacked out..." His hand reached up to finger the crown medallion he wore on the outside and Kairi's seashell charm underneath his shirt but his fingers only met air and fabric.  
  
"My necklaces!" Sora gasped in horror as he looked down at himself. " They're-they're gone!"  
  
"What?" Donald quacked madly.  
  
"Now's not the time for necklaces, my young Keyblade Master," King Mickey stepped in with a rather severe tone. "You must rescue the blond-haired child."  
  
"But why?" Sora demanded with impatience. Why wasn't he telling him anything? "What's so special about this guy? Besides what you've already said!"  
  
King Mickey sighed and turned away, ready to leave. "Because...sometimes, even Masters need Guardians."  
  
With that, he was gone.  
  
"Guardians?" Goofy wondered quizzically.  
  
"Come on!" Sora growled out irritatedly; he was not about to disobey the wishes of the King. "We've got to find that kid!"  
  
"I have a feeling we're going to have to do more than find him," Donald muttered to Goofy as Sora leapt on top of the railing of the balcony and jumped off, Super Gliding his way towards the prominent brick building in the distance.  
  
~*~  
  
Ow...why does my head hurt? Aozora thought to himself woozily as real life focused in his eyes. He saw the twilit sky, looming brick buildings, the deserted streets, the rusted metal trashcans...and a white creature's hand resting against his throat.  
  
Oh no...he thought. Why do I have a feeling this is not a very good situation?  
  
Maybe that's why Princess Kida left him so abruptly...  
  
"...I want to do it now..."  
  
"...patience is of importance..."  
  
"...I want to get my fingers on..."  
  
"...He will not be pleased..."  
  
"...will do now..."  
  
"...wait, for like I've said, patience is the key..."  
  
Aozora tried to sort out the voices that were muttering irritatedly at each other in the distance. He didn't dare to move his head; the white hand- blade was so close to his neck, he was worried about breathing.  
  
"...awake, is he..."  
  
"...now! You've heard me..."  
  
It was a very confusing conversation, largely because Aozora did not understand it. Aozora, while attempting to listen in on the angry conversation, became rather aware of the flaxen ropes that kept his arms, legs, and feet tightly tied together. It was not a comfortable feeling, especially when you know the fact that you are at the complete mercy of the enemy.  
  
"Darn it," he mumbled to himself. "How do I get out of this mess?"  
  
His hands moved ever so slightly against the flaxen ropes tied to his wrists but he found he could do nothing; they were tied so tightly he was able to understand why his hands had been feeling funny; they felt they were going to burst.  
  
"We wanted to make sure you wouldn't get away, Keyblade wielder," a hissing, cold voice whispered quite suddenly into his ear. Aozora froze up, a look of horror on his face. Not only did the voice sound less than welcoming, the owner of the voice obviously never heard of mint that could freshen the mouth!  
  
"What do you want?" he demanded tersely.  
  
"My, my but I was right after all; you're all the same," the voice murmured mockingly in his ear. "Get captured by the enemy, bound so he could not escape, and the very first thing he says is-"  
  
"I wanna kill him! I wanna get my hands around his dirty neck and strangle him! Just let me at 'm!" a voice screamed madly. There were sounds of scuffling and plenty of curse words ran through the air.  
  
"Tell him that he shall feel pain like never before if he doesn't become quiet," the voice slithered in a different direction.  
  
Another voice, so monotonous yet so cold, hissed an answer in a tongue Aozora did not know and gradually the scuffling silenced.  
  
"Now, good Keyblade wielder," the voice whispered in his ear. "Would you like to know something about your life?"  
  
Aozora's copper eyes strained to see who the owner of the voice was; he could feel a presence near him, emitting a cold, dark mist.  
  
"What do you mean?" Aozora asked rather angrily. "What do you know of my life?"  
  
"Oh, many things," and the way the voice said it, Aozora knew that the owner of the voice would be smiling demonically.  
  
"Like what?" Aozora demanded testily. "What do you know about me? Why do you know about me?"  
  
"What do I know about you?" the voice repeated in amusement. "I know that, for one, you know you've met King Mickey before and I know everything that happened when you two met. I know who you're looking for; you'll never find her, I can tell you that-" Aozora stiffened in his bonds until he was as still as a boulder "-you'll never find one of the rightful owners of those two keychains, the two keychains that once broke the chain."  
  
Aozora's eyes narrowed with a fiery blaze. Why did he know so much?  
  
"And to answer your other question," the voice whispered like the wind in his ears. "I want to know about you because I have to. He has told me everything about you since day one of your pathetic life; He's been telling me something about you ever since. How could I forget you, with Him telling me your progress through every breath you take in this universe?"  
  
"Why does He want to know about me?" Aozora growled; he didn't enjoy it when people knew something about him.  
  
"You are so important in this part of the universe," the voice said so quietly, Aozora strained to hear every last word. "You are so important. Or have you forgotten? Do you really have a Swiss cheese for a brain?"  
  
"A what?" Aozora demanded.  
  
"You think you know so much," the voice hissed dangerously now, "when you know very little. You have yet to become whole; you are not complete. That was what He said and now I can see for myself."  
  
What the hell is he talking about? Aozora wondered to himself. I'm not complete? Complete what?  
  
"You know, I can tell you everything you'd want to know," the voice whispered in a persuasive tone. "Come, join me and put your Keys to use so we can rise up to power, and I will tell you everything you want to know about yourself."  
  
Aozora's eyes widened in surprise. Join him?!  
  
"And why would I join you," he growled, "when you run around with white monsters like these? When I have heard you talking about things I doubt I should hear?"  
  
"You think you know so much," the voice laughed quietly in his ear. " Humans truly think they know everything. Pity them; they're no smarter than Ansem said about them."  
  
Ansem? Where have I heard of that name before?  
  
"People think they know everything there is to know in this universe," the voice scoffed. "But there are those, like you, like me, like King Mickey, like Him...we are aware of the greater forces at work. You know of the Gathering. It will happen soon."  
  
Aozora's eyes widened. His body became extremely rigid and stiff. The voice chuckled at Aozora's reaction.  
  
"So you are aware of who you are...or are you?" the voice dangled the question. "Aware of the larger forces in the worlds, aware that my enemy is but a small faction of the greater, and all you're doing is skirting around your chosen path. Pathetic, just pathetic. Maybe you are a human after all."  
  
What did he mean by being a human? What was so bad?  
  
"...a paradise will rise from the dust of those we have conquered," the owner of the voice was dreaming now, "and we shall have the supreme power. They have left Kingdom Hearts open for too long; it will benefit us in the long run."  
  
"Kingdom Hearts?" Aozora muttered to himself. "Where have I heard of that before-"  
  
"We know of Kingdom Hearts," the voice spoke rather highly and as though he was the only one in the world who knew anything. "I have said before, you, me, King Mickey, Him, and others know of the true Kingdom Hearts. We have been aware of it all our lives."  
  
Aozora wondered at two things. One, he knew there was nothing good about Kingdom Hearts, with the exception being its name. Two, why is this guy telling him everything?  
  
"Why are you telling me all this?" Aozora demanded.  
  
"Why?" the voice sounded amused now. "If I want an enemy, I want him or her to be aware of everything around them. It makes things...a little fun for me."  
  
Aozora did not like the malicious joy in the voice. As he pondered what the owner of the voice was planning to do to him, he became very much aware of plenty of shouting. There were odd, shrilling noises in the distance, screams of terror and astonishment. The voice that had expressed a desperate want to break his neck was now shouting unintelligently. Something was going on that was sending everything and everyone around him into panic.  
  
"Hmm..." the voice sounded rather thoughtful. "Looks like we've got company."  
  
With that, Aozora found himself staring at high, seamless black leather boots, hidden halfway by the hem of a long black cloak that swayed every so slightly with every little movement.  
  
"It looks like you have rescuers," the voice hissed from the owner of the boots and the cloak. Aozora peered upward, spotting a thin yet powerful body covered by what was actually a long trench coat and a head that the hood of the trench coat covered. "Would you look at that; somebody actually cares for you!"  
  
Aozora took some time pondering if this was an insult.  
  
Then he heard a battle cry off in the distance and the Nobodies began their insane screaming. He heard someone yell something undecipherable and the only words he could catch were "Donald, Goofy this-"  
  
"Good day to you, good keyblade wielder," the owner of the voice gave Aozora a mocking bow. "Now if you will excuse me while I tend to my problems and leave you to think of yours."  
  
With that, Aozora found himself alone. There was nobody around, no Nobody, no person screaming for his neck, not even another person with a coat. " Damn but this place is damn quiet..."  
  
The next thing he heard was, "Holy shit! Get out of the way!" but it was a distant shout and so Aozora would not have to do as the voice yelled.  
  
Something about that voice worries me...I've heard that voice before... 


	9. Forced Alliance

Author's Note: If you prefer I update the story once a week, please say so in your review. I would not like to frustrate anyone who waits for a new chapter every two weeks. Please enjoy...I hope I didn't screw up on it...  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 9: Forced Alliance  
  
Sora was probably having one of the finest times of his life. Nobodies were a lot worse than Heartless, he had concluded as he swiped at a Nobody and watched it dance away effortlessly. They make everything look like a child's play.  
  
"How many are there?" Sora growled out as he managed to catch a Nobody by the chin and fling it at Donald who Blizzaga'd it to oblivion.  
  
"Three hundred," was Goofy's immediate suggestion. Donald rolled his eyes and quickly recast Aeroga on the knight just as the spell wore off. "Well, it looks like it, don't it?"  
  
"Three hundred my butt," Sora grumbled. "I was going to suggest a thousand but I think we'd be over-exaggerating."  
  
"Beyond that," Donald snorted as he cast Firaga at two Nobodies who had the bad luck of being near each other. The massive fireball scorched them as it sailed right between them and destroyed another Nobody. Three blue hearts floated into the dusk sky.  
  
"Where's the blond kid?" Sora wondered as he jabbed his keyblade forward. A Nobody, an unfortunate receiving end of the jab, frantically tried to pull the blade out of its odd mouth. Sora grinned and pulled the blade downward, slicing the Nobody into neat halves, connected only by the top part of its jaw.  
  
"...you have rescuers..." a cold hissing voice drifted in the air as Sora swiped at a Nobody and decapitated it. The head went rolling to Sora's feet as the body faded into a blue heart.  
  
He's talking to the blond-haired kid, Sora concluded as he shoved through the mass of white Nobodies in the direction he believed the voice came from. As he headed for a rather shadowy alleyway, he saw-he thought he saw- something run out from the alleyway and mingle into the mass of Nobodies trying to kill the keyblade master.  
  
Maybe the blond-haired kid's there, Sora thought to himself and continued to forge a path through the throngs of Nobodies when he heard Donald squawk an alarm. Whirling around, he saw Goofy getting nailed by what seemed to be bigger Nobodies. They had dark steel armor all around them and their hand daggers were actual steel and they were currently pounding the knight into the dust.  
  
"Holy shit!" Sora hollered and charged. Donald, trying to help his friend, stumbled into Sora's path and he yelled, "Get out of the way!"  
  
Donald quickly threw a Blizzaga spell at any nearby Nobodies and Glided out of the way as Sora charged through with his key and hacked down at the back of a shielded Nobody as it made a karate chop at Goofy.  
  
The Shield Nobodies, a name came to Sora's mind.  
  
The key punched a hole in the armor of the Shield Nobody; gray mist and a blue heart hissed out and the armor collapsed, only to fade into nothingness. While Goofy quickly recuperated and Donald joined him, Sora dashed off once more to the alleyway where the blond-haired kid might be.  
  
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way," Sora gritted through tightly clenched teeth as he hacked away the Nobodies that were in his way. He recreated a path through the mass of Nobodies in a frantic attempt to reach the alley. He inched closer to the alleyway, his heart now screaming at him that there was someone there, the someone they were looking for, when he heard a voice yell out, "Oh no, you don't! Geroff me!"  
  
Sora shuddered and slowed momentarily. The voice was being muffled, yes, but it was the voice itself that made him rather hesitant. It sounded like him.  
  
"And I've been wondering if any of this was weird or not," Sora muttered as he pulled himself free of the mass of Nobodies and staggered into the alleyway, wondering why would anybody in their right mind come to own a voice very similar to his own. He ran to the alleyway, entering a very dark, gloomy, and rather cold hallway of bricks and stone. It was all very shadowy and even though he knew the Nobodies were white, he certainly saw no more than dark gray lumps wrestling with someone who seemed to be rather human.  
  
One of the Shield Nobodies was holding something to what seemed to be a teenager's face. The others were skirting around flailing limbs, not willing to risk injury of any sort at this time of the day. Sora watched the Shield Nobodies' captive. He was wearing a long black cloak that clung to his body and, to Sora's relief, he was blond; this was the one King Mickey had told him to find.  
  
He pitied the Shield Nobodies who were to move him somewhere; the blond- haired kid was making the job a pure misery for them. He was going to watch the Shield Nobodies receive their due for kidnapping the blond-haired kid who jumped him from the roof of an apartment building when he noticed one of them swinging his dagger-like hand forward at the teenager. Sora knew a disaster was on the loose.  
  
"Strike Raid!" he yelled, throwing his key at the Shield Nobody and making himself known to everyone who happened to be in the alleyway at that moment in time.  
  
As the Shield Nobodies looked up and stopped whatever they were doing to study the intruder, the key smashed into the Shield Nobody that had seemed to try and kill the teenager. An explosion of orange ensued and a blue heart floated woozily into the sky. The key flew back to Sora, who grabbed it and swung it into fighting position. The Shield Nobodies watched this intruder, then made the decision to attack.  
  
"Aeroga," Sora whispered and cast the wind spell around the teenager and himself. Then he ducked as a Shield Nobody threw itself at him, quickly whirled around, and jabbed at the flying Shield Nobody quickly, turning it into a blue heart. Then he sidestepped a Shield Nobody and sliced his key at the armored creature. Sparks flew as the key hit one of the Shield Nobody's hands; they both recoiled from the force Sora had put on the key. Stumbling backwards, he nearly fell over the blond-haired kid. His eyes riveted downward automatically and stared into his own face.  
  
Time seemed to slow. Sora and the blond-haired kid stared at each other, not believing what the other was seeing. If it weren't for the shorter blond hair, the copper-brown eyes, and the paler complexion, the blond- haired kid could've passed off as Sora himself.  
  
Time suddenly sped up as a Shield Nobody threw itself against Sora but was repelled by Aeroga. Sora then used his key to cut through the Aeroga he placed on the blond-haired kid and neatly sliced off the ropes that held the teenager captive. He then hoisted the kid to his feet and bolted forward, decapitating a Shield Nobody that had the horrible luck of being too close for comfort. Then Sora felt the air crackle with furious energy and whirled around.  
  
The blond-haired kid held two keyblades in his hands. One was obviously the Oblivion; how he got it Sora had absolutely no clue. The other one was a bit odd. It looked like the Oathkeeper but the blond-haired kid most definitely never met Kairi before; she would've told him. Then he noticed the odd way the keyblade was shimmering; the colors were a whole lot different than the Oathkeeper. The colors were very much beautiful, in a rather odd, cold-yet-warm way. The keychain dangling from the keyblade was a star streaked with the same colors, not a paupu fruit.  
  
Then Sora watched in shock and fascination as the teenager executed a couple of simple slices and three Shield Nobodies had their heads rolling. Sora had to work up a sweat just to jab one Nobody, let alone a Shield Nobody. The teenager, in the blink of an eye, had gotten rid of three Shield Nobodies as soon as Sora freed him.  
  
Maybe that's why King Mickey wanted Donald, Goofy and me to go get him; he's good. There's no denying that-Sora realized that he had forgotten about Donald and Goofy.  
  
"Donald, Goofy!" Sora shouted and recklessly dodged the Shield Nobodies as he made his way out of the alleyway and into the street circle where Sora, Donald, and Goofy had landed.  
  
Donald and Goofy were still keeping it up, even though they were covered in grime and looking very much exhausted. They looked quite relieved, though, when Sora reappeared to help them fight the Nobodies and the Shield Nobodies. Then they were gaping like fish as the blond-haired kid appeared beside him, the Oblivion and the other keyblade flashing with ease in his hands as the kid practically danced around and around the Nobodies and sent many blue hearts into the sky.  
  
"This way!" Sora called to the teenager. For a moment, the teenager was rather hesitant, then nodded and followed Sora as they fought their way through the Nobodies and the Shield Nobodies to rejoin Sora's two allies.  
  
"What's he doing here?" Donald hissed as they worked at getting rid of the Nobodies and the Shield Nobodies.  
  
"King Mickey told us to find him; I did just as he told us to do," Sora snapped back. He really couldn't understand why Donald seemed to resent the now-voiceless blond-haired kid as they fought back surge after surge of Nobodies and Shield Nobodies. The white creatures were becoming extremely wary now, noting the new addition to the three companions they were just dueling. And they were now watching the movements of the teenager's keyblades; with them he fought with more effectiveness than Sora, Donald, and Goofy ever did as a team against Heartless. Sora was becoming rather awed by how easily he amputated the arms and legs of several bunched Nobodies; he scowled, knowing he couldn't come close to doing that.  
  
"Show off," Donald growled under his breath as he Firaga'd a group of Shield Nobodies. "Trying to make up to us for jumping on Sora, is he?"  
  
"Gawrsh," Goofy was scratching his head, staring at the blond-haired teenager, and smashing Nobodies with his shield at the same time. Sora reminded himself to ask Goofy later on about how he was able to multi-task in extreme situations. "He looks familiar, don't he, Donald?"  
  
"Him? Familiar?" Donald squawked as he shot a nasty Blizzaga from his wand and quickly cast Curaga on Goofy; Goofy was staggering a bit, more from over-exertion than from enemy blows. "I don't think so."  
  
Sora sensed that Donald was trying to spin a yarn but chose to ignore it. It's more important that they survive than try and give Donald lie-detector tests.  
  
"I think I've seen him before," Goofy still mused as he ducked and two Shield Nobodies who were pouncing him from opposite directions hit each other in midair and recoiled off each other, thanks largely to their armor. Then the blond-haired kid whirled in and sliced off the heads of each of the Shield Nobodies before dashing away to dance into a large throng of Nobodies. "Yes, I'm very much certain I've seen him before."  
  
"Where?" Sora asked curiously.  
  
"Disney Castle," Goofy puffed a reply.  
  
"Gwaaahhhhh!!!!" Donald shrieked and bonked Goofy with his staff.  
  
Sora decided not to bring up the subject again for a few months; Donald had gained a nasty habit of remembering everything.  
  
Suddenly, a tingling feeling ran up his spine. Sora became worried. The only other time that happened was when Sora's Graviga spell destroyed much of the landscape around then, proving that the size and power of the spell had evolved to such an extent it could destroy friends and foes alike. And the three had sworn not to use that spell or Thundaga unless under extreme circumstances; they could not risk flattening or frying themselves along with their enemies.  
  
"Sora!" Goofy yelped and gestured in the blond-haired kid's direction.  
  
Sora turned and his heart dropped. The kid was standing there, his arms outstretched, his face etched with deep concentration. The air and ground around him crackled with the dark energy that Sora recognized, to his horror, was Graviga.  
  
"He knows magic?" Donald shouted.  
  
"Run!" Sora yelled and fought his way through the crowd of Nobodies and Shield Nobodies.  
  
"Ack!" Donald cast Aeroga and Curaga on himself. "Too late!"  
  
A sudden wind blew and Sora was nearly knocked over. Staggering to his feet, he became suddenly aware of a disturbing silence. Purple-black power spread in a circle on the street; there was no Nobody or Shield Nobody in sight. Then the dark power disappeared; there were still no Nobody or Shield Nobody in sight.  
  
"We didn't have ter worry," Goofy said happily and rather obliviously. " You could see he could control that power. Don't the Oblivion represent Graviga and vice versa?"  
  
While Donald scowled at Goofy for being the 'wise guy', Sora turned and spotted the teenager with the dual keyblades. He was standing a little way from them, shrouded in the long trench coat, the hood pulled over his head. The keyblades were now gone from his hands; he was a very odd person indeed.  
  
Sora approached the teenager rather cautiously. "You're Aozora, aren't you?"  
  
The hooded head jerked up, startled. Then the hood nodded.  
  
"We met some of your friends back at the clock tower," Sora explained. " And someone we knew told us to find you."  
  
The hooded figure cocked his head in a strange way. Then the teenager pulled back his hood, turned, and stared at him. Sora grew rather nervous. It was irritating and intimidating to see your face on a stranger's head.  
  
"Yes, my name is Aozora," the teenager said quietly. "Yours?"  
  
Sora was all the more unnerved by Aozora. The teenager had his voice! It was slightly different but it was there, it was his voice!  
  
"I'm Sora," he answered. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"You're the sky-child," was Aozora's immediate answer.  
  
Sora stared at him blankly. What was he talking about?  
  
"Somebody told me to find you," Aozora explained. "It took me a while but looks like I did."  
  
"Very interesting," Sora mused. "But why me?"  
  
Aozora shrugged. Then his coppery eyes narrowed and he looked Sora over. " You're the keyblade master."  
  
Sora shuddered. This kid was weird. Not only did he look and sound like him, he knew about Sora, though they have never met before.  
  
"I think the guy's a stalker," Sora heard Donald whisper to Goofy, in an unusually loud voice. "If he knows that much-"  
  
Goofy reached out and clamped Donald's beak shut. "Sorry, person with the two keyblades. He's rather nervous around strangers."  
  
Aozora gave a rather solemn smile. Sora grimaced. That guy was NOT the happiest kid in the universe.  
  
"Sora?" Sora turned to Goofy, who was saying a lot more than he normally ever did. "I think he needs to come with us."  
  
"Gwaaahhhhh!!!!!" an odd sound emitted from Donald's clamped beak.  
  
"What? Why?" Sora and Aozora demanded at the same time.  
  
Goofy shrugged. "I just feel it."  
  
"What an answer," Sora sighed.  
  
"Goofy's got some intuition," Aozora was musing.  
  
"You know his name?" Sora was a bit suspicious. But Goofy did believe he met Aozora before...  
  
"Before I jumped-or tried to jump- the three of you, I heard you three talking," Aozora explained, his copper eyes roving the area around them. " The knight is Goofy and the duck that hates me is Donald. And, I must say, I'm really sorry. My friends tell me I act rather impulsively and without using my head at times. That was one of them."  
  
"But why did you do that?" Sora asked curiously.  
  
"These," Aozora reached into one of his deep pockets and pulled out two keychains. "You, I believe, already know the Oblivion. This one-" he pointed to the moon with Mickey's head etched into it "-is called the Moonbeam. It is a keychain for a keyblade but one person can only use it. I was going to look for the two people the Oblivion and the Moonbeam belong to but I've been failing miserably. One of my mentors in the past told me not to lose these two and I was panicking because you were taking me coat- with the keychains in its pocket-away."  
  
"Can't blame ya," Goofy replied.  
  
Donald, thoroughly irritated at having Goofy shut his mouth, stomped on his friend's foot to attract his attention and get him to release his beak.  
  
"Wha? Oh, sorry," Goofy apologized. He let go and Donald yelled, "He's coming with us?!"  
  
"I was wondering why at the same time," Sora agreed. "But-" he looked at the teenager with his face "-I don't know. Goofy, what can he do to help us?"  
  
"Der...actually, I think its what can we do to help him," Goofy said. "I think if we bring him with us, we can take him to the two people who owns those keychains."  
  
"Nobody owns them," Aozora corrected. "The keychains choose the same way the keyblade chooses."  
  
He looked at Sora.  
  
Goofy shrugged and waved the matter aside. "Sora, he needs to come with us. I just know he has to."  
  
Sora was thinking. What can he do to help us?  
  
"Why?" Donald was yelling at Goofy. "Its not because of that other time, is it?"  
  
"What other time?" Aozora fired the question.  
  
Goofy ignored both. "At least he can fight them Nobodies a lot better than we can."  
  
Sora, snapping out of a trance, nodded. "You should've seen him back at the alley. In three seconds, three heads were rolling. How'd you do it?"  
  
Aozora was shrugging. "I just can. I might've been taught a long time ago."  
  
"Nobodies existed a long time ago?" Sora asked.  
  
"Ansem Report," Donald said. "He found out the Heartless existed a long time ago, too."  
  
"Ah, good point," Sora nodded. "Getting to the point-"  
  
"Ansem?" Aozora interrupted. "I've heard Orion mention him before."  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. Sora then sighed and said, " Ansem was the leader of the Heartless. And he is Orion's uncle."  
  
Aozora stared at him for what seemed like hours. Sora dropped his gaze to the ground and continued, "We told Orion about what Ansem did. And he got really mad. I mean, what happened was that we told Orion and the two others that Ansem destroyed worlds and sent Heartless everywhere. He also was able to use my friend's body to be able to move 'physically' in the universe. Orion was really, really mad."  
  
Ansem continued to stare at him. Then he spoke very softly, "I heard Orion talking with somebody once. It was in his room in the clock tower. I heard two voices. And Orion kept addressing the other voice as " Uncle." When I came in, only Orion was there."  
  
"What?!" Donald shouted. "Uncle?!"  
  
"Orion had contact with Ansem?" Goofy questioned.  
  
"How is that possible?" Sora demanded. "He was destroyed by the light within Kingdom Hearts. He could not be alive."  
  
"This was two months ago. I met them six months ago. When did Kingdom Hearts destroy him?"  
  
"Um...a year ago," Sora answered hesitantly. Ansem was still alive?  
  
Aozora turned and walked away a few feet. There he stood, staring out to the factories and homes in Twilight Town. Then he said solemnly, "Souls are not easy to destroy. The hearts may be consumed but they are only a small fraction of a soul. If the soul is destroyed, the person no longer exists."  
  
"That person would become nothing, a nobody then, right?" Goofy asked.  
  
"Possibly," Aozora replied. "I've seen Heartless being destroyed. Their hearts are kinda red, right?"  
  
Sora groaned. "Too many red hearts. Please, whatever you do, don't mention them. See them with your eyes but don't talk about them with your mouth."  
  
"And the Nobodies emitted blue hearts," Aozora ignored Sora's statement. " It could be that the red heart-" Sora moaned "- are the heart of something and the blue heart is the whole soul of something. Just a guess, though. Who are the Nobodies?"  
  
"Yeah, we know the answer to that question!" Donald snapped. "Can we move along now? My feet are killing me."  
  
Sora glared at him. What WAS wrong with Donald?  
  
"What's wrong, Donald?" Sora asked with mock innocence.  
  
Donald glared at him, before saying, "We're talking with an idiot, that's what! What kind of an idiot would try and ambush people instead of walking up to them and asking for his cloak back? Huh? Huh?!"  
  
"He's impulsive," Goofy defended the blond teenager. "People are like that. They do things without thinking...er...something like that. And he admitted it himself."  
  
"Nobody in their right mind would jump people for taking their coats!" Donald yelled.  
  
"Impulsive people just do, they don't think," Goofy answered patiently. " Look, King Mickey says to find him; we did. King Mickey must've meant sumptin' more than just 'Find this person with two keyblades'. Aren't I right, Sora?"  
  
Sora nodded. That was true. King Mickey never said anything without meaning it. Whatever King Mickey said, there was always more to it. "Yeah, he might've wanted Aozora to join us in finding that door of light and...Riku."  
  
Aozora gave a sudden jerk. "The Oblivion..." he murmured. Then he grew silent, before whirling around to them and demanding, "There is a door?"  
  
When Sora, Donald, and Goofy, taken by surprise by his reactions, nodded, he said, "There is a door that must be opened and a death knell must ring."  
  
"And?" Sora dragged the question. "Please explain."  
  
Aozora seemed to take a deep breath before stating, "There is an ancient war. It will claim many lives. A door has to be opened and the true meaning behind the light needs to be found, whatever it is. There is a third key that must be found and changed, and paradise and non-existence must be destroyed."  
  
"Who told you that?" Goofy asked.  
  
Aozora shrugged. "Somebody."  
  
When Sora decided that his look-a-like wasn't gonna give any more than that, he said, "There's a third key? King Mickey never said anything about a third key!"  
  
"There is an ancient war," Goofy was musing, "between the dark and the light. And the dark is becoming more powerful than the light because the door is not found..."  
  
"Ancient war, third key, death, paradise, non-existence...madness! Madness!" Donald was shrilling. "What sense does it make? Let's just get outta he-"  
  
A sudden white light blinded them and Sora shut his eyes to block out the white. When the light seemed to have died away, he slowly opened his eyes and found the others looking very dazed. "What happened?"  
  
Aozora was looking up at the sky. "What does it mean when a star suddenly dies?"  
  
Donald and Goofy froze up.  
  
"A world as been devoured," Donald finally explained.  
  
Sora spotted a shooting star out of the corner of his eye. "A shooting star! The barriers are all down!"  
  
"Wha?! WHA!!!!" Donald was yelling once again. Goofy, staring at the shooting star, said, "We need to go. We must help the other worlds; they're in danger and I don't think that's good."  
  
"And I suppose you believe that I should be coming with you, right?" Aozora asked.  
  
Donald moved to protest but Goofy clamped his beak shut with his hand and nodded vigorously.  
  
"However," Sora said sternly. "There is something you must know."  
  
"What?" Aozora asked, in obvious confusion.  
  
"There is a rule for anyone who would be traveling with us," Sora explained. "We travel to other worlds-including this one-in a gummi ship. And-"  
  
"What's a gummi ship?" Aozora asked curiously. He missed Sora and Goofy's explanation of it.  
  
Sora moaned. "Not again..."  
  
"He hates explaining what a gummi ship is to everyone we meet," Goofy explained good-naturedly. "It'll be explained once you see it. Sora, tell him our rule."  
  
Sora, his face visibly lightened by the prospect of not explaining the ship, said, "If you are to go with us, you can't have a solemn face all the time. Make a silly face and we'll let you join us."  
  
The look Aozora gave him would've diced him into pieces of atoms. Sora sighed. Oh boy.  
  
"Okay, how about...a smile," Sora suggested instead.  
  
The look didn't let up. "I don't smile for nothing."  
  
"Except getting into the gummi ship," Goofy retorted. "If you don't smile, you won't know what a gummi ship looks like."  
  
Aozora groaned. "You guys are gonna kill me."  
  
"Smile, funny face, something at least," Sora listed. "If not, you're not seeing the gummi ship."  
  
Aozora had a scowl on his face.  
  
~  
  
"Are you sure its safe? Doesn't-wwwhhooaaaaaa-Sora-aahhhhhhhh-have a- ackkkkkkk-license –waaahhhhh-to pilot this –gwaaahhhhh- thing-pull up, pull up, you're going to kill us all!"  
  
Sora pulled up the gummi ship ninety degrees to avoid crashing into a very purple, very large asteroid.  
  
"No, I don't' think he does!" Goofy shouted as Sora jerked the gummi ship to the side and sent the other three into a pile to the left. "But that's okay; he's safe enough."  
  
"Just don't encourage him to do any wild tricks," Donald hissed. "Or else- "  
  
"Hang on!" Sora yelled and fired the Firaga engines to the max.  
  
"Oh noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!" Donald screamed through the barrel roll through the multitudes of Heartless ships as they swarmed and flowed through the wild hoops and asteroids.  
  
"Is he crazy?!" Aozora yelled.  
  
"I hope he's not!" was Goofy's very doubtful reply.  
  
~*~  
  
I learned never to expect gummi ship rides to be peaceful. I thought it was just a ship with us four meandering through space. Instead, I finally understood what Yuna and her two friends meant by saying that Sora had serious 'thrill issues'. What he thought was fun nearly killed us in more ways than one.  
  
And so began a very volatile friendship as we went from world to world. Donald and I, I believe, will never get along without arguing at some point. Goofy was one of my strongest advocates for reasons I still wonder about. And Sora? I've never met a look-a-like before and it was all very self-conscious. It all made me downright nervous.  
  
I've always wondered why King Mickey wanted them to find me. What was I able to do for them? Would I be helping them or would they be helping me? There were so many questions still to be answered. What was the purpose of the Nobodies? Who was the person in the coat who talked to me back at Twilight Town? Who were the people the Oblivion and the Moonbeam chose? What was Sora's connection to me and vice versa? What was the meaning of Princess Kida's prophecy? And will I ever find two of my friends again?  
  
And I also wonder about the Gathering. Why was I so shook up about it? What was its purpose? What was my purpose? I knew having two keyblades was odd enough but how does that help me?  
  
Maybe joining Sora, Donald, and Goofy would help me. Maybe it wouldn't.  
  
What was the truth behind everything?  
  
~*~  
  
"Grandmother Willow," a young woman with raven-black hair, reddish brown skin, and a deerskin dress spoke to a wise, elderly face carved into the thick trunk of a willow tree. "Grandmother Willow, I have seen them again."  
  
"Again, you say?" the face spoke.  
  
"Yes," the woman affirmed. "A golden crown and a star the colors of the aurora seen in the sky at night. They were shooting from the sky, above large white clouds that traveled across the sea. What does that mean?"  
  
"My child, I do not have the answer to that question," Grandmother Willow answered gently. "Wait. Wait and watch; the meaning will come to you soon."  
  
"Very well, Grandmother Willow," the woman turned to go. "I will see you soon."  
  
With that, she gently drew aside the long, soft, leafy branches of the willow tree and passed through. The willow tree was left alone to her thoughts.  
  
"They are coming," she murmured to herself. "The ships and the four. The one and the two, the shield and the staff. The ships and the four are coming, just as the Princess and the King predicted. Dark times are coming indeed." 


	10. First Steps

Author's Note: Before all else, I'd like to apologize. Riku's side of the story is entirely complex, not to mention confusing for me, the author. If you have been furious that he ended up stuck with Tarzan and Pooh, please understand it was all done on purpose, because I believed the story needed some outrageous groupings. Kairi's side of the story is complex as well; actually, it is more complex than Riku's side. Therefore, if it gets all the more confusing as you read the chapter, bear in mind that if you are patient enough and read through the whole chapter, it will all be worth it in the future chapters. Now, on with the story!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 10: First Steps  
  
"You've piloted this before?" Tarzan asked curiously, his green eyes staring the controls of the gummi ship Cid let Riku, Pooh and Tarzan rent.  
  
"Um...no...but," Riku answered as he faced the controls. Doubt was rather pronounced in his voice.  
  
"This is beautiful," Tarzan said with a sarcastic smile. "Here we are, set and ready to go, and Riku here don't know how the use this?"  
  
"Does that mean we're gonna stay here in Traverse Town?" Pooh asked dubiously as he peered out the window. They had not left the dock right outside Traverse Town yet. He sounded rather hopeful. After all, his home was Traverse Town.  
  
"Nope," Riku answered as he felt about with his feet. "There might be a pedal here..."  
  
His boot touched something like a lever and pushed it down.  
  
The Gummi ship roared to life. Pooh shouted, "Oh! Its alive!"  
  
"Now to get it to move forward," Riku found another lever, at his right. His hand gripped it and pushed it forward.  
  
It would not budge. Riku gritted his teeth and tried to push it forward but it would not budge.  
  
"I think Cid gave us a dud just for the heck of it," he growled.  
  
"I think this says B-R-A-K-E-S," Tarzan spelled out slowly as he leafed through a pamphlet. "What's that?"  
  
"Brakes?" Riku said. "Oh great, I just switched on the brakes! But ships don't come to life if you put on the brakes..."  
  
His boot lifted the lever back up, undoing the brakes. However, he had the misfortune of having his hand trying to push forward the lever to his right. His whole weight leaned on his right hand and as soon as he lifted the brakes, the lever to his right gave way and the ship bolted away, promptly shoving everybody backwards. Riku was shoved into the back of his seat, Tarzan clung to the pilot's chair, which would've been ripped off its bottom if Riku hadn't been sitting on it, and Pooh was tossed to the way back of the ship. Just as Riku gripped the steering controls, which were practically floating in front of him, he heard something crack in the back, and all the lights in the gummi ship were turned off. It was all dark, all black. Pooh was heard saying, in a very small voice, "Oops. I think I broke something."  
  
"Disastrous," Riku sighed. "Well, it looks like we'll be traveling in darkness."  
  
"Maybe this one'll bring the lights back on," Pooh mused and Riku heard something click.  
  
Frigid cold wind began to course through the inside of the ship. Riku found his face very numb from the cold and it annoyed him, for he was still trying to understand how the controls worked, was trying to sense his way to the Coliseum, and he was trying to dodge the many obstacles that would be rather hindering if he crashed into every one of them.  
  
"A-I-R C-O-N-D-I-T-I-O-N-I-N-G," Tarzan spelled out.  
  
"Air conditioning," Riku snarled, his temper starting to thin. "Pooh, can you try and turn it off?"  
  
Pooh promptly pressed another button and Riku swore he heard a hissing sound, as though the door into the gummi ship was opening in the middle of space.  
  
"He opened door to space," Tarzan calmly told Riku. "Is that bad?"  
  
"WHAT DID HE DO?!" Riku bolted out of the pilot's seat. Tarzan sat in the pilot's seat and wrestled with the controls while Riku pulled Pooh away from the door. "Pooh, what did you do?"  
  
"Tried to stop the air...um...air something," Pooh explained.  
  
"Well Pooh, you just succeeded in turning off all the lights in the gummi ship, turned on the air conditioning, AND opened the hatchway into space! Pooh, don't touch anything from now on."  
  
"Um...okay," Pooh agreed. "Oh bother...what does this button do?"  
  
Riku, who was tussling with the door, could not believe Pooh could forget so fast. "Pooh, don't touch-"  
  
The engines suddenly shut down and Tarzan yelled, "Stopped moving! Pooh shut down engines!"  
  
Riku gave a suppressed roar, pulled the hatchway shut and stormed over to the controls where Pooh was looking at the buttons and the switches balefully.  
  
"Pooh, DON'T. TOUCH. ANYTHING," Riku said each word slowly. "Understand?"  
  
His teeth started to chatter. The air conditioning was still on.  
  
"What I have to suffer through in order to find Sora," he muttered as he peered at the controls. "Ah...AIR CONDITIONING."  
  
He flipped the switch and the frigid air stopped flowing. "And the...ah, MAIN POWER SWITCH."  
  
He flipped that switch on as well and the engines roared back into life. Tarzan immediately thrust the lever forward and began to fight with the controls.  
  
"And...oh great, Pooh, you broke the switch! LIGHT SWITCH. You snapped the thing. Excellent, Pooh, excellent," Riku told the bear sarcastically.  
  
"I did good?" Pooh questioned.  
  
Riku smacked himself.  
  
"Is that big swirly thing good or bad?" Tarzan suddenly demanded, seeming to master the controls. "Its very strong. Very difficult to fight it."  
  
"A big swirly thing?" Riku ran to the cockpit. "Oh shoot. That's a warp hole! To the left, to the left!"  
  
Tarzan smoothly executed the command and the gummi ship slowly pulled away from the gravitational pull of what was a warp hole. Riku scowled at Tarzan; why was he able to control the ship and he couldn't?  
  
"Wow," was Pooh's comment as they soared through the asteroids and spinning rings. They didn't count on the number of Heartless ships, though. And they did not expect those ships to fire.  
  
"Up, up!" Tarzan complied to Riku's directions. "No, no, down, get down! To the left, to the left-shit!"  
  
Tarzan cringed at the way Riku cursed as a bolt of energy clipped the gummi ship. Growling all the more murderously, he began to walk circles around the spacious area behind the cockpit, obviously searching for something. He was still walking circles when he noticed that he didn't see Pooh. And he had just learned that it was a bad thing.  
  
There was a sudden sizzling sound, Tarzan gave an exclamation of surprise in a language Riku had never heard of, and a greenish-white bolt of energy curved through space to demolish two Heartless ships. Another bolt of energy ran through three ships before dissipating. It was obvious somebody was firing the weapons that Cid had installed on this gummi ship. And Riku had a very good idea who it was.  
  
"Pooh!" he yelled.  
  
"Here," a dislocated voice answered. Riku had another very good idea where the voice came from, though, and went to the immediate right outside the cockpit. He spotted a door, well hidden, and swung it open.  
  
There was Pooh, sitting on a stool that was rather tall for him and he was holding something that looked like a stationary steering wheel with vertical handles on the sides for the hands/paws and a red button on the top of each handle. There was a radar screen in the very center of the wheel and Pooh was looking at it very intently. Neon-green circles on the screen were pinpointing the Heartless ships, which were red triangles, and Pooh was tapping the red buttons nonstop. The lasers and cannons on the gummi ship fired as soon as they recharged and Pooh kept up a barrage of lasers and ammo, keeping the way clear for the gummi ship Tarzan somehow was able to pilot, as they made their way to Coliseum, where Hercules and Phil were said to be under siege.  
  
Riku kept a scowl on his face as they soared through space. Here he was, the most knowledgeable of the three on the matters of Heartless and he was rendered helpless in a gummi ship. And his two unlikely companions had never seen a gummi ship before and they were able to use it with the greatest of ease.  
  
What kind of games was life playing?  
  
Tarzan uttered something in a language Riku doubt he'll ever be able to decipher but from the way Tarzan uttered it, Riku knew the situation was not beautiful. He peered through the spacious window in the front of the ship and felt his jaw drop.  
  
Masses of dark Heartless ships (you'll never be able to label them if you ever saw them; they're like nothing seen before) were swirling around a world that seemed to be occupied only by one big marble building. (If you ever saw Finding Nemo, you can compare how these ships move to how those moonfish that teased Marlin and helped Dory moved) The big marble building had columns and was pale in color, like marble. It was marble.  
  
"Is that Coliseum?" Riku wondered as they neared the masses of Heartless ships. "Oh shit, it is! Damn, look at all those ships!"  
  
"Oh bother..." Pooh's voice drifted in. "Do we have to go in? There are a lot of red triangles and they're all starting to point in our direction.  
  
The blood in Riku went cold. If he was correct, those red triangles on the radar screen were the Heartless and they have just noticed this very foreign gummi ship jumbling its way through space. Tarzan affirmed his fears when he exclaimed in that unknown language, then spoke in English, " They're pointing their guns at us!"  
  
Riku's heart took a very deep dive. Now every Heartless ship was pointing in their direction. He could feel the strange newness of these ships, which looked so different from the ships a year ago. He could very much sense the laser cannons each Heartless ship had. Each of them had two and a few huge ones that resembled Leviathans had three. Or was it four?  
  
"Like dodging bees going up the honey tree," was Pooh's analogy to this very dangerous predicament.  
  
"How'd you do that?" Riku had an idea.  
  
"You...um...oh bother, I can't remember," Pooh replied.  
  
"Oh bother myself," Riku grumbled. How'd he ever get Pooh into this?  
  
"Oh, oh!" Pooh suddenly exclaimed. "You dodge them. You keep going through and dodge them. Very simple. And you have friends, at least some, trying to help you in the process."  
  
"Like an elephant charging through the forest," Tarzan mused. "Many obstacles but they keep trampling through. Scaring up my family in the process. Kerchak really had me for that."  
  
"And who do we have to can distract those Heartless ships in the process of charging through that mass of nightmares?" Riku demanded.  
  
"That's the problem," Tarzan agreed.  
  
The ship suddenly rocked. Riku grabbed onto the pilot's chair before he lost his footing. "Pooh?"  
  
"A missile," Tarzan read off of something on a screen that suddenly popped up out of nowhere.  
  
Riku watched as a missile, painted with colors that clashed horribly (" Probably why Aerith chose the colors of the gummi ship instead of Cid himself," Riku mused out loud in the process) sail past the Heartless ships. Multitudes of cannons tilted their aim from them to the missile and they fired.  
  
"Hang on," Tarzan said abruptly. Riku was given less than one second to decipher the meaning behind the two given words when Tarzan shoved the lever forward and the gummi ship jumped forward. Riku heard Pooh give out an," Oh!" Then he found himself wincing as he heard a crash and Pooh went sliding out of the room he was in seconds ago on his back. He hit his head against a wall with many buttons (more wincing) and all he said was, "Oh bother."  
  
"Booster rockets charging," a mechanical voice boomed into the atmosphere. Riku winced. His head was right next to the loudspeaker the voice came from.  
  
Tarzan suddenly swerved left; as Riku nearly sent himself flying and Pooh slid across the floor and bashed his head against more buttons, Tarzan shouted, "Like swinging from vine to vine!"  
  
"How's that possible?" Riku yelled. He suddenly jolted and his ears ached from the screeching sound of metal hitting metal.  
  
"You jump from one ship to another!" Tarzan answered. At the same time, the mechanical voice roared in Riku's ear, "Booster rockets fired."  
  
Riku grabbed onto the pilot's seat for dear life as the gummi ship jumped forward and bounded from one Heartless ship to another, scrunching up those poor ships in the process through impact. Pooh continued to slide to the very back until Riku heard a very distinctive crunch. Before he knew it, water was spraying all over the place. Cid, apparently, tried to install a sprinkler system and succeeded. But, in this case, there was no fire to put out, except the fire that was Riku's temper.  
  
"Pooh!" he yelled as Tarzan shouted, "We made it!"  
  
Before Riku had time to understand what Tarzan had exclaimed over his own voice, the gummi ship bounced on a very hard surface, then slammed into a rather foreign surface. Pooh went sliding on, partially slowed by the wet conditions that made him rather soggy, and did not do any more damage to Cid's poor ship. The ship apparently had come to a stop; Riku staggered to his feet and slowly and carefully walked over to the miraculously undamaged hatchway. Tarzan swung himself out of the pilot's seat, grabbed his spear, and helped Pooh up. They moved rather gingerly across the soaking surface; Pooh seemed to have a horrible habit of sopping up the water. Tarzan made a move to suggest that Pooh use fire to dry out the water but Riku quickly stopped him, explaining the full purpose of a sprinkler system. They moved rather slowly and carefully to the hatchway; they never really did get a chance to see where they landed. They had the really bad luck of having the nose of the gummi ship was somehow buried in what seemed to be marble.  
  
"Ready?" Riku asked the other two.  
  
When they nodded, he slowly opened up the hatchway and spotted a rather dark sky, with smoky clouds. He pulled himself out of the ship and helped up the other two. They then took to observing their surroundings.  
  
They seemed to be in a courtyard, with columns and walls made of marble. There were statues of warriors, with rather archaic armor, short swords, and round shields, their sword arms outstretched over large doors framed by graceful columns. Large braziers, some frosted over, some still crackling merrily, sat on both sides of the courtyard. There seemed to have been a few battles here; scorch marks and minor damage could be seen everywhere. There was also evidence that some plaques had been ripped off walls; very large plaques, Riku noted. Of course there was the fact that half of Cid's ship was buried into one marble wall. There was also the fact that three beings were watching them with caution and great impatience.  
  
One was a short, rather grumpy-looking man with horns and a goat bottom, complete with fur, hooves, and tail. The most notable details on his face were his very big nose and his glaring eyes, ready to criticize everything in life.  
  
With him was a tall and willowy young woman with long, curly red hair, rather seductive purple eyes, and adorned in a purple dress that Riku sensed was rather simple and antiquated. Standing next to her was a tall white horse with blue poking out here and there and from its shoulders were big white-feathered wings.  
  
"Some reception," Riku muttered through his lips.  
  
"And about time you got here, too!" the little half-man, half-goat yelled at them. "Cid told me you three were coming to help us a long way before Meg and good ol' horsy right here-" the winged horse snorted in protest "- saw a ship come down and stick itself in a wall! What took you so long?"  
  
"I-uh-we-uh-um..." Riku had a bit trouble recovering from the short person's harsh words. "Sigh...its not easy flying through swarms of Heartless ships."  
  
"It doesn't take that long," the woman, Meg, retorted.  
  
"And we had trouble using the ship," Tarzan quickly added.  
  
The little guy waved it all away, obviously changing the subject. "Now we have some trouble here and it's a good thing the three of you are here. I don't know what this little teddy bear-" he pointed at a stupefied Pooh "- can do but I know you two can fight. And that's good 'cuz our Mister Godlike Superman ain't here!"  
  
"Who?" Riku asked in complete confusion.  
  
"Hercules, that's what!" the little guy exclaimed.  
  
"...Kairi, I don't think this is home," Selphie moaned as Kairi tried to focus her eyes.  
  
Her eyes focused on two things. One, where Selphie and she landed was blanketed in gray, so that the colors were rather hazy and dreamy. Two, she was staring straight into the cheery, 'I'm the man' face of someone with blue eyes, a red headband that kept back curly blond hair, and the biggest grin on any face she had ever seen.  
  
"Uh...um...hi there," Kairi said nervously.  
  
"Phew...I thought the two of you wouldn't make it!" the rather buff guy said with an even bigger grin.  
  
"Uh...yeah, hi," Selphie had noticed him, too. "Who are you?"  
  
"Hercules is my name," the man replied as if he was the self-appointed Superman. "Helping people is my game. What's your trouble?"  
  
Kairi and Selphie blinked. Who was this guy?  
  
"Um...we were just..." Kairi was at a loss for words.  
  
"Stuck here, too?" Hercules supplied. "You're not alone! Do you two, by chance, know what this place is?"  
  
Both shrugged. Selphie answered, "We got in here through a door. You?"  
  
"A door? Hm...funny," Hercules had a thoughtful look on his face, the expression enhancing his good looks. Kairi had a suspicion he was a womanizer. "I got here when some big white creature made a jab at me. I jumped back to dodge it but instead, I was falling. Then I was here."  
  
"A big white thing?" Kairi asked.  
  
"Heartless aren't white!" Selphie said vehemently. "You must've been dreaming!"  
  
"You know of the Heartless, too?" Hercules suddenly looked very much depressed. "First that kid with the huge key, now you two youngsters. Why would Father make kids fight Heartless. I don't understand..."  
  
The words "...that kid with the huge key..." suddenly clicked in Kairi's mind. She stared at Hercules, her mouth falling open.  
  
"Kairi? Kairi, are you okay?" Selphie asked worriedly.  
  
"Kairi," Hercules repeated the name. "That's a really nice name."  
  
"Selphie, he's...he's..." Kairi tried to say.  
  
"Selphie's a nice name, too," Hercules mused.  
  
"Sir-Hercules, did you meet Sora?" Kairi finally spit out.  
  
For what seemed to be the longest side, both sides said nothing. Then Hercules said, "As a matter of fact, I did. Why? You know him?"  
  
Kairi nodded. "I'm looking for him."  
  
Hercules had a thoughtful look on his face. "It's not going to be easy, I can tell you that."  
  
"Huh? Why?" Selphie asked curiously.  
  
"Donald, Goofy, and he were headed for the other side of the universe," Hercules explained. "Ol' Phil got a message from a Princess Kida about some Heartless invasion around where she lives and told Sora that he had to go there. The odd thing was Phil never told them who told him that they had to go there. He just said that they had to go there and I think he made up some lie about a whole lot of Heartless being there. Sora gunned for that spot so fast, I don't think even Father would be able to stop him with lightening."  
  
"So he's...not here," Kairi concluded, desperation in her face and voice.  
  
"Nope," Hercules answered. "And judging from where we are, its not easy getting back into the real world where the others are."  
  
"Real world?" Selphie demanded, startled by that statement.  
  
Hercules nodded. "Yeah, this place ain't the real world. That's why its so gray-" he waved his hand at the gray mist that blanketed the land "-and that's why you don't' see much living stuff. I think Father told me it was the 'world In-between'."  
  
"In-between?" Kairi repeated. "What do you mean by 'In-between'?"  
  
"Beats me," Hercules answered with a shrug. "I was trying to figure out what In-between meant. That was when I heard some screaming, which was the first time I've heard real voices in months. Then I discovered you two falling from this door-shaped hole in the sky. And here we are, the three of us lost in this gray world."  
  
Kairi and Selphie looked very upset.  
  
"Oh relax!" Hercules laughed. "Its not like we'll be lost here forever! I was talking to a Shade not long ago and-"  
  
"What's a Shade?" Selphie asked quickly.  
  
"Oh, they're escaped souls from the Underworld," Hercules answered good- naturedly. Noting the blank looks on their faces, he re-explained, " They're souls of the dead people and the only Shades you'll ever see are the ones who escaped Cerberus and the Underworld."  
  
Selphie's face turned horribly white. "Dead?"  
  
"They won't hurt you," Hercules said rather worriedly. "Unless, of course, you're covered in blood. Them Shades go crazy when they smell blood."  
  
Selphie looked like she was about to faint.  
  
"Well, anyways," Hercules continued, not noticing that Selphie was about to faint, "I was asking a Shade where the hell I was-not hell as in the Underworld but hell as in hell- and he told me-it was some old seer or sumptin' like that 'cause he kept mumbling about the downfall of some place called Atlantis- that where I was called In-between, where all the worlds devoured by the Heartless and the Nobodies are-"  
  
"Nobodies?" Kairi and Selphie demanded.  
  
"Yeah, Nobodies," Hercules answered. "They are the strangest you've ever seen. They're white, for one, and they can shape shift when they want or need to- I thought this one Nobody was Pegasus and let him in and he got me here instead of being my flying horse- and I've heard that they got their name Nobody because they can get rid of a person's soul. It would never help them because they can't made more Nobodies by doing that but that's what they do. They've been at war with the Heartless for so long it amazes me that they're still standing and trying to get rid of the rest of us."  
  
"Nobodies?" Selphie sounded very helpless. "Oh my god."  
  
"Well, anyways, we're standing at the crossroads. Go one way, you'll find some world that's been taken by the Heartless or the Nobodies. Go another way, same thing. Everywhere you go, you find half-destroyed worlds. They're half-destroyed because the Heartless only removed the heart of the world, not the soul. Believe me, you don't want to know what happens when Nobodies take a world. Wonderland exploded into bits of pieces thanks to the Nobodies and only the heart remains, which is here. In-between is where either the heart of a world or the soul of the world come to. Quite a depressing place, isn't it?"  
  
Kairi and Selphie moaned. "What kind of life is this?!"  
  
"The Shade told me of a door," Hercules said rather thoughtfully. "It is a door that will help hinder the progress of the Nobodies. I mean, there's Kingdom Hearts but only the Oblivion can seal that. And nobody knows-I mean as in people, not the Nobodies- where the hell the Oblivion went. And only one person owns the Oblivion and that one person can close Kingdom Hearts and slow down both the Heartless and the Nobodies. Did you know that Kingdom Hearts promotes all darkness? But this one door- I think the Shade called it the Door of Twilight but I'm sure there's a shorter name for it- can stop the Nobodies, at least for a little while."  
  
"Really?" Kairi asked eagerly.  
  
"Yeah," Hercules answered. "The Nobodies can be slowed down and that will give the others, the ones in the real world, time to find the owner of the Oblivion and close Kingdom Hearts for good. But, of course-"  
  
"- I thought Sora was the owner of the Oblivion," Selphie said. "Didn't he close Kingdom Hearts?"  
  
"- the war's coming so-no, Sora isn't the actual owner of the Oblivion. He's the owner of the Kingdom Key," Hercules corrected. "That's what the Shade told me, at least. Somebody else is the real owner of the Oblivion. And I don't know who it is."  
  
"What war?" Kairi asked.  
  
"–I mean, it could be- war? Oh, right, war," Hercules explained. "There's a war between the dark and the light. Been going on since life first came into being but the thing was, the dark was becoming so strong, it was ridiculous. Close Kingdom Hearts and the Door of Twilight and the dark is still stronger than light. That's why Sora needs to open the door of light. But closing both doors still help since they slow down the progress of eating up the universe so-"  
  
"Let's find that Door of Twilight," Kairi suggested. "Its here and we can find it and do whatever in order to help Sora find the door of light. Then we can all go home."  
  
Selphie had a skeptical look on her face. "Oh yeah, like...where? We don't know where this door is or what we're supposed to do once we find it!"  
  
"The Shade said he spread clues all over the place," Hercules said. "He's one weird Shade."  
  
"Then why don't we find the Shade and ask him about the clues he left all over the place and the Door of Twilight?" Kairi proposed. "Hercules already talked to this Shade before; he'll be easier to talk to when we have someone who's talked to him before. And Selphie and I can do something worthwhile. I mean, spending days on Destiny Islands without a single thing to do is a bit boring, right?"  
  
Selphie and Hercules both had grins on their faces.  
  
"All right, Herc," Kairi scanned the gray-toned scenario before them. " Where to?"  
  
"...remember, they must be stopped at all costs," the hooded figure spoke to the cluster of beings dressed in black coats, with hoods shadowing their faces. "They cannot meet Princess Kida. She knows too much for her own good. We must see to the Princess. And the King. We must track him down before he finds us out. He cannot know who we are. Understood?"  
  
The hooded heads inclined towards the speaker slightly.  
  
"Do not fail," the speaker said coldly. "He will not like it if we fail."  
  
The beings nodded and dispersed. Two of them headed for a third, who was wandering away from the rest of the hooded beings.  
  
"There are too many of them," one of them, slightly shorter than the others, spoke quietly. It was the voice of a young woman. "It will not be easy."  
  
"I've been to the meetings," the tallest one, with a calm, collected deep voice of one who knows, answered. The three glowing orbs around him danced silently."They won't all be where the Princess is. And at least a third will be after the King. And the King is not easy prey."  
  
"All Phoenixes aren't easy prey," the third spoke with the voice of a young man. "Dragons, on the other hand, are easier, since they tend to fight instead of flight."  
  
"They're not dragons," the woman countered. "They're people who must know of the world around them."  
  
"In time," the eldest one spoke. "Grandmother Willow is not some fool of a tree, you know. She told me that her young charge's dreams will help those two. Her young charge is very much aware of the world. She will help them. And Grandmother Willow is more than a match for the handful of us who will be there."  
  
"Who is this Grandmother Willow anyways?" the young man muttered, obviously irritated. His question went unanswered.  
  
"And the Princess?" the young woman asked.  
  
"The Crystal force recognizes the darkest evil," the eldest answered. " They know of the Princess' circumstances. She is not like the other princesses, the ones Maleficent was searching for. Of course, I will have to tell her that she can't just go ahead and collect all seven of them again. She always gets touchy when the word princess pops up. Next thing you know, she's gonna try and get herself really killed and that won't be good for Him. Maleficent is too important to go running around ranting about her dream of harnessing the powers of the Heartless. Her dream is not worth dying for. I should tell her that and try not to get scorched by her in the process."  
  
The other two snorted.  
  
"Are you two ready?" the eldest's voice had a steely edge to it.  
  
The figure of the young woman tapped at something at her waist on the left side; the eldest barely made out a sword hilt. The young man didn't make any motion; he was already holding his weapon, a staff brimming full with magic.  
  
"Go quickly and quietly," the eldest said quietly. "The others are too busy; they won't notice your absence. Clear the way for them in any way you can. But don't get caught. And don't let them see you. Both of them."  
  
The young woman and the young man nodded, bowed, and strode away.  
  
The eldest watched them walk into the strange, dark moonlit world they all existed and grounded in. The quiet, dark waters of the seashore of this moody world tapped against the shore. The wind was soft, quiet. Maybe a little too quiet.  
  
"And whatever in the world were you telling those two?" a cold, dark voice asked behind the eldest one. "You know I won't allow secrecy."  
  
The eldest one stayed silent, knowing that the speaker's copper-brown eyes were on him, glittering yellow with anger.  
  
"No matter," the speaker said. "They will be hunted down, like the King and the Princess and them. You won't be leaving here either. Not for a while. And you will be dealt with when the time comes."  
  
The eldest did not mind. He trained the both of them well. Too well. 


	11. The New World

Author's Note: Now tell me, should I keep updating once a week or do you prefer it to be once every two weeks? Please tell me so I can adjust. Thank you. Please review.  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 11: The New World  
  
"We're actually going to a world?" Aozora sounded very much astounded. " In this thing? I took a train to get to Twilight Town!"  
  
"A train to get to some world?" Donald quacked. "The only mode of transportation I know of is using a gummi ship!"  
  
"King Mickey took a train once, when he went to Atla-" Goofy started to say.  
  
"Gwaahhhh!" Donald shrieked. Sora knew he was trying to shut Goofy up.  
  
They had never hidden anything from him before. Well, Donald at least. Goofy seemed ready to shout out something but Donald kept screaming and throwing fits, shutting up the knight.  
  
Sora growled deep in his throat. He didn't like the new turn of events at all.  
  
"Someone's mad," Aozora noted.  
  
Ah yes, him. Aozora, the blond kid with two keyblades, the one who jumped him not too long ago, the one King Mickey told him to find. How in the world can there be a kid with his face and his voice? They can't be related, for one; it's just not possible. Hell, he doesn't even know his own family!  
  
"Huh? Oh, nothing," Sora brushed the matter aside and concentrated on finding their way through space that crawled with Heartless ships. They were everywhere. That was an inalienable truth.  
  
"At least he isn't doing anything...um...stupid," Aozora said depressingly. Sora got tired of demonstrating his wild side during the barrel roll and was taking a break. Much to the relief of the others.  
  
"You had to say that out loud?" Donald sounded extremely outraged at this 'boldness'.  
  
Aozora shrugged. "I'm not supposed to?"  
  
Goofy, who had been leaning over Sora's right shoulder and staring out into space, gave an odd yell like "Huyuk!" and pointed wildly. The other two, who seemed to be on the brink of an all-out war of words, rushed to where Sora was piloting and Goofy was pointing.  
  
"What? What?" Aozora demanded.  
  
"A world!" Donald exclaimed and explained at the same time.  
  
"Let's take a closer look," Sora suggested rather demonically and before anybody else could say anything, he gunned for the world spinning slowly in space, untouched by the Heartless ships.  
  
"Yah!" Donald, Goofy, and Aozora grabbed at Sora's chair and clung to it as he ducked under a swarm of ships and soared over others.  
  
"He's still crazy?" Aozora was astounded.  
  
"Been one since Traverse Town!" Goofy answered.  
  
"Traverse Town..." Aozora was rather thoughtful for a second. "Hey, I've been there! Rather quaint place, with lots of lights. I've never seen the sun rise there. Boy was that clerk at the accessory store rude!"  
  
"Oh, Cid?" Sora commented. "He's not all that rude. Wait, were you wearing that black jacket of yours then?"  
  
"Um..." Aozora sounded a bit hesitant. "Yeah."  
  
"Go figure," Sora grinned. "Cid's really paranoid nowadays. People in black coats with hoods on their heads drive him mad. In fact, any suspicious person drives him mad. He told me about you though, saying that you scared 'the bejeezes' out of him. And that's rather impossible. Then Leon told me about the hooded guy who was scrutinizing Traverse Town's keyhole. Why were you looking at it?"  
  
"Looking at what?" Aozora asked, confused. "I wasn't looking at anything."  
  
"You weren't looking at anything?" Donald asked suspiciously. "The Traverse Town keyhole is in the mural behind the dead fountain in the second district! Are you sure-"  
  
"A second district?" Aozora was genuinely confused. "What second district? There's a second district?"  
  
"Have you seen a fountain in a courtyard with stairs leading down to it?" Goofy interrogated.  
  
"Nope," Aozora immediately replied. "I've never seen that before."  
  
Sora gave Aozora a long look but Aozora didn't flinch; he really did look innocent.  
  
"Then who was it?" Sora asked quietly. "Leon told me the coated guy was fumbling with something in the mural. He started downstairs to ask about the guy's business with the keyhole but the hooded guy vanished. The next day, Heartless swarmed the place. And they weren't supposed to be there; we took care of that a longtime ago. If it wasn't' you who was there, then who was it?"  
  
Aozora seemed to think for a second. "Hm...it could be...no, that's impossible...they won't do that..."  
  
"You have an answer?" Donald snapped.  
  
Aozora stared at the wizard, then slowly shook his head. "No, I don't have an answer."  
  
Sora decided to ignore the issue and concentrate on getting to the world.  
  
"Um, Sora?" Goofy sounded very worried. "That looks like an atmosphere."  
  
"A what?" Sora and Aozora asked as they got closer.  
  
"An atmosphere," Goofy explained. "It's a layer of air that protects that world. This ship has better be very protected when we go through the atmosphere."  
  
"Why, what happens?" Sora sounded very worried. "Aren't the shields enough?"  
  
Donald shrugged. "I hope so."  
  
"I hope so?" Sora exclaimed. "What do you mean by "I hope so?" Why, what's going to happen?"  
  
"Friction," Goofy answered. "Learned it a long time ago. This ship rubs against the atmosphere and, if we're lucky, just burns a little big where the ship touches the air. If we're not lucky, the gummi ship explodes and we all become burning shooting stars falling onto this world."  
  
"Great, just great," Sora grumbled. "Wonderful."  
  
The ship began to jump and shake. Sora gritted his teeth and began to fight the controls. The ship began to rattle and Donald and Goofy ran to bars sticking out in a curve from the opposite walls of the ship. They grabbed each one and tried to withstand the shaking as the gummi ship slammed into the atmosphere. Aozora, the unlucky one, had to hang on to Sora's chair as their trusty pilot coughcoughcough maneuvered through the world's layer of air.  
  
Sora cast Aozora a suspicious look. "Leon told me that the hooded guy had something in its hands. Like two blades. Are you sure it wasn't you? I know you have two blades," he said softly, then looked at Aozora.  
  
Aozora was cursing under his breathe and all Sora caught were,"...I knew they were up to no good..."  
  
Who the 'they' were, Sora did not know.  
  
"Hey, a shooting star!" Thomas called out from the bow of the Susan Constant. The redhead in the dark brown cap pointed to a burning white streak that descended across the starry sky steadily.  
  
The crew murmured to themselves as they headed for the bow as one. Soon, nearly all were watching the star with awe, largely because they had never seen a shooting star before. But the few that did were a bit confused with the shooting star; they don't travel that slow-hence the term 'shooting'- and they disappear really fast. This one was still burning strongly and was going a lot slower than usual.  
  
Captain John Smith was watching the shooting star with a worried eye. A tall, blond-haired blue-eyed soldier, he knew a shooting star was an omen. Starting with his return to England after months of traversing around the New World, he started having very odd dreams. Often they were of the two groups of people that pursued him- furious savages and cooing beauties. But in the middle of the dreams, those groups of people would be replaced by a burning shooting star. The shooting star seared into his mind and never left him.  
  
And now, watching the shooting star streak across the starry sky, he knew that the meaning of his dreams would be revealed. The two shooting stars were the same. They were steady, both in movement and in light; and they never burned out.  
  
"What is going on?" an irritated voice boomed out from the ship's cabin as the massive governor of the New World, John Ratcliffe, marched onto the deck.  
  
"A shooting star...sir," Thomas explained rather timidly.  
  
"A shooting star?" Wiggins, Ratcliffe's cheerful manservant said with awe as he peered over his master's shoulder. "I've never seen one before!"  
  
"Shooting stars are bad omens, Wiggins; its better not to have seen on," Ratcliffe rumbled. "Men, back to your posts. We'll be reaching the New World soon and we'd better be waiting for it!"  
  
With that, he marched back into the cabin, followed by Wiggins.  
  
"Let's hope the savages won't be our welcoming party," Lon, a big nosed man, whispered loudly.  
  
"Oh, Smith 'ere will handle them," Ben, a dark-haired friend, replied with confidence. "He'll give them more trouble than they would try and give us!" Smith and Thomas were still watching the shooting star as the men went to their posts and jobs.  
  
"...then, right there in front of me, is an arrow. It spins faster and faster until suddenly, it stops! Then I wake up. What does that mean, Grandmother Willow?" a Native American princess explained to the spirit in the willow tree.  
  
"Well, it seems to me this spinning arrow is pointing you down your path," she replied. "How-"  
  
"But what is my path? How am I ever going to find it?" the princess blurted out from her kneeling position in front of the huge trunk of the willow tree.  
  
"Hold on, child," Grandmother Willow said calmly. "Before I give you an answer to that, let me ask you something: what about the two shooting stars in your other dream?"  
  
"The shooting stars?" the princess thought for a moment. "Well...I don't see two shooting stars anymore; there's one huge shooting star blazing across the sky. It burns steadily and its really slow for what it is. Why, Grandmother Willow?"  
  
Grandmother Willow looked very thoughtful. Then the princess heard her murmuring, "I don't like this at all. Not at all. Dark times are coming and I don't like it."  
  
"Why, what is happening?" the princess asked curiously.  
  
"Hm..." Grandmother Willow looked very hesitant. "Well, child, its very hard to explain, very hard indeed."  
  
As the princess cocked an eyebrow at Grandmother Willow's unwillingness to explain her dilemma, a breeze began to blow.  
  
"A breeze," the princess said thoughtfully. "Wait...there hasn't been a breeze for a while. Why, the wind's picking up!"  
  
"Climb my branches, child," Grandmother Willow suggested. "See what is causing the wind to stir."  
  
As the princess climbed up to see, Grandmother Willow, with a harried look on her face, thought, "Two shooting stars melding into one. They are coming. But the chief will not like it, not at all. It would be up to Pocahontas to solve that..."  
  
Pocahontas, the Native American princess, returned to the ground level swiftly.  
  
"Grandmother Willow," she said breathlessly, her dark eyes shimmering excitedly. "Strange white clouds in the distance. They're huge but they look solid. And there's a shooting star!"  
  
"A shooting star?!" Grandmother Willow exclaimed. "Whatever do you mean, child?"  
  
"There is a shooting star, big and burning," Pocahontas explained slowly. "It is very close in contact with the horizon. It is nothing like I've ever seen before...except in my dreams. What does that mean, Grandmother Willow? Grandmother Willow?"  
  
The face had suddenly vanished from the willow tree.  
  
"Huh, funny...Grandmother Willow never did that before," Pocahontas was very confused. "Meeko, Flit? Let's go."  
  
Meeko, an inquisitive raccoon, and Flit, the overprotective hummingbird, tailed Pocahontas as she headed towards the strange white clouds and the shooting star.  
  
As the Susan Constant slid through the water, headed for the shores, Pocahontas, Meeko, and Flit crept up a rock face, not far from the water's edge. She stared at the huge ship, not believing what she was seeing. The mystery of the white clouds was solved: they were the billowing white sails of the huge ship. She also saw the shooting star descending even closer to the horizon. She watched the descent, as it vanished...among the trees near her home.  
  
"What?" Pocahontas knew shooting stars die in the sky but this one had landed in the forest. Just then, the ground shook violently and a booming sound echoed through forest, rising up a cloud of forest birds. Twittering madly at being disturbed, they swarmed across the sky, headed who-knows- where.  
  
Smoke began to rise from where the shooting star vanished into the trees. Pocahontas itched to go and find out what it was but she became rather distracted as the ship came to a stop as people on the ship swarmed on the deck, pulling and pushing a heavy anchor over the side of the ship. Meanwhile, one had jumped into the water, swam ashore, then immediately began to explore. Pocahontas was quite fascinated by this lone stranger; he looked so mysterious and strange. Then she dove into the safety of the underbrush as the stranger pulled himself up the rock face she was perched on moments earlier and watched the majestic view before him.  
  
Flit anxiously flew about, nervous about this stranger from the ship; Meeko was very eager to meet the person clad in blue. Before Pocahontas and Flit could stop him, he bolted through the underbrush and twittered madly. The person turned and looked down. Pocahontas wondered what he would do to Meeko. The person just leaned down and handed Meeko what looked like a biscuit. Grinning victoriously, Meeko held up the biscuit-looking thing and waved at Pocahontas and Flit.  
  
Curious at what he was waving at, the stranger approached the underbrush. Before he could find out who the raccoon was gesturing to, Flit shot forward at his face and distracted the person into annoyance.  
  
Pocahontas was about to make her getaway when she heard the other men who were on the ship- now on the shore- make frantic shouts. Then she heard thunderous popping noises and the stranger jumped off the rock face and began to run. Pocahontas crept out of her hiding place and peered down at the shore.  
  
The other men were holding some strange long poles. They were pointing at something in the woods and smoke kept coming out of the end of the long poles. The men were shouting to the stranger in blue to come down and, quite suddenly, someone screamed. Everyone suddenly scattered as something like a ball of fire shot out from the trees and hit the water, hissing and sending steam up into the air.  
  
Pocahontas stared in shock. She knew of very few people who could that- including herself-and they don't tend to stray from her village. And she knew only she had seen these mysterious, white-skinned people. And none of them answered to the fireball.  
  
Who was shooting fireballs at these people?  
  
"Why Donald, why?!" Sora yelled as they ran through the forest. "Why did you have to do that, of all the options in the world? You know they have no magic; they're defenseless people!"  
  
"Yeah, defenseless people with metal rods that put holes in trees," Aozora snorted as they slowed to a jog; the underbrush was hard to see through.  
  
"Well, maybe they aren't so defenseless..." Sora admitted hesitantly.  
  
"They don't know us, we don't know them; that makes us even and that's why they shot at us and we shot at them," Goofy stated calmly the balance between Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora and the archaic-looking people who had just left their sea-going ship.  
  
"What a way to find a balance between all of us and all of them," Sora sighed. "Where the hell are we?"  
  
The four slowed down and surveyed their surroundings; they were in a very small clearing at the water's edge. A very lonely-looking willow tree sat by the water; white birch trees loomed everywhere. A misty haze kept the four from seeing far into the forest and there was no sound, literally. The water lapped silently against the banks of the clearing and the breeze was very muted. Sora didn't like this at all.  
  
"That willow tree gives me the creeps," Aozora was heard saying. He shuddered slightly as he looked at the lonely willow tree.  
  
"A willow tree gives you the creeps?" Donald demanded incredulously. " It's just a tree."  
  
Sora couldn't tell if it was just the wind or some strange force in the tree but just then, a rather fat branch swung out and walloped Donald on the back, knocking him into the dirt.  
  
"What was that?" Aozora demanded nervously, digging his hands into his pockets.  
  
Goofy was staring out into the distance, into the hazy wooded terrain. Donald was grumbling and rubbing his back as he picked himself up from the dirt and Sora was staring at the willow tree.  
  
"There are...people out there," Goofy gave a slow wave to the misty atmosphere of the forest.  
  
"Where? I don't see any people," Aozora peered in the direction Goofy was pointing but he didn't see anything.  
  
"Don't you see?" Goofy was clearly confused. "Two people, dressed in black."  
  
"In black?" Aozora demanded, his voice suddenly low and harsh. "Long black coats and hoods?"  
  
Goofy nodded, while both Donald and Sora turned their heads slowly in Aozora's direction. What did he know about these people in long black coats and hoods?  
  
Aozora looked mightily worried. His head bowed, he was clearly muttering to himself. Sora was able to catch him saying, "There should be more of them..."  
  
"No, dear child, there are only two out there," a strange, ethereal voice whispered in the muted breeze.  
  
"Wha?!" Donald squalled. He leaped practically six feet into the air; Sora and Goofy jumped back with horrified looks on their faces.  
  
"Oh my god!" Aozora stepped backwards, ripped over some unassuming tree root, and fell on the seat of his pants. He continued to try and scramble away.  
  
"Don't be frightened, dears," the same unearthly voice chuckled. "I'm not going to hurt you. My bark is rather worse than my bite."  
  
"Bark?" Sora input immediately while Donald had a horrified expression on his face.  
  
The branches of the willow tree shifted and practically patted Sora's head.  
  
"Hey!" Sora brushed the branches off his head.  
  
"Who are you?" Goofy asked good-naturedly. Aozora stared at him. Sora wasn't surprised; Goofy sometimes surprised people with his attitude in the face of danger.  
  
"My name is Grandmother Willow," the voice murmured back a reply. Donald began to snort; both Sora and Aozora cast him a look that spoke of chucking the white wizard into the fires of Mt. Doom...if it did exist in their universe.  
  
"Hello, Grandmother Willow," Goofy said cheerfully and held out his hand.  
  
While Sora wondered whether or not the hard landing of the gummi ship had jolted Goofy's brain, a branch snaked out and placed itself in Goofy's hand. They 'shook' um... 'hands'.  
  
"Oh my," Aozora was heard commenting. "The tree talks. I knew something was up with the tree."  
  
"What a surprise," Sora answered sarcastically. He didn't catch Donald casting him a very worried look.  
  
"Ah well, I imagine it should be," Grandmother Willow chuckled, apparently not catching the sarcasm in Sora's voice. "I'll bet you four weren't expecting a talking tree."  
  
"I knew something was up with the tree," Aozora was heard repeating himself.  
  
"Um...Grandmother Willow?" Sora asked rather tentatively.  
  
"What is it, dear?" Grandmother Willow asked. A willow branch reached out, apparently to pat Sora on the head again. Sora jumped back though; he did not want a tree patting him on the head.  
  
"What is this place?" Sora questioned. "I mean, does this world have a name of some sort?"  
  
"A name?" Grandmother Willow asked thoughtfully. "Hm...I remember now...the King told me when I first came here. This place is called New World."  
  
Pocahontas and her best friend Nakoma gathered corn from the fields of tall stalks. Pocahontas was very worried. The arrival of the white settlers had disrupted the harmony of her home and the world around them; one of their warriors had been injured by one of the strange long sticks she had seen the white people use the day before. Now a palisade wall was being erected around their village to ward off intruders. And their few people of magic (not including herself though for she had left with Nakoma for the cornfields) cast spells on the village to prevent strangers from approaching the village.  
  
"This issue with the white people is becoming serious, isn't it?" Nakoma asked as Pocahontas plucked the golden food of her people, a very serious expression on her face.  
  
When Pocahontas didn't answer, Nakoma repeated the question and added, " Are you okay?"  
  
Pocahontas nodded, then chose to reply. "Yes it is. Especially with those long sticks the white people use."  
  
Nakoma looked at her oddly. "You've seen the long sticks?"  
  
Pocahontas nodded, reluctantly that is, and admitted, "I saw the white clouds that carried their ship across. I was watching them from the rock face- you know which one- and I saw them. They were using the white sticks and they were doing something to something else that was in the woods. Then a fireball flew out and the people ran away in fear."  
  
"A fireball?" a voice sudden asked.  
  
Nakoma looked like she was about to die.  
  
John Smith, who Pocahontas had befriended the day before, suddenly materialized among the stalks. "Hello again."  
  
Pocahontas smiled, then the smile turned into a frown. "Why are you here? This is dangerous; you are too close to the village!"  
  
"I know, I know," Smith replied reassuringly. "But I need to talk to you. Alone. Is there a place where no one can find us?"  
  
Pocahontas nodded. "Yes, I know a very secluded place. We can go there-"  
  
"Pocahontas, are you seriously going?" Nakoma was stunned. "You can't just leave! Firstly, I can't go back by myself; the elders will ask where you are. Secondly, he's one of the white people!"  
  
"There are some things I learned that many people have made mistakes about," Pocahontas replied. She opened her mouth to say more but Smith took her hand and tugged at it, signaling that they really needed to go.  
  
"Listen, Nakoma," Pocahontas began as he led her deep into the cornfields to the other side, "Please don't say anything. Really, I think this is really important that the two of us talk about all this. It might help us all."  
  
Nakoma moved to protest, but the two people vanished.  
  
"Pocahontas," she groaned as she began to snatch more corn. "You're going to kill us all."  
  
To the two people in long black coats and hoods who stood in the shadows of the birch trees not too far away, they could not tell whether or not she was joking.  
  
"Is this place safe?" Smith was rather nervous as they left her canoe in the secluded, rather enchanted glade. Meeko and Flit jumped out after them and made a show by splashing the water-at least Meeko did.  
  
Pocahontas, casting a mischievous eye at the great willow tree whose branches cast a rather ethereal shroud over the whole glade, nodded and said, "It is quite safe. Come, we can sit here and talk."  
  
With that, she led him to the great, sliced trunk of a dead tree that sat in front of the willow tree. There they sat and Pocahontas, removing the bag she was using to gather corn, asked him, "What is wrong?"  
  
Smith, who was becoming rather nervous of the willow tree for reasons he could not explain, told her, "My people are searching for gold. But we cannot find any. Do you have gold?"  
  
The confused look on Pocahontas' face left Smith feeling a little...disappointed.  
  
"What is gold?" Pocahontas finally asked. Smith stared at her.  
  
"What is gold?" he echoed incredulously.  
  
Pocahontas nodded with sincerity and Smith knew she was not lying.  
  
"Gold," he began to explain, "is a strange, shiny yellow metal. It is so beautiful and yet it is very rare. My people are here to search for the yellow metal so we can take it back to our home country and sell it for money."  
  
"Shiny...yellow...hm..." Pocahontas said thoughtfully. "I know of something shiny and yellow..."  
  
"What is it?" Smith asked eagerly, hope suddenly restored.  
  
"It is this," and with that, Pocahontas handed him a shiny, yellow ear of corn.  
  
The befuddled look on Smith's face made her laugh.  
  
"This is gold?" he asked.  
  
Shaking her head, Pocahontas corrected, "It is golden corn. There is no metal here; all we have is golden corn, not gold."  
  
Smith was depressed and defeated. He and the others had come here for nothing!  
  
"There is no gold here for it can begin wars," an elderly, mythical voice whispered. Pocahontas noticed Grandmother Willow revealing herself in the tree trunk.  
  
Smith froze up, his whole body stiff with shock. He then slowly turned and saw the face in the willow tree trunk. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. The face winked at him.  
  
"Hello, John Smith," the face greeted him.  
  
"Pocahontas, that tree is talking to me," he stated rather slowly, believing he was dreaming.  
  
"Don't be frightened, young man," Grandmother Willow assured the man from across the sea. "My bark is worse than my bite."  
  
"I hope so," Smith answered worriedly.  
  
"My name is Grandmother Willow," she announced. "It is very nice to meet you, John."  
  
"It is very nice to meet you, too, uh...Grandmother Willow," John answered with a bow and a flourish. Pocahontas raised her eyebrow at this; she had never seen Smith do that.  
  
At that moment in time, a voice called out from somewhere beyond Grandmother Willow, "Hurry up!"  
  
With a scared look on her face, Pocahontas yanked Smith behind the tree trunk and told him to be quiet. Then she peered out around the tree trunk.  
  
"Dear child, there is no need to be frightened of being discovered," Grandmother Willow chucked-loudly.  
  
"Grandmother Willow!" Pocahontas reprimanded.  
  
"Hey, there's another person there!" a rather 'goofy' voice yelped.  
  
"Well duh! She told us she knew of some other people who would be visiting her any time, any day," a no-nonsense voice snapped back.  
  
Pocahontas shot Grandmother Willow an accusing stare. "You, of all the spirits in the forest I can name, befriended some strangers?"  
  
Grandmother Willow gave a purely innocent smile, "They looked harmless enough. Besides, they can help us."  
  
"How-" Pocahontas began to challenge.  
  
"Just shut-oh, hello," a surprised voice spoke as four people stepped through the willow tree's branches and spotted Pocahontas and Smith in front of Grandmother Willow.  
  
Pocahontas stared. These were outside people as well, like Smith. The two boys were very identical and yet very different; one had brown hair, blue eyes, and a rather defined tan. The other had yellow hair, coppery-brown eyes, and a pale complexion. They were traveling with what seemed to be an overgrown, black dog-creature with a shield and a super-sized white duck dressed in blue and with a staff.  
  
"Is your ship made to order?" Grandmother asked one of them pleasantly.  
  
The brown-haired boy nodded, then gestured to Pocahontas and Smith. "Who are they?"  
  
Grandmother Willow smiled. "She is Pocahontas and he is John Smith. The forest is Pocahontas' home and you, like John here, are the outsiders."  
  
"Who are you?" Pocahontas asked quickly.  
  
"I'm Sora," the brown-haired boy pointed to himself. "That's Aozora, the most serious guy in the world-" the blond boy scowled at this "-that's Donald, a wizard and a cranky one at that-hey! That hurts! And this is Goofy, captain of the King's Knights."  
  
Goofy bowed, Donald glared at Sora, and Aozora had a scowl on his face.  
  
"Uh...right," Smith finally stated. "It is a pleasure to meet you."  
  
Ignoring him, Aozora said point-blank, "They've come, Grandmother Willow. I think they came with that big man with the red cloths-"  
  
"John Ratcliffe," Smith identified. "What are you talking about-"  
  
A scream shot through the forest and birds took flight.  
  
After a moment of silence, Aozora stated, "The Nobodies have come." 


	12. Coming Winters

Author's Note: Um.....read, review, please don't flame, I don't know, enjoy? If it gets confusing, don't worry because it all begins to make sense later. Have fun! And please don't forget to review!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 12: Coming Winters  
  
While Pocahontas' face grew darker and Smith grew more worried, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora together explained who the Nobodies were. Then Sora, Donald, and Goofy explained who the Heartless were as well.  
  
"Why are they here?" Smith asked, mystified by these two groups of enemies that fought them and each other.  
  
Sora gave a shrug and Aozora picked up the cue. "The Heartless follow those who seem heartless-" Sora began to cough and, strangely enough it sounded like 'Ratcliffe!' "- and the Nobodies are attracted to those who have no souls for the other people, in this case, Pocahontas' people. This Ratcliffe digging up her lands and shooting at her people-and us- shows the factors most desirable to both the Heartless and the Nobodies."  
  
"Lovely," Grandmother Willow said cheerfully. "Ah, how the winds of winter blow!"  
  
That statement was followed by an awkward silence, which was broken when Pocahontas said, "Um...Grandmother Willow? Its not winter yet."  
  
"Ah child but it is," the willow tree said. Before anybody could ask her any more questions she said, "Evil tidings are known as winters for they bring death and destruction wherever they go."  
  
Only Aozora nodded to this; the others were lost beyond confusion.  
  
It was only then that Sora became aware of footsteps in the distance. " Someone's coming."  
  
"Some people are coming," Grandmother Willow corrected and suddenly a mass of her branches shifted to block the little gathering at the foot of her trunk from view. Pocahontas and Smith peered through the swaying leaves; Sora and the others peeped from behind Grandmother Willow's trunk.  
  
Ben and Lon, two of Smith's friends and shipmates, were charging towards the willow tree and the glade it guarded, with Ben shouting, "Smith! Where are you mate?"  
  
"This place gives me the creeps," Lon added as he looked about him fearfully. "Who knows when those white things will pop up?!"  
  
Aozora started at his statement but Sora gripped his shoulder to keep him from moving. Aozora glared at him to 'let go or die' but Sora ignored that dangerous look and kept Aozora in one place.  
  
Lon and Ben drew nearer yet they had not noticed the odd way the lone willow tree in the clearing they had run into was built. Their eyes were continuing to rove around.  
  
"Think we should say hi?" Goofy whispered.  
  
"You are all allied against one," Grandmother Willow answered quietly.  
  
Sora nodded, let go of Aozora's shoulder-to his immense relief-, and stepped in front of Smith's shipmates with a cheerful grin on his face. As they came to a startled stop, he waved and said, "Hi!"  
  
"Holy smokes!" Lon shouted and scrambled backwards into Ben.  
  
"Hey, fellows, don't panic; he won't bite," Smith called out as he 'materialized' besides Sora.  
  
"Smith, mate, where were ya?" Lon said with enormous relief. "Ratcliffe's been looking for ya. Them savages are getting on his nerves."  
  
While Smith winced at the use of words, Ben added, "And there's these really weird white creatures. You have to stick a whole bunch of bullets in them-who are they?"  
  
Pocahontas, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora appeared as well.  
  
"Smith, why is she here?" Lon asked nervously, for Pocahontas was one of the people Ratcliffe wanted dead.  
  
"She is the princess of the 'savages' you mentioned earlier," Smith answered pleasantly. "She's here to help us. Not only is there no gold here but plenty of golden corn, she knows these white creatures which Aozora here-" gestured to the blond kid "-has fought will hurt all of us unless we do something."  
  
Pocahontas had the 'I know that?" look on her face. Lon and Ben looked at her suspiciously but Sora knew it was true.  
  
"And we are after the white thingies, too!" Goofy explained. "We're all in this together. We gotta stop them."  
  
"So," Sora stated. "Can we talk to this Ratcliffe of yours about this serious situation that can possibly destroy all of us and leave the universe to its doom?"  
  
The look Smith, Lon, and Ben gave him spoke more than enough that Sora would be slaughtered if he tried.  
  
"And the princess would be dead within ten feet of camp," Lon added, gesturing to Pocahontas.  
  
"My name is Pocahontas," she corrected. "Do not call me princess."  
  
"Well, yeah," Lon shrugged it aside. "We've got bigger issues to deal with-"  
  
"Shhh!" Aozora hissed suddenly. "Listen!"  
  
They all fell silent, only to hear drums beating in slow rhythm in the distance and shouts and gunfire in another direction.  
  
"The drums," Pocahontas sighed. "Something has happened back home."  
  
"The gunfire," Lon, Ben, and Smith looked at each other seriously. "The camp!"  
  
"Okay, it looks like we need to split," Sora announced. "Donald and I will go with Pocahontas. Aozora and Goofy will go with Smith, Lon, and Ben. It looks like the Nobodies are really here."  
  
Aozora was about to protest against being ordered to do this or that but Goofy grabbed his arm and dragged him off.  
  
"Drums mean that everyone in my father's village must come," Pocahontas explained as they skimmed through the forest. "It means to get within the walls, there's a serious tribal meeting inside, there's a war, or there's danger for everyone out in the forest."  
  
"You think the drums are for the last one?" Sora yelled breathlessly.  
  
"And the first!" Donald quacked; he was far back because he's not very accustomed to running.  
  
"What do we do if the Nobodies had attacked?" Sora demanded.  
  
Pocahontas slowed momentarily. "Then we will see what had happened and will search out the Nobodies. Then we shall see."  
  
As they drew closer to Pocahontas' village, Sora could see smoke drifting into the air.  
  
"There's a fire," Sora announced ominously, gesturing to the sky.  
  
"The cornfields!" Pocahontas shouted and dashed to the left.  
  
They stumbled upon a clearing, with burning stalks of green emitting smoke into the sky. They could hear screams and shouts, followed by clashes of weaponry and many running feet.  
  
"Nakoma!" Pocahontas screamed. Then she pointed at the burning stalks. " May the rain come to my aid!"  
  
With that, she opened her hand and water materialized from the palm of her hand; the liquid gushed forth as though it came from a hose and doused the flames, ridding the air of smoke. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sora and Donald gaping at her.  
  
A flabbergasted Donald finally yelped, "You use magic?!"  
  
Pocahontas nodded, gestured in the direction of drumbeats, and shouted, " This way!"  
  
They followed her to a war scene. Men of her people were throwing spears at the swarms of Nobodies at the foot of tall palisade walls from their position at the top. The occasional Nobody that reached the top of the wall was suddenly repelled and thrown back; Pocahontas said, "The power of the few is very strong. Come, we must help them."  
  
With that, she held her right hand forward and commanded, "My the powers of the wind come to my aid!"  
  
With that, a translucent swirl of wind surrounded her and she strode towards the Nobodies. Donald looked to Sora, who had called out his Keyblade to his hands.  
  
"Maybe we should've asked her if she wanted to dance," Sora said thoughtfully as they followed her at a rapid pace.  
  
"If she considered fighting Nobodies a dance," Donald snorted. "Aeroga!"  
  
With that, he cast the protective spell on both of them and they rushed forward as Pocahontas reached the outskirts of the battle scene and cried out, "Power of the sun, come to my aid!"  
  
Fire rained down on the Nobodies; they whirled around to the new threat at the rear as the warriors on top of the palisade walls shouted and new warriors came forward with bows and arrows readied to fire on the Nobodies.  
  
"Dang, she's good," Sora commented before High Jumping into the melee, swinging his Keyblade about.  
  
"Blizzaga!" the force of snow and wind blasted some Nobodies to infinity and beyond as Donald added his powers to Pocahontas.  
  
With bolts of arrows raining down on the Nobodies from the front and a dangerous force pounding into them from the back, the white creatures lost it and scattered.  
  
"Well!" Sora muttered as he sliced at a Nobody and beheaded it. "It's a lot easier than back at Twilight Town!"  
  
He kicked at another Nobody and was about to hit it with a downward swing when something flew past him by the merest of inches and, with a sickly thud, dug itself into the Nobody's head. It was an axe. It was then he became aware of the group of warriors surrounding him, their spears and axes leaning in his direction.  
  
"This is not good," Sora deciphered the situation.  
  
"Gwaahhhh!" Donald tumbled to his feet as more warriors appeared, creating a tight ring around them. Rising above the warriors was a tall man with a fierce, hawk-like face, red paint lathered around his eyes. He wore a band of feathers on his head, wore a cloak with raccoon tails, and held a long staff with two eagle feathers tied onto it.  
  
Pocahontas was at his side, pleading insistently. "Father, please, they were only helping us!"  
  
"Father?" Sora stared as the man looked down on them.  
  
"They come from the outside world; they can be no help to us," he spoke in a deadly tone, rich and commanding. "They can be a diversion or a small force sent here to trick us into helping them. No, they are dangerous."  
  
"Dangerous?!" Donald squawked. "We helped defend your village!"  
  
"We can take no chances," he answered. "How do I know you didn't arrive with the white men at the shore?"  
  
Sora and Donald had no comeback to that statement. The man looked to his warriors.  
  
"Take them to the enclosure they made," he spoke. "They will not be able to escape. After we rid our home of the white men and the white creatures, we will deal with them."  
  
"What?" Sora yelled as the warriors stepped forward, their spears leveled at his head. "You can't do that! We can help you; we've fought those creatures before!"  
  
The warriors were hesitant and looked to who was apparently their leader. He shook his head; the warriors grabbed them by the arm, and dragged them off, with Donald squalling the whole way. Sora took to glaring at the leader; he could not understand who the guy was.  
  
Pocahontas looked to Chief Powhatan pleadingly. "They know the creatures, Father! Why lock them up? They can help us!"  
  
"Can they?" he rumbled an answer. "I've learned from the others further south; all strangers are not welcome. Come, we must rid our home of the white settlers and the white creatures."  
  
Aozora was rather ruffled by Goofy dragging him as they followed Smith, Long, and Ben, who were all moving at an extremely rapid pace. As Aozora gained his stride and managed to get Goofy to let him go, Smith warned them, "Whatever you do, not make Ratcliffe mad. He can have you shot on the spot or throw you into the bottom of the ship until all this is over."  
  
"You might die of starvation before it's over, actually," Lon added. " Ratcliffe doesn't give a rat's-"  
  
"Lon, that you?" a voice shouted out as everyone became aware of nearing gunfire.  
  
"Thomas!" Lon yelled back. "We've got Smith and some others!"  
  
"What others?" Thomas shouted through the bushy undergrowth of the forest.  
  
"How do I explain-" Lon looked to Aozora and Goofy. Goofy was adjusting the straps on his shield as they ran and white and black powers glowed in Aozora's hands when Pocahontas suddenly burst onto the scene.  
  
"Pocahontas!" Smith exclaimed with surprise; she had a harried look on her face.  
  
"My father...has taken...Sora and Donald!" she gasped for a breath. "He doesn't know...that they...can help us..."  
  
"What? I'm going!" Aozora started to march off in the direction that Pocahontas came from but a knife suddenly flew past his face and stuck itself into a tree trunk behind him.  
  
"Pocahontas," a calm-yet-urgent voice spoke as everyone froze. "Get away from them. They're dangerous."  
  
Hateful fire raged in her eyes as she stood ramrod straight and turned in the direction from whence she came.  
  
"This is not for you to butt into, Kocoum," she snapped. "Why did you follow me?"  
  
A rather handsome warrior of her people appeared before them all, a dagger clenched in his hand. He glared at Smith, Lon, Ben, Aozora, and Goofy before looking to Pocahontas and stating calmly, "Go. You must have no further contact with these people."  
  
Ben looked at Goofy. "He ain't a 'people'. Does he count?"  
  
"You're all outsiders and you are no longer welcome!" Kocoum, the warrior, snapped, then grabbed Pocahontas by the arm. "Come; we must go. Your father is angry with you for collaborating with 'them'."  
  
"Let me go!" Pocahontas hissed and tried to pull away.  
  
"Stop it!" Kocoum jerked her arm. "This is not time for child's play!"  
  
"Let her go!" Smith said protectively as he stepped forward. "She knows we are all in this together against the white creatures. She is trying to help us. Her decision you can't change. Let her go."  
  
"How do I know your people aren't surrounding us with your fire-sticks, ready to kill us?" Kocoum snapped at him.  
  
Smith gripped the arm that held Pocahontas. "Let her go. We are not surrounding you; they are back at the beach, fighting the white creatures apparently you've been fighting, too."  
  
Kocoum stared at him for a few seconds. Suddenly, Smith jerked back as Kocoum let Pocahontas go and jumped at him, the dagger poised and ready to dig itself into Smith.  
  
"John!" Ben ran forward but Aozora stopped him. "There is nothing you can do! It is their battle. Let them fight it out."  
  
Ben and Lon stared at him as though he had gone mad. Goofy looked at him nervously but made no attempt to stop Smith and Kocoum as they fought for control over the dagger.  
  
"Smith? Ben? Lon?" a tentative and fearful voice spoke as a man with a cap over his red hair appeared from the direction of Smith's camp. Aozora swore inwardly; the man was holding a 'fire-stick'.  
  
Smith, spotting the man, shouted, "Thomas!"  
  
He meant it to mean, "Get out of here", but Thomas apparently interpreted it as a cry for help. He stared at Kocoum trying to drive the knife into Smith, fumbled with the 'fire-stick' and Aozora was heard cursing loudly as it discharged.  
  
"No!" Pocahontas screamed.  
  
"Apply justice to a battle between two men over choices and decisions and everything falls into ruin," Aozora kicked himself. "I am so going to kill my mentor for this! A victim of war, damn it all, and he didn't even need to die!"  
  
As the smoke from the musket drifted away, everyone stared in horror at the body draped over a positively frightened Smith.  
  
"Kocoum," Pocahontas sighed regretfully. "It wasn't supposed to be this way."  
  
War whoops echoed in the distance; Pocahontas looked at everyone. "We must get out of here! My father will kill us all if we remain!"  
  
By the time Chief Powhatan and his warriors appeared to the horrifying scene, Smith, Pocahontas, Goofy, Aozora, Lon, Ben, and Thomas had made it to the outskirts of the camp.  
  
"I don't' believe this!" Sora banged against the double walls of the enclosure he and Donald were thrown into. "What did they do? Even the Keyblade can't open it!"  
  
Donald sat glumly against the wall opposite of the one with the door; Sora glared at him. "Got any ideas on how to get out of here?"  
  
Donald shook his head. "They've put really strong magic here. The only magic I know that's more powerful is King Mickey's magic."  
  
Sora sighed and dropped to his knees before the door. He leaned his head against it. "This sucks. They lock us here because they 'think' we're the enemy? They're out of their minds!"  
  
He yelled at the top of his lungs during the last sentence and the answer he received was, "Quiet! No noise-making!"  
  
"Oh wonderful!" Sora glowered. "They've posted guards!"  
  
Donald looked at his critically. "Since when were you sarcastic?"  
  
Sora glared at him. "None of your business!"  
  
But Donald caught the look of pain in his eyes before the fifteen-year-old teenager turned away.  
  
Just one year magnifies the pain within, Donald thought. Which makes him all the more sarcastic and ready to kill himself! That answers those 'thrill issues' of his!  
  
"Hey, where'd that dog come from?" one of the guards was heard wondering.  
  
"He doesn't look like any of our dogs," the other noted worriedly.  
  
Sora perked up, and stuck his head against the door, his ear pressed into the wood.  
  
"We don't' have any yellow dogs around here, that's for sure," the first guard noted.  
  
Donald jumped to his feet. "Plu-"  
  
"Shh!" Sora hissed at him quickly and Donald fell silent.  
  
"Look at his tail!" the second guard noted. "All black and whippy. And his nose is so big! This isn't any of our dogs. I've never seen a dog like this before, actually."  
  
Sora peeped through a crack in the door. He'd done it before but hadn't seen anything. Now he could see the dog the guars commented. It definitely was Pluto.  
  
'Its Pluto,' Sora mouthed to Donald. About time he showed up. But there's no letter in his mouth. Where'd it go?  
  
"Shoo, doggy!" the first guard snapped. "Go away!"  
  
His field of vision was suddenly blocked and Sora drew away from the door.  
  
"Arf!" was the reply.  
  
"Go away, dog!" the second guard commanded.  
  
There was a sudden scuffle and Sora peeped again through the crack in the door, his whole body leaning against it. He saw nothing but smoke.  
  
"Can't see anything," Sora struggled to make something out of the smoke when the door suddenly swung open and he fell on his face.  
  
Looking up, he saw Pluto. Wagging his tail happily, the whippy black cord thumped on the ground.  
  
"Pluto, where've you been?" Donald exclaimed as he ran over Sora and to Pluto.  
  
But the yellow dog slipped away into the smoke.  
  
"That's weird," Donald noted as Sora got up. "He's never done that before."  
  
Sora rubbed his back. "Donald, I think you've broken my back."  
  
Donald paid no attention and stared at the two guards, completely knocked out. "How'd Pluto do this?"  
  
The sound of gunfire interrupted Donald's thoughts. Sora grabbed the wizard by the back of his collar and dragged him off, saying, "There's trouble thataway!"  
  
Aozora swung the Starlight and the Oblivion about menacingly, keeping some of the settlers from the Susan Constant and England away from Pocahontas while Goofy, Smith, Lon, Ben, and Thomas helped the others fight off the Nobodies. Their problems were compounded when Chief Powhatan and his men appeared from the forest with war whoops and somehow ignored the Nobodies as they went to fight the settlers that had killed Kocoum.  
  
"Oh no, my father's here," Pocahontas moaned before throwing a bolt of fire at a Nobody that had strayed too close to Aozora and her predicament. "Everything's gone totally wrong."  
  
"Not if I can help it!" Aozora cast Aeroga on the both of them, scattered the settlers surrounding them with a few well placed thwacks on some heads, and dragged her to the battle scene that was about to become disastrous.  
  
"Pocahontas!" Powhatan cried out in surprise as he saw Aozora drag Pocahontas towards them. "Get away from that boy!"  
  
"Boy?" Aozora muttered. "He should've said ' teenager'!"  
  
He knocked out some settlers that were moving towards them menacingly with the Aeroga spell, dashed past the settlers, and screeched to a stop as a rather enormous man adorned in black armor and a red cloak loomed before them. He had a disgustingly snobbish look on his face, a strange purplish hat, and two pigtails tied at the end with red ribbons. Aozora wrinkled his nose at this; this man had no dress sense at all.  
  
"And where are you two going?" the man demanded smugly. The voice was not at all friendly.  
  
"Step away from my daughter!" Powhatan thundered across the battlefield. His voice somehow rose up against the melee that stood in between him and his daughter.  
  
"You heard the man," Aozora spat at him; he could tell this was Ratcliffe. "Step away."  
  
"What?" Ratcliffe gasped with mock astonishment. "And lose a chance at some diplomacy. I'll bet that savage chief will do anything if I had my hands on his daughter."  
  
Pocahontas shrank away from the vile words and Aozora decided he had enough.  
  
"Get out of my way, you ugly man!" he snapped, swung his Starlight, and shoved the man aside with the Keyblade. He continued to drag Pocahontas through the battle scene, fighting off the Nobodies, which were rapidly dwindling in number.  
  
"Shoot them!" Ratcliffe yelled as he struggled to his feet, fighting against his armor.  
  
Most of the settlers immediately aimed for the blond-haired teenager and his luggage as the two people made their way towards Chief Powhatan and his men.  
  
"Don't shoot!" Smith shouted. "You'll make real enemies out of them!"  
  
"Savages already are the enemy!" Ratcliffe countered. "Don't disobey me; shoot those two!"  
  
"No!" Smith yelled back. Half of the men faltered; they admired, respected, and leaned more towards Smith rather than Ratcliffe.  
  
Ratcliffe gnashed his teeth angrily as he watched the two nearing the chief and the warriors, most who were cocking arrows at his men from the top of the rock face they were on. Noting the danger, for the white creatures were starting to scatter, he shouted, "Shoot those savages!"  
  
The guns pointed at them willingly.  
  
"No!" Smith scrambled up the rock face Powhatan and the others were standing on.  
  
As they neared the top, Pocahontas slipped and nearly fell back down.  
  
"We're almost there!" Aozora pulled her back up as they neared the top.  
  
Suddenly, Meeko and Flit came out of nowhere, followed by a white pug, which happened to be Ratcliffe's dog, Percy. Meeko carried something golden in his paws/hands.  
  
"Wha-Meeko, Flit! What are you doing here?" Pocahontas exclaimed. "Get out of here; it's too dangerous!"  
  
Meeko simply blocked their path. Trying to move around him, they were hindered by Flit and Percy kept them from moving another way around.  
  
"Meeko? Please, get out of here; this place is too dangerous," Pocahontas pleaded as gunfire erupted and the twang of bowstrings being released followed.  
  
Meeko stood firm in front of them; he held out a golden disk.  
  
"A compass..." Aozora wondered quizzically as Pocahontas took it. "Why a compass? What did Grandmother Willow say about a compass?"  
  
As Flit twittered to him, Pocahontas stared at the face of the compass. The arrow was spinning...  
  
"Like in my dream," she whispered breathlessly. The arrow was spinning and, incredulously, stopped in the direction between her father and Smith, pointing into the forest. "What?"  
  
Sora and Donald burst out at that moment in time and screeched to a stop as they stared at the scenario.  
  
Chief Powhatan directing his archers as they fired down on the group of settlers firing up at them, Ratcliffe wrestling with Thomas over his musket, Smith scrambling up the rock face and in the most dangerous spot: in between the archers and the settlers, Goofy scrambling after Aozora, and Pocahontas staring at something in her hand and then looking at them.  
  
"Give. Me. The. Musket," Ratcliffe growled as he tugged the musket out of a reluctant Thomas' hand. He aimed at Chief Powhatan, unaware of the danger.  
  
Suddenly, the arrow on the compass began to spin again. Pocahontas stared at it as Aozora gaped at the spinning arrow. The arrow of a compass does not spin again once it stops. What magic does it possess?  
  
Pocahontas stared as the arrow pointed in the direction of the settlers. She peered cautiously down at them...and saw Ratcliffe taking dead aim at her father, with Thomas at his feet, staring up at Ratcliffe with horror.  
  
"Father!" she screamed as she heard the gun discharge.  
  
"Oh my god!" Sora and Donald ran forward, only to see Smith throw himself upward over the ledge, run forward, and push Chief Powhatan aside. He was suddenly thrown back, by the power of the bullet that bore into his side. The angry cries of the settlers began to rise and, as the two watched, they surrounded a stunned Ratcliffe, chained him, and half of the group bore him away towards the anchored ship, while Thomas ran towards the rock face. The archers and the other warriors, who were making ready for a hand-to-hand combat with the settlers once the archers ran out of bolts, were helping Chief Powhatan, who received minor bruises, and John Smith, who had nearly killed himself saving the chief. Pocahontas and Aozora dashed forward, followed by Goofy, Meeko, Flit, and Percy.  
  
They were all unified by the single act of sacrifice Smith had done. Thankfully, he would survive.  
  
"Thank you," Chief Powhatan told Sora, Donald, Goofy, Aozora, Smith, and the others as the former settlers received gifts of food and clothing from his people as they made ready to set sail back to England, with Ratcliffe storming in the bottom of the Susan Constant. "I was wrong to think you will harm us. I am sorry."  
  
"No need to," Smith waved it aside from the makeshift stretcher he was on. "I was glad to help."  
  
"Same here," Sora and the others tipped their heads at the chief.  
  
Pocahontas stepped forward from her father's side, her face aglow. "Are we protected from the Nobodies from now on?"  
  
Sora nodded and looked to Aozora, who spoke, "Sometimes, the only way to lock out Nobodies is a single act of sacrifice or near-sacrifice, which proves the worth of one's soul. No Heartless appear where Nobodies once were. Except for Twilight Town maybe. But you are safe from harm from now on."  
  
Pocahontas smiled. "Thank you. For helping all of us open our eyes to the wider world."  
  
Sora smiled in return. "Well, we'll be headed back to our...um...shooting star of a ship now."  
  
He had seen a look that Pocahontas and Smith shared. Very fleeting but it was there.  
  
"We shall leave you to your diplomatic duties," Aozora bowed with a grin and they headed into the forest.  
  
"You know I won't help you," Grandmother Willow spat at the two hooded being adorned in long black coats. "I've left your kind a long time ago, seeing your corrupt ways."  
  
"And you will have to pay dearly unless you pay up," one of them shot back. "What did you tell them?"  
  
"Nothing that should worry you," Grandmother Willow snapped.  
  
"You've been collaborating with the King, the Phoenix," the other spoke coolly. "He has told you much about everything around here. What did he tell you? Tell us and we'll leave you alone."  
  
"I'd rather be burned alive than say anything," Grandmother Willow snapped. "My form as a tree may be vulnerable but my mind is not! You cannot make me say anything!"  
  
"Very well!" the first spoke and stabbed into her with its left arm.  
  
Life drained from Grandmother Willow and the two laughed. 


	13. The Teeth of the Snow Tiger

Author's Note: Well, I have to admit I never thought my story would get so many reviews from so many people. Until this story came around, I was churning out early successes that ended up as failures. Thank you so much for letting me know that I must continue this story to its very end! Thank you all! Now, on with the story!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 13: The Teeth of the Snow Tiger  
  
"Wow," was Aozora's first statement once the gummi ship was out in space. "We have to do that with every world we come across?"  
  
Sora nodded exhaustingly; Donald and Goofy did not reply. They were fast asleep on the floor.  
  
"Oh my god," Aozora leaned his head against his right hand as he slumped to the floor. "That event back there was brutal enough."  
  
"How did you know about sealing worlds from Nobodies?" Sora asked curiously, before stifling a yawn and jerking the gummi ship to the side to avoid a rather peaceful Heartless ship.  
  
"I've seen it myself," Aozora answered quietly. "It was not beautiful."  
  
"Sacrifice is never beautiful," Sora agreed. Aozora could hear an echoing pain in his voice.  
  
"You've seen it," Aozora stated. "A sacrifice for the others. A sacrifice measures the soul of its being. It does not always mean death. It can mean an act of courage, an act of friendship, an act of love. One soul proves its worth and the world will be sealed forever."  
  
"It's going to be interesting fighting the Nobodies," Sora commented after a short silence. "You get to truly meet worthy people then, eh?"  
  
Sora stifled another yawn. "I've never been so tired before."  
  
"I can take over, you know," Aozora offered as he got up and approached the cockpit. Sora was yawning continuously now.  
  
"No, I'm fine, no need to worry," he waved Aozora's offer aside. "It doesn't look like you get tired often. What's the secret?"  
  
"Secret?" Aozora thought. "No, there's no secret."  
  
Sora nodded and nearly crashed the gummi ship into an asteroid when his eyes drooped briefly.  
  
"Look, buddy," Aozora pressed ' Auto-Pilot' on the dashboard and dragged Sora out of the seat at the cockpit. "You sleep. I pilot. Lucky I learned something on piloting airships a while back even though I've never done a gummi ship. It's a hell lot safer anyways."  
  
He was referring to Sora's wild antics with the gummi ship. But Sora just nodded and sat down. He leaned against the wall, near Goofy and Donald, and closed his eyes.  
  
He stared at the strange Keyblade in his hand. There was no keychain dangling from it; it was not a true Keyblade. What could he do with it? Then he recalled what Riku had said, about unlocking hearts.  
  
He looked to Kairi. She was lying on her back, on the floor before the great Heartless sign in Hollow Bastion. She looked so beautiful, so alive, though she seemed to be dead. He looked around. The princesses...he had all their hearts.  
  
"I wonder..." he murmured as Donald and Goofy came around and tried to get back their senses.  
  
Bracing himself for the impact, he twirled the Dark Keyblade in his hand and pulled it towards him. He could feel its coldness as it neared his chest and bit back a gasp as it entered him. Darkness quickly began to cloud his mind and heat left him, replaced by coldness, coldness he had never felt before.  
  
From his heart came release. As he stared in shock of the cold, he saw seven golden, glowing balls of light float out from his heart. Incredible...so beautiful...  
  
And six of the balls of light swerved and split up, headed for each of the six sleeping princesses. Only one remained, hovering over the prostrate form that was Kairi. The orb descended from above her, falling down slowly towards where her heart normally pulsed.  
  
And as darkness began to cloud his line of sight, he saw the ball of light that was her heart merge with the body it belonged to. Kairi was saved.  
  
He saw her open her entrancing blue eyes, as the fingers colored black reached across his mind, his eyes, his heart, seeking to enclose him in everlasting darkness. All he paid attention to was Kairi, who was becoming aware of where she was and of herself.  
  
He could hear Donald shrilling at the top of his lungs as the barriers that kept Goofy and him out of the duel stubbornly kept him away. He could hear Goofy come to, hearing the distinctive noise of him shaking his head and going, "Huyuk?"  
  
But the only one he focused on, as he began to fade, was Kairi. She had seen him.  
  
He was fading, as she stood up and stared, her mouth forming words. He could not hear anymore and his vision was clouding even faster, but he knew what she had said.  
  
"Sora?"  
  
And he felt himself falling into darkness. He could feel himself reaching out, trying to reach his memories, all he could feel, see, taste, touch, smell, and remember, but they were fading fast. Darkness was powerful; it swallowed everything, even the fading light that was the life he had sacrificed for others.  
  
As he fell, as the memories swept away, he was beset by two images, one word.  
  
He saw the day he found Kairi, on the shores of Destiny Islands. He wondered why she was there and how she got there, before wondering who she was. It was everyday that a very pretty, rather young girl washed ashore when there's been no news of wrecks off the coast.  
  
The second image was even more bizarre. He saw himself as barely three, with a small stick-more like a long wooden sword back then-in his right hand. He was grinning and talking to the person sitting next to him. The person replied and he saw himself laughing, as they sat on a strange rock face facing a beach he did not recognize.  
  
Then the one he was laughing with turned and Sora had stared. The boy looked identical to his three-year-old self, but with lighter hair and strange, metallic eyes. He stared with a serious intensity. How strange.  
  
And as those two images faded away as well, all he was able to remember was...  
  
"Kairi".  
  
Kairi, where are you now? It's been a year; what have you been doing while I was gone? Have the others returned? Are they okay? Have you drifted back to the life before? Kairi...  
  
"Are you okay?" a hand was on his shoulder, shaking him.  
  
"Huh-wha? Wha!" he found himself staring into Aozora's concerned face. A face that he thought was vaguely familiar for some unknown reason...Then he was aware of the concerned looks of Donald and Goofy from behind Aozora.  
  
"You were...der...muttering something in yer sleep," Goofy explained with a yawn as Aozora backed away and Sora sat up straight against the gummi ship's wall. "Something...from back then."  
  
Aozora looked at Goofy very curiously but Goofy did not offer an explanation. Aozora nodded, as if he understood it was a personal thing and said, "If you three wanted to know, we're approaching another world. We'll be there in a little while."  
  
Sora nodded, before Donald demanded, suspiciously, "When did you learn how to pilot a gummi ship?"  
  
"I didn't," Aozora replied briskly before returning to the cockpilot.  
  
"Oh? Is that so!" Donald sounded very much unconvinced.  
  
"Yes, we're all just lucky I didn't send you all flying into each other's faces while piloting, too. I was being very considerate, especially since all three of you have been sleeping," Aozora snapped back as he went back to Manual and took control.  
  
"How did you learn to pilot a gummi ship?" Donald growled back. Sora sighed. Not again.  
  
"I learned how to pilot an airship a long time ago," Aozora explained harshly as he pressed Autopilot, got up from his seat, and confronted Donald. "Once I took control, I realized it was like an airship so I had no trouble and thankfully did not make all of you suffer a barrel roll!"  
  
"You were very close to shouting, did you know that?" Goofy announced tentatively as the two glared at each other.  
  
"Wha? You didn't like thrills?" Sora gasped mockingly. "I thought everybody enjoyed it."  
  
Aozora and Donald turned to stare at him. "Everybody?!"  
  
Well, at least I've got the two of them united against one issue...my thrill issues, Sora thought wistfully. "Okay, so maybe I was lying..."  
  
"Wow, its so white," Goofy commented as he peered through the windshields of the gummi ship. "Amazing. So much snow."  
  
All three stared at him, before realizing that he was obviously commenting about the world Aozora mentioned earlier.  
  
"A new world at last!" Sora sighed, thankful that the argument was short- lived.  
  
"All snow..." Aozora was starting to look very worried. Goofy spotted the look and asked curiously, "What's the problem there?"  
  
"What can we do in the snow?" Aozora wondered, mostly to himself. "Snow hinders. Snow leaves tracks behind. Snow isn't the best thing in the world..."  
  
"We can't change seasons, ya know!" Donald snapped. "Too bad. Live through it!"  
  
Sora half-expected a comeback from Aozora but his blond look-a-like ignored Donald's furious statements and turned his back to the duck. While Donald sputtered at this rejection to another challenge, Aozora stated, "I wonder what we'll find on that world..."  
  
"Its called China," Goofy peered at a screen on the control panel. " During the wintertime, too."  
  
"Snow,' Aozora sounded like he hated snow with all his heart.  
  
"What's up with you and snow?" Sora asked curiously. "I thought snow was great."  
  
"Running through the snow in shorts is not the greatest thing in the world," Donald muttered under his breath.  
  
Sora heard a laugh being stifled and spotted Aozora shifting away, his shoulders shaking. Aozora was laughing?!  
  
Donald didn't seem to find it all that funny. While Goofy continued to stare at the snow-draped world, he snapped, "What's so funny?"  
  
Aozora didn't reply. He didn't need to.  
  
"Its got a long wall!" Goofy exclaimed. "And...and there are white things swarming all over it!"  
  
"White what?" Aozora rushed up to Goofy's side. He stared openmouthed at the world as they drew closer. "No way. There is absolutely no way. What could've brought the Nobodies here already?"  
  
Sora spotted smoke drifting from one side of the world. "Possibly war."  
  
Aozora shook his head as the gummi ship brushed the atmosphere of the world. "There's something out there that brought them there. Nobodies aren't all that attracted by war."  
  
"Oh," Sora was learning more and more from Aozora about these Nobodies and everything he said didn't sound lovely. Or logical. "What attracts Nobodies then, if its not war?"  
  
"Those who do not care," Aozora answered. "They are cold to the souls of the people, of the animals, of the plants, of the world. They ravage everything in their path. That attracts Nobodies for fear leaves people open to attack. Fear in their souls."  
  
Sora scratched his head, then spotted mountains. They looked very big.  
  
"Is it just me," Goofy ventured nervously as everybody stood there gaping at the tall mountains, "Or are we getting too close for comfort?"  
  
Cursing under his breath, Sora jumped to the helm, punched the Manuel button, and fought the strangely resistant controls as their gummi ship went flying into the mountains.  
  
"Well, lookee here, Cri-Kee," Mushu, the miniscule red dragon that was once a Summon exclaimed to the tiny purple cricket next to him. "Looks like a live rocket, eh Cri-Kee? Hm...wonder where that came from."  
  
He watched the flaming object soar across the winter sky into the snow- covered mountains.  
  
"Oh well, what use is it? How can it help us," Mushu sighed, his gaze turning from the vanishing object to Mulan, the young woman who had broken an ancient law to save her father. She was staring dejectedly into her helmet, with Khan, her black horse, standing guard next to her.  
  
"...maybe what I really wanted was to prove I could do things right. SO twhen I look into the mirror, I'd see someone worthwhile," she murmured sadly. Then she shook her head. "But I was wrong. I see nothing."  
  
She dropped the helmet in the snow and sighed deeply. Mushu was visibly depressed by her state and decided to try and do something about it. He marched over and picked up the helmet. Spitting on it, he then gave it a vigorous rub with his arm and held it out. "Well, that's just 'cause this needs a little spit, that's all. Let me shine this up for you. Here, look at you. You look so pretty."  
  
He pushed the helmet up at her but she turned away, refusing to look. "I'm sorry I wasted your time, Mushu. I know you tried."  
  
"Hell I tried," Mushu muttered under his breath, then looked at his own pitiful image. He had been a Summon, a very strong one at that but now here he was, weak, unable to help the person who really needed him. Sora was fine on his own but Mulan here was a woman and that caused problems because China was not all that liberal when it came to women. He sighed. Confession time.  
  
"Look, the truth is, we're both frauds-fakes," he admitted. Mulan turned to him, surprised. "The ancestors never sent me. They don't even like me! You risked your life to help people you love. I risked your life to help myself. At least you had good intentions."  
  
Cri-Kee, upon hearing this, chirped sadly, as though he had something to admit as well.  
  
"Whaddya mean, you're not lucky?" Mushu shouted. "You lied to me?!"  
  
He glared at the purple cricket that quailed under his furious gaze. He shook his head and gestured to Khan. "So what are you? A sheep?!"  
  
Khan snorted at him indignantly. Mushu did the smart thing and quickly backed away.  
  
"I'll have to face my father sooner or later," Mulan said after a momentary silence. "Let's go home."  
  
Mushu sighed. "Yep, this ain't gonna be pretty. But don't worry, okay? We started this together, and that's how we'll finish it. I promise."  
  
With a surprise move, he hugged Mulan. She smiled and all four of them, the woman, the red dragon, the purple cricket, and the black horse, packed up their few belongings and got ready to go.  
  
"Where the hell are we?" a voice suddenly thundered across the mountains. Mulan and the others started in surprise.  
  
"Hell if you ask me!" another voice snapped back. "You ask that crazy ass! He's the one who got us here!"  
  
"For your information, Donald!" a strangely familiar voice shot, "I didn't get us here! Who was steering the gummi ship while we were sleeping?"  
  
There was a very short silence, followed by a rather annoyed, "Wha-at?!"  
  
"Sora? That you?" Mushu yelled out at the top of his lungs. Mulan, Cri- Kee, and Khan looked at him strangely.  
  
"Sora?" Mulan mouthed as a voice yelled back, "Mushu? You're here?"  
  
"Yep. Whaddya doin' here, Sora?" Mushu answered loudly as four people-er, two teenage boys with identical faces, a squat white duck in blue, and a gangly, dog-like being with a shield stomped towards them in the snow.  
  
"Saw some Nobo-oh Mushu, you won't get it," Sora shook his head, then spotted Mulan, Cri-Kee, and Khan. "Say, Mushu, who are they?"  
  
"They?" Mushu looked behind him. "Oh, the black horse is Khan, this purple cricket is my friend Cri-Kee, and this is Mulan who's in the worst dilemma of her life."  
  
"Dilemma?" Sora was puzzled.  
  
"What happened?" Goofy asked curiously. Donald elbowed him.  
  
"Don't butt into other people's businesses," he hissed.  
  
Aozora looked elsewhere.  
  
"Mulan, this here's Sora and those two-the duck and the dog-are his partners. Sora, who's that blond kid?" Mushu asked, looking to Aozora, who seemed quite busy analyzing the hills of snow before him.  
  
"That's Aozora," Sora explained. "He's really...oh I don't know, out of this world? But King Mickey said he had to come with us so-"  
  
"King?" Mulan was rather intrigued. Sora nodded.  
  
"King Mickey? The King Mickey?" Mushu gapped at him. "No way!"  
  
"Wait a minute! Let's back up here!" Mulan exclaimed before Mushu could start saying more. "What is going on? How do you know this-these people, Mushu?"  
  
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mushu all looked at each other and sighed. "It's a long story."  
  
"How long?" Mulan asked, even more curious than ever before.  
  
"Well you see-" Sora began.  
  
"Hate to cut the storytelling time but we've got a problem," Aozora quickly interposed.  
  
"Mr. Businessman, is he now?" Mushu noted at how serious Aozora was.  
  
"What problem?" Sora asked tersely; Mulan looked rather apprehensive.  
  
"Them," Aozora gestured to the snow hills before him.  
  
Nobodies crept down the hillside, their feet not even touching the snow. As they danced downward, the hair-raising scream of a falcon vibrated across the mountains and a bloodcurdling roar ripped out from the snow hill. To Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora's surprise-and to Mulan, Mushu, Cri-Kee, and Khan's horror- a hand ripped out from the snow and a human clawed his way to the surface. The falcon dove downward and landed on the left arm as the human pulled himself from the snow. Sora gasped.  
  
The face was stone gray and full of fury. He wore a helmet fashioned with fur and his tunic and trousers were made of fur as well. His eyes glowed a seething yellow and a horrible expression flowed on his face.  
  
"Shan-Yu," Mulan whispered under her breath, her voice hard with anger.  
  
"Who's Shan-Yu?" Aozora demanded as others pulled themselves out of the snow. "And why are they coming out of the snow?"  
  
"Shan-Yu is a Hun and he had invaded my home," Mulan answered. "I buried them with snow."  
  
"She's as wise as they come," Mushu supported her last statement. "Used the last rocket to blow out the snow from a mountain and buried them."  
  
Sora stared at her with awe and reverence.  
  
Shan-Yu looked to the men who had survived the avalanche. They nodded and the huddle of Huns began a procession towards...the distant lights of the Imperial City, home of the emperor of China.  
  
"Oh no," Mulan gasped. "They're headed the for the Imperial..."  
  
"The Nobodies are following them," Aozora's voice was full of contempt. " They are aware of each other."  
  
"No way," Sora breathed as Mulan demanded, "Nobodies?"  
  
"They are soulless beings, nearly incapable of making more of themselves but able to destroy any soul. We're going to worlds, trying to obliterate them. Its slow work, I might say," Aozora explained.  
  
"The slowest," Donald agreed grudgingly.  
  
"We've got the save the emperor," Mulan stated. "At all costs."  
  
"The leader of your people," Goofy nodded knowledgably.  
  
Mulan snatched up her sword and leaped up on Khan's back. "Can you help us? Since you say the Huns and the Nobodies are working together, then we are against the same force. Can you help us save the emperor?"  
  
The four looked at each other, then nodded.  
  
"Wha?" Mushu exclaimed. "You're going to stop the Huns? That's not possible now."  
  
"We've got to try, Mushu," Mulan answered. "Come on, we've gotta move out fast."  
  
"She's right, you know, "Sora agreed. "We've got to try something at least-"  
  
"It'll be best if you leave the Nobodies alone to their own business," a cold, drawling voice uttered behind them. "You cannot defeat Shan-Yu; nobody can defeat an Unknown. It is best to give up."  
  
Sora and the others turned around...except for Aozora. He continued to stare in the direction the Huns and the groups of Nobodies, about fifty, had gone.  
  
Before them was a tall, lithe being in a black coat with a hood pulled over, shadowing the face from all eyes. From the gloved right hand of the being was a long whip, a whip that twinkled a strange and dangerous blue.  
  
"Who are you?" Sora demanded, slowly shifting into fighting stance, ready at a moment's notice to call out the Keyblade. Donald and Goofy positioned themselves likewise in battle formation; Mulan held up her sword, just in case.  
  
"He is an Unknown," Aozora answered coldly. "What do you want?"  
  
He was addressing the Unknown in the last sentence. Donald looked at the two suspiciously, trying to see the connection besides the fact that they were both wearing the same coats.  
  
"Your mentor was apprehended, little one," the Unknown spoke 'mentor' disdainfully. "A whistleblower does no good. What did he tell you that made you leave us long ago?"  
  
"What?" Sora was beset with confusion. "What is going on here?"  
  
"The Unknowns...now go hand-in-hand with the Nobodies," Aozora explained. " Once I found out, I left. The Nobodies won't do any good for us; what can they do for the Unknowns?"  
  
"Power," the Unknown answered. "Power to govern the universe and to keep the balance...with force if needs be."  
  
"The Unknowns never had power before," Aozora retorted. "All Unknowns had denounced power as their main goal. We were to be hidden in the shadows, balancing the light and the dark quietly."  
  
"The darkness has grown, foolish one," the Unknown snapped and his whip slapped the snow with emphasis. Sora and the others stared in horror at the mark the whip left behind; the snow melted away quickly where the whip hit it. "We need the power to fight back the darkness. Wherever the power comes from, we need it."  
  
"You ally yourself with darkness just to get power to keep the balance?" Aozora's voice carried great irony. "What has happened to the almighty Unknowns? But tell me, do all Unknowns look like Shan-Yu? Or is it just a hologram?"  
  
"A holo-what?" Sora and Mulan demanded.  
  
"Hmph," it was obvious the Unknown was smiling. "Shan-Yu is an Unknown and that is who he is. He knows of the Nobodies and our alliance to them; they are to bring down the emperor. He poses a great danger to our cause."  
  
"Cause?" Aozora spat. "What cause? Gaining the power to keep the balance is the cause? Gaining power in ways that only strengthen all is safe but gaining power through darkness is beyond fatal. There is no cause. This will mark the end of the Unknowns."  
  
"Not exactly," the Unknown countered slowly. "It will spell your end, not mine. The Grandmother has already been brought down; we only have a little more to go before every world is 'dismantled' and the power in our hands."  
  
"The Grandmother-Grandmother Willow?" Sora shouted out, discovering the frightening connection. "What did you do to her?"  
  
"Oh its none of your concern," the Unknown chuckled. "I am, in fact, more worried about the here and now instead of the then and there. Now I shall ask all of you a question: are you to pursue Shan-Yu and face my wrath, or leave him be and go your own simpering ways?"  
  
They all stared at him, until Sora began to laugh. Everybody stared at him as though he had completely lost his mind.  
  
"Is your friend okay?" Mulan whispered to Mushu out of the corner of her mouth.  
  
Sora quickly got his breath back, knowing how he stunned everybody but he couldn't help but laugh; this idiot of an Unknown thought they were going to give up right there and then thanks to a simple threat? Sora's been through hell, for heaven's sakes and the Unknown is asking whether or not they'd face his wrath?  
  
"Puh-leeze," Sora was trying to stop laughing. "Like we'd give up that easily. I've been through enough to know that you're going to need more than a threat to stop us."  
  
He saw a quick movement out of the corner of his eye. Aozora had his eyes shut, grimacing.  
  
Uh oh, did I say something wrong? Sora wondered worriedly. The look on Aozora's face more than answered him.  
  
"Making an Unknown mad is the worst thing any living or dead being can do," Aozora said quietly. "They don't like to be killed, let alone challenged like that."  
  
"Shan-Yu looks really, really...der...mad," Goofy spoke up.  
  
"Dead?" Donald rounded on Aozora.  
  
"This ain't lookin' good. 'Pears to me we gotta haul butt, Cri-Kee, eh?" Mushu told his cricket friend. "Mulan, let's get outta-"  
  
The Unknown's whip lashed in front of his face and Mushu could practically hear the snow sizzle.  
  
"Those who know us well, naïve one," the Unknown hissed in a low voice, " would do well to get out of here. They'd rather face a Heartless' wrath rather than mine."  
  
"I've faced the fury of the Heartless," Sora growled loudly, defiantly. " They can't scare me anymore. Can you?"  
  
The Unknown, to the astonishment of others, began to laugh. "You have so much to learn, you foolish boy. The fury of the Heartless is growing, just as the powers of the Nobodies and us are growing. The darkness is growing and it would be wiser to defend your own homes, instead of leading a cavalcade about the worlds, trying to stop us all."  
  
"Unless you've got no home," Aozora muttered under his breath. Sora noted two lights glowing on Aozora's hands; a purplish black light in his right and a pure white light in his left. "Unless you have no place to defend with all your heart, all your soul but is forced to go and defend the hearts and souls of others. Which is what I am doing."  
  
"Hmph," the Unknown snorted at Aozora's answer. "No home you say? You should know where your home is. But what can I say? Such is life-oh, what are those lights glowing in your hands, you deserter? Are you going to fight. It looks to be that way."  
  
Mulan saw the gathering storm in the blond-haired teenager. Everything the Unknown had said poured into her mind. No home? This kid has no home? Younger than she was but already he had no home, no place to stay, where you can always depends on the love there. Sora had that essence, the essence of a place to defend, a home to fight for. But not the blond-haired teenager; no, he was a mercenary, not a soldier.  
  
"Leave, all of you," Aozora's voice barely shook, his voice harsh. "I think I'll take care of this Unknown."  
  
Nobody moved.  
  
"I said, ' Leave!' Get out of here!" Aozora repeated. "I don't want to repeat myself again. This is between the two of us."  
  
"Is it?" Sora called the Keyblade into his right hand, receiving a gasp from Mulan, a chirp from Cri-Kee, and a started snort from Khan. "We're not going anywhere without you."  
  
"You don't understand," Aozora hissed at him. "Your Keyblade is needed elsewhere. Those Nobodies are going to end up facing more than the soldiers of China and you guys. Those Nobodies are here for more than just following Shan-Yu. There's already a force here, a force you should be familiar with."  
  
Sora stared at him blankly, until he realized what Aozora meant.  
  
"The Heartless?" he croaked out, nearly speechless with shock.  
  
Aozora nodded briskly. "Go!"  
  
Without another word, Sora and the others turned and followed the trail left by Shan-Yu, his men, and the Nobodies.  
  
"Now, Domitan," Aozora turned on the Unknown. "Let's settle this quickly, shall we?"  
  
He swung the Oblivion and the Starlight threateningly in his hands.  
  
"Ooh, I'm scared," the Unknown mocked. "Fear me."  
  
The two rushed at each other with furious crackles of energy. 


	14. Nothing Ever Known

Author's Note: I must warn you all, to prevent confusion, that in later chapters I have found some mix ups involving numbers, dates, and years. If you find any mistakes starting with this chapter involving numbers, dates, and years, please do us all a favor and e-mail me the mistakes so I have a chance to correct them. Thank you and enjoy!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 14: Nothing Ever Known  
  
Riku was rather silent as they followed Phil and Meg into the Coliseum. Through the blindfold, his mind threw out 'feelers' and felt the cracks, the crumbles, the burns, the damage the Coliseum suffered lately. The Heartless really had been at it, trying to destroy this place.  
  
"This ain't the prettiest place around," Phil, the little goat-man, was telling Tarzan and Pooh, "since those damn Heartless started pounding this place to pulp. An' Hercules ain't here, which makes everything a hell lot worse."  
  
"Where did he go, then?" Tarzan asked curiously as Phil pushed through a pile of broken marble.  
  
"We don't really know," Meg answered sadly. "Pegasus came to him one day and, before you knew it, his flying horse morphed into this huge white thing and set out to do battle with him. They were banging away at each other when, with a sudden flash of light, Hercules was gone. Then the white thing tried to attack the Coliseum as well but Phil got his father to help us and we zapped the white thing into nothingness."  
  
"A white thing?" Tarzan repeated. Meg nodded.  
  
"Helluva creature, that thing was," Phil growled as he pushed away more rubble. "Caused more damage than those blasted ships or Cerberus. Curse that white thing; we don't have Mr. Superman and without him, we're all as good as dead here."  
  
"We don't suck when it comes to fighting," Riku retorted immediately. "We more than held our own when white Heartless came at us!"  
  
Phil froze for a moment; he then turned on Riku and barked, "White Heartless? There ain't no such thing as white Heartless!"  
  
"But we've fought them," Tarzan answered in a smooth tone; he wasn't about to make Phil any madder. "They are white, with flattish heads and the sigh of the Heartless upon their foreheads. They are, indeed, Heartless."  
  
Phil didn't look too happy. While Meg drifted away to drag Pooh away from a rather molten golden statue, he muttered, "Kida was right after all...they have the ability to look like the..."  
  
Riku and Tarzan looked at the goat-man curiously but he did not speak audibly about it again. Instead, he looked at all of them, Pooh, Tarzan, and him, and said, "You gonna help us defend this place? I've a feeling they're going to attack big time pretty soon. You guys up to it?"  
  
"We fight again?" Pooh asked curiously, not with complaint.  
  
Tarzan nodded, holding his spear tight in his hand. "Looks like we're all going to have to, until Sora can make the Heartless go away."  
  
"I hope that's soon, really soon," Riku agreed, applying a lot of emphasis on 'really'.  
  
While the odd trio discussed amongst themselves about the ruined place they were going to defend, Meg took Phil aside and demanded of him, "The one with the blindfold; didn't he work for Maleficent?"  
  
Phil quickly shushed her; he peered back at the trio carefully, then took Meg somewhere even further from them. Then he answered with a nod.  
  
"Yes Meg, he did work for Maleficent," he admitted and, before Meg could say anymore, he added, "but I think he suffered a lot in the process, don't ya think?"  
  
Meg began to protest, then stopped; Riku had stopped moving and his head was cocked, as though he was listening in on them. But Meg knew they were too far away to be heard clearly.  
  
She studied the tall teenager. Phil had a good point; the teenager seemed very worn, very weather-beaten, and, something she thought was very odd from the start, he had on a blindfold. Why?  
  
"I think his eyesight suffered or sumptin'," Phil agreed upon her questioning. "I was talking with Cloud about this and he said that sometimes, one has been in the dark for so long he cannot stand the light. And I know he's been in darkness. If he's shielding his eyes, he's been in the darkness for a long time. That's a helluva guts the guy has. I don't think anyone in their right mind would last!"  
  
"I agree," Meg said, rather halfheartedly. Can you trust one who had given himself willingly to darkness, even if it was a year ago?  
  
It was though Phil was telepathic; he replied, rather briskly, "If Cloud and the others trust him, we should trust him, too. Those guys know who's right and who's wrong; this kid ain't wrong or else he wouldn't be here."  
  
"How can you be sure?" Meg shot back skeptically. "This kid's been under Maleficent's wing, for Zeus' sake! Who knows what he might've learned from that old witch! Don't you think she knows plenty bit about trickery and treachery? Look what she had done to the Society! She betrayed them before, to the Heartless she's been dealing with for years! Who knows what she could've drilled into that boy's head! How can we trust him? How?"  
  
Phil glared at her steadily through her rampage and then answered, "And now you've got to wonder: why did the Society take her back? Ain't the world a little odd? So tell me this: if Maleficent betrays the Society, why is she back in it?! That means anything can happen! Riku can be trusted, Meg! He's been through enough; even the King trusted him! And you know the King can look deeper into one's heart than the rest of us, Meg, even the gods!"  
  
A bolt of lightening streaked across the sky and just about fried Phil.  
  
"Okay, I was lying," the fried satyr coughed while Meg looked on skeptically. "But still, Meg, you've got to trust the King's judgment! After all, he was the one who told you it was time to break away from Hades' bondage, right? And that really was the right thing to do! Perfect timing at that, too! So believe me, Meg, if the King says he's alright, he's alright. Now no more fussin'. We've got a job to do and it's a helluva job at that!"  
  
Riku was unusually silent as they cleared the rubble from the courtyard in the Coliseum. Tarzan watched him worriedly as Riku calmly hoisted broken pieces of marble onto his shoulder and marched past Phil and Meg, with something like defiance in his steps. He would then unceremoniously chuck the pieces of stone into a heap before the double doors, keeping the doors barricaded from any likely invaders. He would then march with even more defiance past Phil and Meg, beginning the cycle again.  
  
Pooh, heaving a small piece of marble into his arms, toppled over and the piece of marble went rolling quickly, stopping only inches from slicing off Tarzan's toes. Tarzan looked down at the marble piece, sighed, helped Pooh up, and carried the marble piece to the doorway.  
  
Riku was brooding, he knew that. He told himself how many times not to brood around other people but he was still at it, still pulling up an emotional shield all around him, trying to repel other people. He knew it wasn't the best way to express his feelings but he did not know any other way. It was either that or attempting to choke Meg. He chose to brood because he knew nothing would come out of choking a person.  
  
He had overheard what Meg had demanded of Phil, why Riku was there, of all the people in her known universe. He was mildly surprised at how she was able to find out everything about him but he quickly became enraged when he found out about how she thought of him. She had never met him before but already she believed that he could not be trusted?  
  
He was more intrigued, however, by something she had said during that heated conversation. She said something about that accursed Maleficent being in some sort of a society. He was genuinely puzzled by that. What society?  
  
As he literally stomped past Meg, his arms preoccupied by the two massive broken arms of a marble statue, he felt Meg's disproval. He forced his feet on the ground in militarily rhythm continuously, until he felt like he was stomping wells into the ground. After depositing his load, he marched back in carefully controlled staccato, irritating Phil so much he barked, " Riku, this ain't a military academy! No need to put holes in your shoes!"  
  
Riku, wilting under Phil's words, dragged his feet back to the fallen statue he had plucked the broken arms from. There he found Tarzan standing, his arms crossed, with a very stern expression on his face. Pooh was there as well and, to Riku's complete and utter shock, had the same expression as Tarzan did.  
  
"What happened?" was Tarzan's brisk question as soon as Riku reached them. "Why you don't like them?"  
  
Broken English in terms of grammar and such but the meaning of the question was very understandable; Riku sighed, reluctant to answer.  
  
"They're our friends," Pooh spoke up. "We shouldn't do that to them."  
  
Riku scratched his head, contemplating his situation. He briefly considered using the untapped power within him to escape the Coliseum and go on his own after Sora and even more briefly contemplated pulling out his Dark Keyblade, beheading everybody in the court, and then running away. He quickly shoved that thought aside; he was such an ass to think of that.  
  
"I..." he faltered before saying any more, shifting from foot to foot, acting wary and hesitant in general. "I heard Meg talking to Phil...about me."  
  
"Indeed," Tarzan had a knowing smile on his face. Riku scowled; he didn't need to see the face, just hear the voice, to know that Tarzan knew of the conversation that took place. Ape-man had some strange sense of hearing.  
  
"Look, I just don't like it when people talk about me like that!" Riku finally exploded. "Do you think I enjoyed being with Maleficent all the time? She gave me the creeps, no matter how many times I told myself she might be able to help me! In the end, it was Ansem who told me he could help me. Then what did he do? He stole my body, that's what! That's right-" Pooh had let loose a gasp of shock "-that idiot took my body. I found myself in Kingdom Hearts with King Mickey's voice playing in my head! I thought I finally lost it but lucky me, I wasn't! One year in that stinking black hole and now I can't even see out here! You think I like that?! Well I hate it! I hate not being trusted just because of what I had to go through! Sure I jumped into the same boat as that ol' witch! Don't you think I regretted that? Or did you think I was the one chosen to 'carry' on her 'teachings' or something? I don't like the darkness anymore than any one of you do but I've got an insider's look and it's the worst nightmare imaginable! Don't penalize me for something I've regretted doing since I first joined the Heartless! Don't pity me either because I hate that! Got that?!"  
  
He faced them, his face taut with anger, his teeth practically bared like those of an angry wolf, but his heart felt a stunning release, like something foul had been swept away from his soul by the wind. He was breathing hard, with the anger he forced out on them.  
  
"I'm sorry," Meg's voice spoke quietly, apologetically, behind him. "I didn't mean...I didn't know that."  
  
Riku froze. He had just vented out his anger on his two colleagues but didn't take the time-er, breathe, to realize that the other two could hear his voice.  
  
"I'm sorry," he gave a brisk answer. "I didn't mean for you to overhear. I-"  
  
"You were merely taking out your anger on some people, on anything nearby, to feel better. I bet you would've been shouting at that broken statue like a deranged maniac if your two friends ain't here. Well kiddo, there ain't no need to apologize. There's no one to blame 'cuz letting your anger go is actually a good thing. People saw me yelling at a donkey I used to own because I felt like such a crazy idiot. Even more people saw me when I started yelling at this statue of Zeus 'cuz my life sucked. That was until he fried me for it. Kiddo," Phil wagged at finger in Riku's face, "if you gotta yell, yell. Just don't do it on something stupid like a tree. Them nymphs will get you for shouting at them."  
  
Riku felt immensely relieved. Yelling at his friends wasn't the best thing to do, especially in front of other people. But Phil and the others understood, which was something he never expected.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Pooh, Tarzan," Riku said shakily. "I didn't mean to shout at you guys. I-I hope you'd understand."  
  
Tarzan patted him on the back good-naturedly. "Better out than in. Brooding no good for anybody."  
  
Pooh actually hugged Riku and the seasoned warrior had some trouble convincing the yellow teddy bear in a red shirt to actually let go. Then Meg stepped forward.  
  
"I apologize for the words I spoke," she said, her face shameful. "I didn't mean to. I have a habit of being critical of other people and people say my tongue was too sharp for me to speak of other people like so; I'd murder them. I hope you'll accept my apology."  
  
Riku flashed a careworn smile. "Of course. We're all in this together; its time to put aside all of our differences and defeat the darkness."  
  
He spoke ' darkness' with a weary tenseness, making everybody very much aware of his hatred of the Heartless.  
  
Tarzan turned his stern gaze to Phil and suddenly demanded, "Who is Kida?"  
  
Silence tumbled through the courtyard while every eye turned to the suddenly nervous satyr.  
  
"Kida? Princess Kida?" Meg snapped briskly, her demure nature swiftly changing. "What news, Phil?"  
  
"What news?" Pooh wondered. Now all three were genuinely confused and, with Meg, looked to Phil for an answer.  
  
Phil pondered Tarzan's and Meg's questions quietly, then said, "Princess Kida is a close ally of King Mickey and has been reporting to him from her post in New Universe."  
  
"New Universe?" Riku came very close to shouting.  
  
"So New Universe still exists after all, nearly complete," Meg was nodding slowly.  
  
"That's right, Meg," Phil affirmed. "New Universe. Kida's been sighting white Heartless, Heartless, and some new enemies called Nobodies. They..."  
  
Riku's face paled quickly. Nobodies...he's heard of them before...  
  
The double doors of the Coliseum suddenly rattled in their hinges against the blockade of stone set against it. Everyone turned to the entrance into the Coliseum. Smoke was seeping through the cracks in the doors; there must've been a bomb or something set off to try and blast out the door.  
  
Riku cursed violently as the distinct sound of machine guns rattled against the doors. The Heartless were using the machinery on their gummi ships to blast open the double doors.  
  
Everybody else looked to Phil, who was looking to Riku.  
  
"Well, kiddo," Phil said with a sad smile. "I hope you and your friends can all be like Mr. Superman. They're here."  
  
"Hercules, are you sure you know where the Shade is?" Kairi asked uncertainly as the buff warrior peered into the gray haze.  
  
"Absolutely," he answered with as much confidence as he could muster. " I've got brains, Kairi; I should remember where the Shade was."  
  
"He should remember where the Shade was," Selphie muttered.  
  
" Oh cheer up!" Hercules exclaimed, slapping Selphie on the shoulder and jolting her. "I came here from...there!"  
  
He pointed in one direction. He strode confidently in that direction, prompting the other two to catch up.  
  
"Where did you come from anyways?" Kairi demanded as they walked down what seemed to be a very lonely, bare dirt road.  
  
"Where as in ' in In-between' or where as in...where?" Hercules asked.  
  
"Where 'here', Herc," Kairi rephrased her question.  
  
"Hm..." Hercules was rather thoughtful. "Let's see now...I just came back from this really creepy place-" Selphie began to look around nervously "- the weirdest place ever known to exist, in my opinion. I had to argue with this door knob for at least two hours, until he told me to drink from this bottle on the round table in the middle of the room-"  
  
"You argued with a door knob?" Selphie began to laugh hysterically.  
  
The other two stopped and waited while Selphie clutched her stomach, bent over, and laughed.  
  
"Was that really funny?" Hercules was quite befuddled.  
  
"Argued...with...a...door knob! Oh my lord, this is hilarious..." tears were coming out of Selphie's eyes.  
  
"It wasn't all that funny when I was there," Hercules said half-heartedly. "But, I must say, he knows plenty bit about everything, INCLUDING how Sora sealed the world to the Heartless."  
  
Selphie stopped laughing instantaneously. Kairi whirled around at Hercules.  
  
"What did you say, Herc?" she demanded.  
  
"I knew you two would pay attention," Hercules laughed before continuing to walk. "The door knob told me everything, you know? He said he couldn't understand why his world was destroyed, even though Sora sealed the world. But then he told me he was rather suspicious of the white creatures that invaded and destroyed his home. He told me he thought they were Heartless, still at it to try and conquer the world. But then he remembered that he hadn't seen Heartless in his part of the world in a year, so he got really suspicious. Then the white creatures started destroying everything and the doorknob told me this guy in a long black coat and hood strode into the fray and went after Alice. I don't know who Alice is but she seemed pretty important-"  
  
"Alice?" Kairi demanded. "Why her? I mean, what can she still do?"  
  
"You know her?" Hercules asked.  
  
Kairi gave a brief nod and her face fell. "We've been through enough together. But the Heartless should have no more use for her, Herc. Who were the white creatures?"  
  
"I think," Selphie voiced, "they could be another enemy. Like the Nobodies Hercules mentioned."  
  
All three of them stopped and Kairi and Selphie looked to Hercules.  
  
"Nobodies?" Hercules' voice had suddenly weakened. "They aren't supposed to be in the Old Universe. The doorknob told me that personally. Said nobody else was supposed to- as in nobody, not as in those monsters-know about this."  
  
Kairi and Selphie stared at Hercules. After a few moments of silence, Kairi finally demanded, "Old Universe? And what does the doorknob know of anything?"  
  
Hercules was rather hesitant in giving his answer. "The Old Universe consists of the worlds 'we' know, the worlds that are Wonderland, Coliseum, Deep Jungle, Agrabah, Halloweentown, Atlantica, Neverland, and Hollow Bastion, not the mention the roaming Monstro. And also there's Traverse Town. All those worlds and the wandering whale are part of the side of the universe known as Old Universe. And so, if there's Old Universe-"  
  
"There's New Universe?" Selphie supplied.  
  
Hercules nodded. "Exactly. And the doorknob seems to know a lot more than any of us thinks. He's actually the one who directed me to the Shade."  
  
"A doorknob is smarter than us..." Selphie shook her head in amazement. " Amazing."  
  
"Still can't get over the fact that Herc talked to a doorknob," Kairi grinned before sobering up. "What else does the doorknob know?"  
  
"Here, in In-between, there are many puzzles to solve," Hercules was concentrating very hard now. Kairi began to wonder what Hercules did have in that noggin of his. "He told me it was a pity he couldn't go walking around searching for the past that had eluded us. I told him I didn't get what in the name of Hades he was trying to say. He then told me to find this Shade, some dude named Kenaii or something. Then he fell asleep on me."  
  
"A past that had eluded us?" Kairi pondered.  
  
"I wonder what that means..." Selphie had a very distant look in her face. Kairi groaned. She had a feeling that Selphie was onto something irrelevant.  
  
"Stop being such a romantic over everything, Selphie!" Kairi exclaimed. " I don't even know what you think is romantic!"  
  
Selphie looked very put off by this. "I was not being a romantic, Kairi! I was just thinking what kind of past 'eluded' us. Whose past are we talking about, anyways?"  
  
"That is for the doorknob and the Shade to know and for us to find out," Hercules replied immediately. "I reckon, though, it has something to do with a message my father left me not too long ago."  
  
"Who's your father?" Selphie asked very innocently.  
  
"Zeus, the god of the sky and the top god up there," Hercules pointed up into the gray sky.  
  
The look Selphie gave him spoke of a thousand words.  
  
"Your father was a god?" Kairi demanded.  
  
Hercules shook his head. "Not was. Is. He is the top one up there, above the gods and goddesses that exist. He's my father and he's been aware of these sorts of things for some time now."  
  
"What can he tell us?" Selphie asked, skepticism etched into her face.  
  
"Depends," Hercules shrugged. "But he did tell me that there was once a King here, some very powerful King. He told me something terrible happened a long time ago, something so terrible it had never been recorded properly. Something about betrayal and blood feuds or something. He might've gotten it all confused with this other thing-okay, okay, I'll get back on track. Anyways, he told me that the Fates sent me here- I'll tell you who the Fates are later, other than they're a trio of old hags-because I can help uncover some of the truth behind this terrible something. Something about the Line of Kings-meh, beats me."  
  
It took time for Kairi and Selphie to digest all the information but still, they were stunned. And confused. A King?  
  
"I thought King Mickey was...well, King," Kairi finally ventured to say.  
  
Hercules shook his head at this. "Its not King Mickey, though he was involved in the whole chaos my father labeled this whole Long of Kings thing as. If anybody can tell of this 'whole chaos', its King Mickey but I've heard he and his subjects are really tight-lipped about the whole thing. In fact, they act as though the incident never happened-oh here we are!"  
  
Hercules stopped walking abruptly. He peered eagerly into the mist, while Kairi and Selphie looked about each other warily; the mists seemed to swallow them into the gray bowels of the hazy atmosphere.  
  
"There's the abandoned town!" Hercules suddenly, and rather grandly, marched into the haziness. Biting off exclamations, Kairi and Selphie ran after him, each praying that they wouldn't lose their way.  
  
"It was here I met the Shade," Hercules gestured to a literal ghost town; rickety buildings were built out of wood now rotted, the bolts and all bits of metal there were mightily rusted, window shutters hung from their hinges, and everything was covered in a fine layer of gray dust.  
  
"Here?" Selphie grew very worried. She fingered her nunchaku.  
  
"This place is literally abandoned," Kairi told Hercules doubtfully.  
  
"Well yeah but this is where the Shade dwells," Hercules answered with as much confidence as allowed in this sort of environment. "  
  
Selphie peered into the surroundings...and gave a squeal of surprise when Hercules boomed out, "Hey, Shade?! You here?!"  
  
Kairi was quite glad his cries could not echo. His voice rang out strongly and she knew you had to be deaf in order not to hear him shout.  
  
"I don't see anything," Selphie spoke up tentatively after three minutes.  
  
The two girls looked at Hercules accusingly.  
  
"What's to it, Herc?" Kairi demanded. "Speak up now or forever hold your peace."  
  
Hercules began to lose his composure. "I'm sure he's here...this was where I met him; I know it..."  
  
"You know, this whole 'meet the Shade' thing could be totally pointless," Selphie pointed out. "We could just forget finding him and continue to Wonder-what?"  
  
She was suddenly aware of the fact that Kairi and Hercules were staring at her. Or at what was behind her.  
  
"Ahem, you were saying?" an elderly, high-pitched and very eccentric voice creaked into her left ear.  
  
Selphie froze. Kairi was gaping at something to her left but Hercules had a giddy grin on his face.  
  
"Oracle Kenaii," Hercules made a sweeping bow. "I've been looking for you."  
  
Selphie slowly inched to the right and when she felt she was a safe distance away, she turned around and saw what was at her left.  
  
He was in a purple cloak, a purple cloak with a hood. He wasn't wearing the hood now, so Selphie was able to see the slightly dark, stern face, a face that looked like it was etched out of stone. A grim mouth and with glittering blue eyes, it was actually surprising to see that the eyes were smiling. Red marks streaked across his left cheek and he had long white hair.  
  
What unnerved her was the fact that he faded downward, so his feet were...not there. And he was faint, like a ghost. He was a ghost.  
  
"Oracle Kenaii," Hercules gestured to a frozen Kairi and an absolutely terrified Selphie. "The one with the red hair is Kairi and the other is Selphie. You were right after all."  
  
"When was I not right, boy?" the Oracle quipped. He peered into Kairi's face. "You have the face of his mother. It would make sense after all; you share her blood..."  
  
"What?" Kairi squeaked out. "What?"  
  
"Its for me to know and for you to find out," the Oracle answered. "What I mean by that is that you will find out. Now Selphie here, she has a very quick mind. Would do well in the future. And he is still out there, Hercules my boy. Take your two friends and begin the search to find him. Begin, mind you."  
  
"Who's 'him'?" Selphie asked nervously. "Who are you talking about?"  
  
"An old friend, of course," the Oracle actually looked surprised at this. "You do have an old friend, right?"  
  
Kairi's first thought was Sora. But then she realized that there would be absolutely no reason why Sora would be here in In-between. So what old friend?  
  
Oracle Kenaii must've seen her puzzled look because he quickly added, "Oh not that friend. He can never take a step into In-between. An anomaly. But there are others here, many others, I think. You have some friends and one of them will be waiting for you."  
  
"Will be?" Selphie looked pleadingly to both Hercules and the Oracle. " Can you two please explain? I don't get any of this?!"  
  
"Nothing is ever known," Oracle Kenaii said rather pleasantly, "until it is known. You will not know until you will know. That is a basic fact of life. You won't be aware of it until you come across it. You will understand with time, I hope you will understand that."  
  
Selphie was still lost; Kairi, however, nodded her head slowly.  
  
"Oracle, I thought you were going to tell us something," Hercules said rather impatiently. "You said it would be good!"  
  
"Patience, boy," Oracle Kenaii held up one purple sleeve at Hercules. " Sometimes patience is needed. But nay, I must be wrong. I take back my word; patience is not the key. No, there is no time for that. It is time for you to know what you must know."  
  
"Which is?" Kairi left the question hanging in the air for the Oracle to answer.  
  
"There is a 'cryptic future' of In-between-" Oracle Kenaii explained.  
  
"He means ' prophecy' or 'riddle'," Hercules informed.  
  
"- that the three of you and an old friend of yours must decipher and complete," the Shade finished. "Boy, don't interrupt me; time is pressing."  
  
Hercules mumbled, "I am very sorry."  
  
Oracle Kenaii looked rather pleased by this show of obedience. "Now, there are some worlds here whose hearts or souls had not been eaten away completely. They are the only worlds with the clues. If you are too late, the worlds would be gone and all will be lost."  
  
"How do we know if the world is going to disappear or not?" Selphie demanded.  
  
"For me to know and for you to find out," was the Oracle's reply. Selphie fumed at this.  
  
"Hold your temper, girl, and let me say what must be spoken," the Oracle said. "This is what I must say. This I say, no more I will say after:  
  
Where the mazes twist and turn  
With certain uncertainty.  
Purple is the clue,  
Gold is all the rage.  
Royalty still resides  
And the mystery of the white is told.  
  
Deep into the heart of the wild,  
They await to help the ones who are brave.  
Puzzle box be found  
In a clever shade of jade.  
Love still is scattered  
And the truth of the seal is strewn.  
  
The desert lion is the only key  
For a certain book to sing.  
Purple is the sand,  
Golden is the light.  
Deserted but not undone  
Four forces and a gathering are unwound.  
  
A circle and the deepest peace  
Holds the key to the puzzle.  
Dreams bring the light of the moon  
A pathway is made to the door.  
Do not tarry, do not stall  
Unless you want the feathers to fall." 


	15. Going Great Lenghts

Author's Note: If Riku's and Kairi's sides of the fanfic seem to go a bit slow, you're not alone. I agree as well but don't worry; their stories should improve as we go deeper into Secrets of Memories. Thank you, reviewers! I'm sorry I can't name any of you guys, thanks to my memory, which is rather infamous among my friends. I just don't think that means I quality for a diagnosis of A.D.D. Thank you anyways and enjoy. bows frantically  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 15: Going Great Lengths  
  
As they fled from what surely was going to be a battle scene, Mulan ordered Khan to slow a bit, because Sora, Donald, and Goofy were obviously slow. After all, she was riding a horse. And they did happen to be on foot.  
  
"Your friend, Aozora," Mulan ventured to ask as the three caught up to them, "will he be all right?"  
  
Sora nodded. "I'm sure he will be. He seems to understand the whole situation a lot better than we do."  
  
There was a sudden, static sound, the sound of two powers clashing viciously against each other. Everyone, even the horse Khan, winced.  
  
"Are you really sure your friend's going to be okay?" Mulan asked more worriedly.  
  
"Look, he'll be fine!" Donald snapped. "Why worry? We've got a bigger situation in our hands. Let's worry about that! Humph!"  
  
With that, Donald stomped through the snow at a faster pace than Khan could match. They watched him silently, before Mushu turned to Sora and muttered, "I've never seen him act like that before! What happened?"  
  
Sora sighed. "It's a very long story-"  
  
"- and we've got no time," Goofy finished.  
  
"To make the long story short," Sora amended, "Aozora did something, by impulse, that Donald probably would never forgive him for."  
  
They were on the move again, faster now so Sora and Goofy had to jog through the snow to keep up with Khan.  
  
"What did he do?" Mushu asked with great curiosity. Cri-Kee chirped in agreement.  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe," Sora puffed into the frigid air. "He jumped us and landed on me."  
  
Mulan winced. "That's a whole lot worse than what we had to go through."  
  
"I don't 'think so, Mulan," Mushu countered. "That was one day. We were at it for months!"  
  
"Getting landed on every day of the month?" Sora demanded incredulously, stopping in his tracks with astonishment.  
  
"No, you knucklehead!" Mushu answered vehemently. "She's in the army-"  
  
"Was, Mushu," Mulan interrupted briskly and coldly.  
  
"Whatever," Mushu waved at her. "Keep ridin', I'll be the one talkin'. So anyways, you know you gotta train if you're in the army."  
  
"A lot," Goofy agreed amiably; he loped through the snow as naturally as Sora seeing him being graceful. "That's why I don't like heavy weapons. Shield's fine for me. Light and strong."  
  
"See?" Mushu gesture to Goofy. "Its tough. You get jumped by some impulsive idiot but that's only once. Mulan here's been through hell for months. Now we've got more than hell to contend with."  
  
"A lot more," Mulan growled under her breath as the Imperial City came into full view. Donald was not in sight; he had gone so far ahead they could not see him.  
  
"I don't get it," Sora said, scratching his head. "What's wrong with the army?"  
  
When nobody made an immediate reply, he repeated the question.  
  
"Answer for me, Mushu," Mulan ordered. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
While Goofy gave her a queer look, Mushu obeyed her wish and said, "Girls aren't allowed in the army."  
  
"What?!" Sora exclaimed. "But why?"  
  
Mushu shrugged his little shoulders. "Beats me."  
  
"They think women are weaker than men," Mulan answered.  
  
"But why'd you join the army if you aren't allowed to?" Goofy asked curiously.  
  
Mulan pulled Khan into a slower trot; they had hit the stone road to the Imperial City and Khan traveled faster on harder roads.  
  
"My father was one of many men ordered into the armies of the Emperor," she said quietly as they half walked half ran to the brightly lit Imperial City. "He was old and he had an old war injury. I could not let him go, fearing he would die. So I took his place."  
  
"And made First Ancestor chase after her," Mushu added ruefully. "Had to bring her back home safely. And we were going to if you hadn't showed up!"  
  
He was shouting at Sora's face.  
  
"Like I had a choice!" Sora shot back. "Your world's in danger, Mushu! You helped me before, now I'm going to help you!"  
  
Mushu blew a raspberry at him and it took all of Sora's self-control to keep him from trying to kill the red dragon who was supposed to be his former summon.  
  
Khan suddenly stopped and snorted. Sora and Mushu stopped their bickering in time to see the great, looming walls of the Imperial City. Lanterns were lit and glowing, hanging from any spot possible. Laughter and cheers, the sounds of triumph and joy, rang from within.  
  
"The guards are gone," Goofy criticized. "They shouldn't be-"  
  
"They're not gone," Donald stomped from the right. "You guys were too damn slow. And the guards aren't gone. Shan Yu and his men are in the city already. We'd better hurry because that means the Nobodies are there, too."  
  
"And the Heartless," Sora agreed with a nod. "Come on, let's go."  
  
Donald ran forward to open the door to let Khan, Mulan, Cri-Kee, and Mushu pass without anyone having to dismount. Sora made to follow but stopped, noting that Goofy was looking over his shoulder, back to the mountains.  
  
Sora followed his gaze. He thought he saw lights flashing.  
  
"You think he'd be okay?" Goofy asked worriedly.  
  
Sora gave a hesitant nod. "He'll be fine; I can feel it."  
  
They ran after the others and into the Imperial City. They were not aware of the glowing yellow eyes from the shadows, as tall, looming creatures appeared from the surface of the earth. They looked at each other. The Keyblade Master was inside the Imperial City. So were the Nobodies. A battle is coming.  
  
Mulan rode Khan through the streets carefully but frantically, searching for Shang and the others in the bustling crowds of celebrating people. Sora, Donald, and Goofy tailed her but kept to the shadows. It wouldn't be great for people to suddenly discover strange and outworldly people at their feet.  
  
"How can she find anybody in this mess?" Sora scanned the streets from one dark alleyway; he had never seen so many people.  
  
"I don't know," Donald and Goofy chimed. They were both used to the crowds of people but never considered searching for a particular person or a particular group of persons in this mess.  
  
Right on cue, the trio heard a voice shrill out, "Make way for the heroes of China!"  
  
"That'll be for us," the trio chorused and fought their way in the direction of the voice, pushing through crowds of cheering people.  
  
They reached the front in time to see Mulan shouting at an imposing soldier. "But Shang! I saw them in the mountains. I wouldn't lie about this."  
  
Sora wondered what the soldier would say. He was stunned by the answer.  
  
"Why should I believe you?" he demanded coldly.  
  
"Because-" Sora was about to yell when Goofy shut him up.  
  
"Why else would I come back?" Mulan shot back angrily. "You said you'd trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?"  
  
With many people watching, Shang did not answer Mulan's challenge.  
  
Completely disgruntled, Mulan turned on the others.  
  
"Keep your eyes open. I know they're here." She wheeled Khan around and with a "Hee-yaa!", she thundered into the crowd.  
  
"Trust her to leave us here all alone," Donald muttered.  
  
"She's right, you know!" Sora yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
Shang quickly froze and turned his head around. By then, Goofy had dragged a protesting Sora away deep into the crowd of people swarming around them. Shang did not see who it was.  
  
"What are you doing?" Sora demanded angrily as Goofy pulled him into the dark alleyway.  
  
"Don't mess around with someone else's politics!" Donald provided for the silent knight. "That was their situation, not ours! Don't interfere when that sort of problem appears!"  
  
"But they had to know!" Sora protested; he was confused. "There are Nobodies and Heartless in the city. What combination of enemies can be worse than that?"  
  
Donald and Goofy had no reply.  
  
"Well, let's just go find Mulan," Sora walked into the crowd. "We've lost her."  
  
Donald and Goofy had to agree. They followed the darkly dressed teenager in the direction of the looming palaces of the Emperor. Goofy had a very strange feeling they were being watched but he chose to ignore it, deciding to follow Sora and Donald in the direction Sora believed Mulan and Khan went.  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy managed to stagger their way up the intimidating stairs to the huge platform of the palaces just in time to see a falcon, screeching all the while, soared into the sky. A long crooked sword gripped in its talons, it soared upward before the stunned crowds of people down below.  
  
"What's going on?" Donald wondered curiously.  
  
One of the many statues on the palace rooftop answered the question. The fierce raptor soared above the statue and dropped the sword. Before everybody's eyes, a hand shot out from the statue and gripped the sword with its hand. Then the statue stood and Sora shuddered. It was Shan-Yu.  
  
His men, the Huns, were already in position. The glamorous parade dragon behind the shocked Shang and some of his men tore open as Huns leapt out into the air. Before Shang and his men had time to react, they were knocked down to the ground and the Huns had the Emperor by the arm. They dragged him up the last flight of stairs to the doors of the palaces. Other Huns, who were also in position, quickly opened the huge double doors and the Emperor was pulled inside.  
  
By the time Shang and three soldiers, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao, reached the door, it was securely locked. They pounded on the door relentlessly to no avail. Then they rushed to one of the nearby stone statues, knocked it off its pedestal, and used it has a battering ram, also to no avail.  
  
"They'll never get in that way," Mulan's voice muttered and Sora saw her standing in the shadows of the palaces, shaking her head.  
  
Rather, he saw past her, to a monstrous, dark creature with bulging muscles and glowing yellow eyes. The eyes looked very familiar...but if there was one thing Sora was sure off, Mulan was going to be attacked.  
  
"Mulan, duck!" Sora called the Keyblade into his hand, making probably up to a million people aware of the teenager in black, outlandish clothing holding a huge silver key in his right hand.  
  
Mulan dropped to the floor; Sora quickly aimed at the monster, and shouted, "Firaga!"  
  
He saw the monster before the fireball the Keyblade emitted obliterated the monster. It was an overgrown Shadow, a Heartless.  
  
But why was there only one?  
  
Shang, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao saw the fireball sailing to the far right of the palaces. They also saw Mulan emerging from the ensuing smoke, slightly splattered in black liquid but no worse for wear. She smiled sheepishly at them, then was all business, stating, "Hey guys, I've got an idea!"  
  
They were all a bit stunned by her unexpected, not to say shocking, appearance. But the bonds of friendship overcame that minor yet demeaning obstacle; Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao jumped to Mulan's side. Shang hesitated, still unable to bring himself to trust a woman.  
  
That hesitation was cut quite short when they heard an exclamation of surprise. It sounded like a strangling duck. They all turned to the platform, just in time to see white creatures leaping their way up the stairs, jumping, twirling and causing mayhem amongst the crowds.  
  
"What are they?" Shang stammered.  
  
"Nobodies," Mulan growled. Then she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They had set out to meet the Nobodies head-on.  
  
"Mulan, get the Emperor!" Sora shouted as Donald cast Aeroga on his three party members. "We'll get rid of these guys and come after you! The Emperor's your first priority! Go!"  
  
Mulan nodded in acknowledgement, then smiled to the guys. "Boys, let's save the Emperor."  
  
Sora's arms were aching, as he hacked his way through the dancing white bodies. He was getting dizzy; flashing white colors don't help people who move rapidly. He still kept to his feet though, now making sure to stay clear of the Nobodies' dagger-like hands; he's been at the Nobodies enough times to know that.  
  
Donald was no longer casting spells; he was conserving his energy for another rampage of magic. He was dodging the Nobodies and whacking them with his short magic staff. It was a great way to collect the magic points needed to cast magic. Goofy was helping him, since Donald was not the greatest at hand-to-hand combat. He would whirl around with his shield and destroy some Nobodies in seconds, sending a couple of blue hearts to the sky. Goofy also made sure to get rid of the Nobodies that Donald most certainly could not reach.  
  
In a way, they were still pretty efficient, though all three of them were conserving their magic and their supplies were starting to run low.  
  
Sora ducked under a jumping Nobody and jammed his key upward, stabbing the Nobody through the 'stomach' and releasing an explosion of light and a blue heart. The next thing he knew, something big and jet black rushed past his right shoulder, jumped up, and literally devoured the blue heart. With Sora standing in utter astonishment, the black thing landed and turned on him. Sora gasped.  
  
It had huge shoulders, a massive chest, muscular legs, a huge head, long jagged ear-thingies, and glowing yellow eyes. The hands were clawed and were dripping blue, resulting from its feast on the Nobody's blue heart. It looked at Sora, or rather at Sora's right hand, which was gripping the Kingdom Key. Its eyes traveled upward to the shining silver of the key and Sora could literally feel the hatred the creature had for the Kingdom Key.  
  
A Heartless. Sora's 'ancient' enemy was here.  
  
Screams ripped through the already chaotic air. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in horror, red and blue hearts started meandering upward into the sky. People down below were shrieking, running around, jostling each other, trying to get out of the Imperial City. Sora was horrified by it all; he could see the Nobodies and the Heartless in a bloodbath, trying to hit each other senseless, mindless of all the innocent people who were trying to flee.  
  
Then there was a bloodcurdling yell and Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked up. Goofy stopped looking up when he found himself in the middle of a charge; a Nobody at his left and a Heartless at his right were charging each other and Goofy was right in the thick of it.  
  
The knight evaded the inevitable crash just as Chien-Po, dressed as a woman, fell from the sky, with the Emperor in his arms.  
  
His very sudden appearance stupefied Sora. Chien-Po set the Emperor on the ground and watched warily, ready to defend the Emperor at a moment's notice.  
  
"What in heavens is going on here?" the slightly built Emperor looked out to the battlefield down below.  
  
"Your Majesty," Sora bowed. "Nobodies and Heartless are here in battle. I suggest you do not go down there."  
  
The Emperor started, then turned on him. He peered at Sora and Sora swore he saw the Emperor's face go pale. That was something not easy to tell, as the Emperor was already a bit pale and had a very long mustache and beard that covered about half his face.  
  
"You're here?" the Emperor gaped. "Already?"  
  
"Already?" Sora repeated. "What?"  
  
"Sora, duck!" Donald yelled from behind.  
  
Chien-Po pulled the Emperor to the ground as Sora practically 'saw' the Heartless that was jumping at him from the side. He whirled around and sliced the Heartless neatly in half before it could reach him. Then he 'saw' another one going for his feet. Sora leaped into the air and swung downward. He was almost knocked out of the air by a Nobody that came 'flying' by. Soon he found himself busy defending the Emperor; they were just as magnetized to the Emperor as to him.  
  
"When did the Heartless ever start lifting weights?" Sora muttered under his breath as he barely avoided a very powerful punch one of the Heartless threw at him. Then, to his surprise, one of the Nobodies jumped at the Heartless and jabbed its dagger-like hands into the Heartless.  
  
Another Heartless squashed the daylights out of the Nobody just as Ling and Yao appeared, out of breath but still safe. Behind them, though, Huns came running, screaming their heads off, to the amazement of those who had faced them. Sora stared at Ling and Yao; they were dressed as women, too. What happened to them?  
  
"Where's Mulan and Shang?" Chien-Po demanded.  
  
"Mulan?" the Emperor echoed. "That is a woman's name. Why do you mention a woman?"  
  
"Um..." all three soldiers were suddenly very hesitant. But they knew they had to answer to the Emperor. "She's...ah..."  
  
"Strike Raid!" the Kingdom Key went flashing over their heads and stopped a Heartless from advancing on the oblivious group of people.  
  
"Be on guard," Sora ordered them from afar; the Keyblade went twirling back to him. "The Heartless are a lot better at catching people like you unaware than the Nobodies. You guys, keep the Emperor safe; this fight isn't over yet!"  
  
With a war cry, Sora jumped into a melee of Heartless and Nobodies who were fighting each other and with Donald and Goofy.  
  
"He ordered the Emperor," Yao said in awe. "Begging pardon, Your Majesty."  
  
"No need," the Emperor answered in his noble voice. "He is right. The Keyblade Master knows this more than we do. He knows what must be done. Do as he says and keep on guard. But do you three have more than make-up? I'm afraid these Heartless and Nobodies don't fear make-up like men do."  
  
They were startled by his sense of humor but they tapped at their sides, indicating the swords they had concealed under the dresses Mulan dressed them up in.  
  
Sora was Dodge Rolling away from a Heartless when he felt a jolt in his soul, the rapid slamming of a door. He jumped up and staggered away, feeling the place in his heart. The Nobodies gave shrill cries of rage.  
  
"Ready baby! Light me!" a familiar voice shouted out with joy and glee, all the way down from the highest roof of the palaces. Sora looked up and thought: Mushu. Then: where's Aozora?  
  
He turned to the mountains but saw nothing. He searched into his heart, searching frantically but he felt nothing as well. Something has happened to him!  
  
"Get off the roof! Get off the roof!" he heard Mulan screaming out. He wondered why.  
  
In a few seconds, the question was answered.  
  
As Shang staggered out of the palaces, woozy but okay, one of the towers of the palaces detonated. Fireworks went screaming out into the night air and exploded, as the palaces erupted into flames.  
  
Within seconds, Mulan came flying out of nowhere and tumbled onto Shang. She hugged him in relief as Shan-Yu's sword flew out of the sky and landed on their feet, stabbing into the ground. Then Mushu and Cri-Kee descended safely as well. Then Chi Fu, the Emperor's snobbish aide, came stumbling out, traumatized but furious just the same.  
  
His hat smoldering, he shrilled out, "Where is she? Now she's done it! What a mess!"  
  
He glared around, the grimace very pronounced on his face. He had a look that dared anyone to oppose his opinions.  
  
Sora sighed. He could already tell what was going to happen-  
  
"Sora, duck!" Mulan yelled and the Keyblade Master dropped flat on the ground.  
  
"Firaga!" and dark liquid splattered all over him as Donald extinguished a Heartless.  
  
"Blegh," Sora got up, his Keyblade still in his hand, and looked at himself. The black goop was rolling off him smoothly, leaving nothing behind. The liquid rolled off him smoothly and formed a puddle under his feet.  
  
"They're still here," Sora said. "Be on guard; the Nobodies and Heartless are still here."  
  
"Not the Nobodies," Goofy remarked. "They're running away!"  
  
"Running what?" Donald squalled and rushed to the edge of the platform.  
  
Everybody rushed to the platform, except the still-fuming Chi Fu. They saw the masses of white stampeding out of the Imperial City, following the crowds of people that were managed to escape. The other people were still screaming, still fleeing the Heartless.  
  
"Oh no," Sora turned very pale. He knew what was coming: the Heartless were going to massacre the people.  
  
"That's right!" Chi Fu shrilled behind them. "'Oh no' should be the first statement! Look at this mess. That disgraceful, deceitful female destroyed the Emperor's palaces!"  
  
He pointed at Mulan, shaking with rage.  
  
Sora stared at the Emperor's aide, flabbergasted. The Heartless were ready to go on a bloodbath and this-this idiot was yelling at Mulan for destroying Shan-Yu?!  
  
"She's a hero!" Shang protested as the others formed a protective circle around her.  
  
"She's a woman!" Chi Fu shrilled in a high voice. "She'll never be worth anything!"  
  
Shang grew very red. He stomped over to the still-arrogant Chi Fu and grabbed him by the neck of his tunic. He then blasted at the aide, " Listen, you pompous-"  
  
"Enough!" Sora and the Emperor shouted at once.  
  
Everyone stared at the two; Shang dropped Chi Fu to the floor.  
  
"Your Majesty," Shang quickly stated with a bow, "I can explain-"  
  
The Emperor held up a hand. "There is no time to explain anything, Captain Shang. Please, listen to this young man."  
  
He gestured to Sora, who began to grin sheepishly. That was until Donald stomped him on the foot.  
  
"Ow-hey! Oh, sorry," Sora was even more sheepish, before he saw a red heart float upwards. A red heart? He turned very serious. "Listen. Your world is being invaded by outsiders. Just moments ago, there was a battle between two of the outsiders. You were all very lucky they did not rampage all over the place and flatten even the mountains. There is no time for a brawl; we must find a way to get rid of the outsiders once and for all."  
  
"You're an outsider," Chi Fu huffed.  
  
"He's got a good point," Shang nodded.  
  
"We-" he gestured to Donald, Goofy, then to himself "-are here to stop these outsiders. We are their enemy and they are our enemies. We are here to keep your worlds from being devoured by the darkness," Sora explained. " Right now, one force of the outsiders has been outdone by an act of sacrifice. I don't know what happened and I don't need to know what happened. Right now, I have to find a Keyhole to your world. I can seal it and we can finish driving these guys-" he gestured to the Heartless "-out of here forever. No complaining, no shouting, no fistfights, no nothing! Understand?"  
  
He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. His stony glare fell on Chi Fu, who had begun to tremble in fear.  
  
Then the Emperor gave a slight bow to Sora. "Do as he commands. Let us save our people and our home."  
  
Chi Fu huffed and stomped off.  
  
Sora was very worried. What had happened to Aozora anyways?  
  
"How do we stop the Heartless, Sora?" Mulan asked. "You said something about a Keyhole. Where can we find it?"  
  
Sora gave a shrug. "We have to find it..."  
  
Everyone stared at him. He stared at the Emperor, who was staring at Mulan.  
  
"Yes, Keyblade Master," the Emperor was saying. "Not all Keyholes are in inanimate objects."  
  
He then gave a very deep bow to Mulan. "You have stolen your father's armor, ran away from home, pretended to be a soldier, lied to your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palaces, rid the world of Shan-Yu, and you know where the Keyhole is. Show the Keyhole to Sora."  
  
Mulan gestured silently, in shock, to herself: me?  
  
The Emperor nodded and Sora began to understand.  
  
"You are the Keyhole..."  
  
Without further adieu, he swung his Keyblade forward, surprising Shang, Chien-Po, Ling, Yao, and Chi Fu in the process, aimed at Mulan, and began to feel the forces of the light center on his Keyblade. Mulan was the Keyhole.  
  
He sealed the Keyhole, then was confronted by a very serious task. "We have sealed the world from more Heartless, more Nobodies," Sora told a very stupefied set of people. "The Nobodies have already fled; we must rid this world of the Heartless."  
  
He swung out his Keyblade, barely missed beheading Yao, and jumped off the platform into the swarming crowds of Heartless. Donald and Goofy looked at each other and then to Mulan and Mushu. Mulan had in her hands Shan-Yu's sword. The four nodded and followed Sora down the long drop. Shang pulled out his sword, prompting others to do the same. Chien-Po stayed with the Emperor and an outraged Chi Fu, as the others followed the female.  
  
Cri-Kee, perched on the railing of the platform, watched intently as the five people, the wizard, the knight, and the tiny red dragon cut a huge path across the town square down below, sending up clouds of red hearts into the sky. Silver flashed; Sora led the charge deep into the sea of darkness.  
  
Cri-Kee began to chirp rapidly; the Heartless swarmed behind them, in front of them, to their sides, all around them. There was a circle of people, battling valiantly against the enemy that was overwhelmingly powerful. Then there was a huge explosion.  
  
"Oh no!" Chien-Po exclaimed while both the Emperor and Chi Fu looked on, aghast. "Mulan! Ling, Yao, Captain Shang! No!"  
  
When the smoke dissipated, somebody stood where a large part of the wall around the Imperial City had once existed.  
  
Sora gave a shout of welcome. It was Aozora.  
  
Just one additional person destroyed the Heartless. Sora and Aozora teamed together and were moving through the Heartless in a fury everyone had claimed they had never seen before. And constantly, power glowed from the look-a-likes.  
  
Donald and Goofy also moved like tempests. Donald had saved up his magic points for a good reason and Goofy had become exceptionally dangerous with his shied. They carved out sections from the swarms of Heartless surrounding them and no Heartless remained to fill in the holes.  
  
Mulan proved herself in the intense battle. Twice she was injured but she kept to her feet. With Mushu on her head, firing balls of fire at every Heartless within reach, she gained more admiration and respect from her friends.  
  
Sora heard Aozora mutter some very strange words. He looked at his look-a- like oddly. What the hell was he saying?  
  
"Ascenti totellum," he heard Aozora say.  
  
"Aozora, what the hell are you say-"  
  
A bright flash of light engulfed the Imperial City. When the light faded, no Heartless remained.  
  
They watched as Mulan, astride Khan with Mushu, Cri-Kee, Shan-Yu's sword, and the Emperor's medallion, waved at them, before starting on her journey homeward. Sora waved back cheerfully, remembering Mushu's promise that he would keep her safe. The Emperor was having a private discussion with Aozora for reasons he did not understand; the others were there as well to see her off. Shang was still looking in the direction she rode off to long after she had gone.  
  
Aozora finally emerged from the literally untouched Throne Room. He looked a little off, his eyes shining very strangely.  
  
"What were you guys talking about?" Sora asked immediately. But Aozora shook his head.'  
  
"Later," he muttered.  
  
"...it was nice talking to you, Captain Shang," Goofy told the captain. "I hope to meet again with all of you soon."  
  
"We all do," Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao grinned foolishly. "Never met the King's Captain of the Royal Knights before. The best!" Then Yao added, as a quick after note, "The best after personally defending the Emperor."  
  
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and a very silent Aozora said formal good-byes to the Emperor, were given boisterous goodbyes by Ling, Yao, and backbreaking hugs from Chien-Po. They shook hands with Shang, who looked more than ready to go in the direction Mulan had long since gone to.  
  
"Another world saved," Sora remarked in tired relief as they marched their way back up the snow. "Aozora, what did you say back then anyways?" 


	16. The Legend of Sherwood Forest

Author's NOTE: Wowee! Okay, let me see now...counts fingers lovelyangelyuki (don't you ever have any time to read now?), Doomboy2000, DemonSurfer, and cammy-world666 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! gives out candy Finals week, no more Finals, happy today so here's a gift to you guys: two chapters this week! Have fun!!!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 16: The Legend of Sherwood Forest  
  
"Goofy, you're a mechanic?" Sora was astounded as Goofy screwed in the last of the bolts on the gummi ship.  
  
"Yup!" Goofy answered emphatically as he put the wrench back in the emergency toolbox. "This ship's now good as new."  
  
"This is what he gets from hanging around Chip and Dale too much," Donald muttered. "Who's ever heard of a knight who specializes in mechanics?"  
  
"Me," Sora and Goofy chimed at the same time.  
  
"Stop dawdling around," Aozora growled as he emerged from the inside of the gummi ship. "Goofy's done a great job. Goofy, the wires are all reconnected. The ship should be working completely by now."  
  
By completely, he meant that everything in the ship was working, including the brakes on the ship; Sora had somehow managed to break the brakes moments before take-off.  
  
The three watched as the blond teenager stomped back inside.  
  
"What's his issue?" Donald said darkly.  
  
"I don't know," Sora narrowed his eye at this. "But he's right. There's no time to lose. Let's go."  
  
He ran into the ship. Without further ado, Goofy bounded after him. Donald, now brooding, brought up the rear. He shut the door behind him and settled in a spot very far away from a gloomy-looking Aozora.  
  
Sora jumped into the pilot's chair and pushed the lever forward. The Firaga engines on the gummi ship came to life and lifted the ship off the ground. Then they were soaring away, above the white mountains that nearly killed them, out of the atmosphere, into the purplish space that teemed with asteroids, spinning rings, all manners of obstacles, and Heartless ships.  
  
It was then and there Sora repeated his question to Aozora.  
  
"It's not words you'd want to know," Aozora replied rather coldly. "Utter them at the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong way, with the wrong intent, and everything around you gets destroyed, including yourself."  
  
The gummi ship was silent for a long time.  
  
"What did the Emperor say to you?" Goofy finally ventured to say as he let go of Sora's chair; the silence was partially due to Sora's antics. Sora had played 'chicken' with a Heartless ship (think ' Pearl Harbor') and nearly rid the universe of them.  
  
Aozora did not answer. He glared at his feet.  
  
"Oh come on, Aozora," Sora exclaimed. "Do tell us!"  
  
Aozora shook his head. "I don't feel like sharing."  
  
"Oh, is that so?" Donald grumped. "As a team, everybody shares."  
  
"Not all the time," Goofy interrupted. "I think the Emperor and he talked about something very, very serious and important. Like how King Mickey talks to Queen Minnie. Daisy never could get anything out of her and they're closest of friends."  
  
"Did you just say 'team'?" Sora was half-mocking, half-astounded.  
  
Donald looked like he wanted to kill himself.  
  
Aozora ignored Sora's antics. He leaned against the wall inside the gummi ship furthest away from the three. He needed to be alone, needed to think.  
  
His conversation with the Emperor was still very much alive in his mind. He didn't like what the Emperor had said, something very ominous, very sinister.  
  
"You will have to watch out for the Keyblade Master, young one," the Emperor had told him. "In fact, you must watch out for him. Whatever you do, you must protect with all your life, regardless of the consequences. There are those you have worked with who are plotting your downfall and the downfall of the Keyblade Master. The incident back in Twilight Town? They were only- I am aware of these things, young one, so do not give me that look-they were only putting into motion their dark machinations, their evil schemes of destruction and power. The Society is corrupted, young one. It is best to stay a good distance away from them."  
  
"Why do you tell me this but not him?" Aozora had asked in confusion. " If he is in danger, tell him."  
  
"The Society would change their dark plans if they learned that Sora was aware of them," the Emperor had answered. "It is best to keep them focused on the present plans while the others and I try to find out what is it they are trying to do to you two."  
  
"Others?" Aozora demanded.  
  
"You need not know until later," the Emperor did not advance that subject. "You must know, however, that the incident back in Twilight Town was played out for a reason. That reason is very dangerous to this whole situation, Aozora. You must find out what they had done...or suffer the consequences..."  
  
And Aozora remembered something the Unknown and the homeless man were saying. Something about a device...  
  
But he could remember no more.  
  
"Learn from your journey with the Keyblade Master and protect him," the Emperor also said. "We have lost one of our own to the Society and the Society had sent one of theirs to conquer my home and my people. The Society is set to conquer the worlds, Aozora. Learn what you can and use what you've learned to your advantage. Find out what had happened back in Twilight Town and, of everything you can do while still breathing, while still standing, protect the Keyblade Master to the very last."  
  
Aozora mulled over the words. The Emperor sounded very frightened, a characteristic not common in emperors that people revered. There was something in that incident at Twilight Town that shook the Emperor down to the core. And he had put a huge emphasis on protecting Sora. That provided support for the feelings he had about the future: there were worse things to come.  
  
But the device...I don't understand, he thought. What does the Emperor mean?  
  
"What happened between you and that Unknown back there?" Sora asked. " What happened to him?"  
  
"Huh?...oh, him," Aozora recalled. "Nothing much, really. Had a hell of a time trying to beat him. Didn't quite succeed. He got away."  
  
"You let him get away?!" Donald snapped.  
  
"Not 'let him get away'!" Aozora retorted. "He got away. There's a big difference between 'let' and 'got', you idiot!"  
  
"Why you cheeky-"  
  
Goofy stuck out his shield in front of Donald just as the wizard was just about to charge the one who so insulted him. Sora winced as he heard a banging noise and Donald slumped to the ground, knocked out. Aozora stared first at Goofy, then at Donald, "You know, you really didn't have to do that..."  
  
"Needed to knock some sense into him," Goofy explained amiably and without a care in the world.  
  
"Oh ok...well then..." Aozora sighed. "Anyways Domitan got away and we might as well be expecting him at the next stop, depending on whether or not we're going to meet either the Nobodies or the Heartless."  
  
"Domitan?" Goofy mouthed, before it dawned on him that Aozora was referring to the Unknown that he dueled.  
  
"If its Heartless, I'm going to kill myself," Sora groaned.  
  
"And the rest of the universe will go down with you if you keep to those words," Aozora snapped at him.  
  
Sora gripped the controls tightly; something was wrong with Aozora. What did the Emperor tell him that made him so wound up against everybody?  
  
"They are coming, Master," the hooded one told the being swathed in red. " They are not aware of our plans."  
  
"Good," the being nodded its head in anticipation. "Perhaps our plans would work after all."  
  
"They always have, Master," the hooded one told the being. "There is no need to worry."  
  
"Do not be so sure, my protégé," the being reprimanded. "Be careful, be precise, and never be too sure of oneself."  
  
"Yes Master," the hooded answered humbly.  
  
"Sigh...don't you ever wonder what Ansem is really up to?" the being asked, voice tinged with amusement. "It is only fools like him who throw their forces against ours. They may have overwhelmed us back at China-thanks to that accursed Mulan- but that is only one battle. He has been battling us elsewhere to no avail; he is a real fool."  
  
"Master," the hooded being then asked. "When will we strike Old Universe?"  
  
"When we have conquered New Universe," the being answered calmly. "When we have taken over those worlds and have cast aside the Order of the Hearts and Souls. The Order is a greater danger than the Society; they must be rid of."  
  
"Then do you also plan on exterminating the Society, Master?" the hooded being asked.  
  
The red-coated being shook his head. "Not yet. Now is not the time. They will help us greatly in the near future; in the end, we will rid of them."  
  
The hooded one bowed. "The Society won't know what hit them."  
  
There was amusement in his voice. The red one answered, "They are foolish, the Society. They seek to destroy the Heartless by joining the Nobodies; it will be their downfall. They pledged to go about without power; they have broken their vow, save a few. Those few will be contained. He has assured to me that it will be done. The extermination will begin with the elder among the Society. Was he not called Eldest?"  
  
When the hooded one nodded in affirmation, the red one continued, "He believes Eldest will destroy the Society and must be contained. I know what Eldest has been doing. Eldest must be contained. Must."  
  
The hooded one bowed to him in agreement. "I understand. Master, what is the next step?"  
  
"The next step?" the red one repeated. "The Nobodies are gathering at Sherwood Forest. John will take charge from there. I want you to ready some for Anthill. I fear the Heartless will be targeting there and you and your charges must be ready for battle, in case I do not get through to him."  
  
The red one spoke this certain 'him' with contempt and disgust.  
  
"Very well, Master," the hooded one began to walk out of the room.  
  
"Don't let anybody know of these plans," the red-coated being stated. " This is confidential. Only tell them what needs to be done and everything will be perfect."  
  
The hooded one nodded and strode out of the dimly lit room, with the only source of light being the sun outside. The red one sat in his chair, his hands together before his face, thinking, musing of the future and of future plans.  
  
The King must never surface in this Universe, in this lifetime, forever in fact. The King must never return...  
  
In a clearing deep in the midst of a very green and healthy forest, there are two 'men'. Technically speaking, one's a big, robust bear who was wearing a rather lacy apron and the other's a quick-witted and clever fox who isn't being quick-witted and clever fox at that moment in time; he's stirring the stew in a pot from a sitting position, his head propped up against a stone, daydreaming and humming.  
  
"La, da, di, da, da, da, di, dum. Da, da, hm, hm, hm, hm..." He had a very droopy and lazy look in his eyes.  
  
"Hey lover boy, how's that grub coming? Man, I'm starved," the big bear made an attempt at getting the fox to pay attention to what he was doing as he hung the laundry up on the tree branch to dry.  
  
"Hm, hm, hm, da, da, dee..." the fox was humming mechanically.  
  
"Rob?" the bear tried to get his attention, a futile attempt.  
  
"Hm, hm, hm..."  
  
"Robin?"  
  
"Hm, hm, hm..." the fox, apparently named Robin, did not hear him.  
  
"Robaire, hey!" the bear yelled out in exasperation from behind a cloth.  
  
"What? What did you say?" Robin asked, barely surprised by the exclamation.  
  
"Ah forget it. Your mind's not on food," the bear, who was called Little John (why 'Little'; he's so huge), waved the matter aside. "You're thinking about somebody with long eyelashes. You're smelling that sweet perfume-" he sniffed the air suspiciously, as a horrible smell drifted by his nose.  
  
At that moment the pot began the boil over frantically and black smoke billowed from the great maw of the pot.  
  
"Hey, whoa, it's boiling over," Robin stepped backwards in surprise.  
  
Little John exclaimed, "You're burning the chow!" rushed at the pot and flapped away the smoke with a cloth.  
  
Robin shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Johnny, I was thinking about Maid Marian again. I can't help it. I love her, Johnny."  
  
Little John, putting the pot on the stone to cool and dumping ladlefuls of water in, said straight to the point, "Hey, look, why don't you stop mooning and moping around? Just marry the girl."  
  
Robin whirled on him. "Marry her? You don't just walk up to a girl under a bookcase and say, "Remember me? We were kids together, will you marry me?" No it isn't just done that way.  
  
Little John, slightly rolling his eyes, countered, "Oh, come on Robby. Climb the castle walls. Sweep her off her feet. Carry her out in style." He scooped up some chow in the ladle, stared at the wilted carrot hanging from it in disgust, and flung it away.  
  
Robin, shaking his head, sighed, "It's no use Johnny. As I told you it just wouldn't work. Besides, what can I offer her?"  
  
Little John began to tick off what Robin Hood couldn't do on his fingers. " Well, for one, you can't cook." He sniffed the food and his nose crinkled up instantaneously.  
  
Robin sighed as he headed to the tree to finish putting up the laundry.. " I'm serious. She's a highborn lady of quality."  
  
Little John shrugged. "So she's got class. So what?"  
  
As Friar Tuck approached, Robin Hood, now the one exasperated, explained, " I'm an outlaw. That's what. That's no life for a lovely lady, always on the run kind of a future is that?"  
  
Robin Hood was unaware of Friar Tuck when the fat friar literally shrilled into his ear, "For heaven's sake, son! You're not an outlaw! Why, someday you'll be called a hero!"  
  
Robin Hood jumped back in surprise, then laughter crept up his face as the friar's words registered in his mind.  
  
"A hero?" Robin Hood laughed; in fact, he laughed so hard, he stumbled backwards and fell into the now-empty laundry basket. "Do you hear that Johnny? We've just been pardoned."  
  
Little John chuckled over the pot of stew. "Ho, ho, that's a gas. We ain't been arrested yet."  
  
While the two laughed it off, Friar Tuck shook his head, and headed for the previously burning pot of stew, saying, "All right. Laugh you rogues, but there's going to be a big to-do in Nottingham-" he tasted the burnt stew "- Well-done, ain't it?-" he coughed out smoke circles, tears streaming out of his eyes "- Old Prince John's having a championship archery tournament tomorrow."  
  
Both perked up at this bit of news.  
  
"Archery tournament? Rob could win that standing on his head, eh Rob?" Little John stated proudly about his partner. Robin Hood bowed to the compliment.  
  
"Thank you Little John, but-" he wilted "-I'm sure we're not invited." Robin Hood sighed.  
  
Friar Tuck, still testing the stew (maybe he's just eating it for free), stated boldly, "No, but there's somebody who'll be very disappointed if you don't come."  
  
Laughing, Little John said, "Yeah. Old Bushel Britches-the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham."  
  
"No," Friar Tuck countered quickly. "Maid Marian."  
  
Robin Hood perked up once more. "Maid Marian?"  
  
Friar Tuck ladled up more stew. "Yeah. She's going to give a kiss to the winner!" He began to laugh again.  
  
Robin Hood had a very 'evil' look on his face. "A kiss to the winner? Oo- de-lolly! Come on Johnny! What are we waiting for?" He cartwheeled about with exuberance.  
  
Little John had a rather sour look on his face. "Wait a minute, Rob. That place will be crawling with soldiers."  
  
Robin Hood, decked out with a full quiver of arrows and a rather long longbow, jumped up on the log table in the clearing and cried out, "Aha! But remember, faint hearts never won fair lady. Fear not my friends. This will be by greatest performance!"  
  
He was very Shakespearean about it.  
  
As the two bounded off to prepare for the archery tournament, Friar Tuck sighed and placed the ladle back in the pot. He then looked up at the sky, as though he was waiting for a sign. Presently, something shot across the sky. That was enough to satisfy the friar. With a knowing smile, he disappeared into the greenery of Sherwood Forest as well.  
  
"This is the next stop?" Aozora peered over Sora's shoulder as they approached the green world, dotted and lined with blue.  
  
"'Pears to be so," Goofy was happy; he was going to be on solid ground again. "That's a nice world, right Donald? Huyuk!"  
  
Donald had a very furious, ruffled look about him. Sora believed he'd never forgive Goofy for smacking him unconscious.  
  
"Maybe," Donald finally peeped out.  
  
"A rather peaceful world," Aozora was saying. "Hate to have any evil running around this sort of place."  
  
"New World was a nice place, too," Goofy pointed out. "But the Nobodies were there."  
  
"The Nobodies are out to destroy the goodness of the worlds," Aozora shook his head. "They are just as evil as the Heartless."  
  
"Just one question," Goofy was still talking more than usual. Sora marveled at this change. "Why are the Nobodies white? Ain't black supposed ter represent evil and white supposed ter represent good?"  
  
Aozora thought for a moment. Goofy did have a good point. "You know, Goofy, that's a very good question. Wish I had an answer for that."  
  
The ship suddenly jolted, slightly, but just enough to unnerve them all.  
  
"What was that?" Donald demanded when he finally got his bearings.  
  
"Atmosphere," Sora explained calmly. "We've hit atmosphere."  
  
"We never hit atmosphere before New World, ya know?" Goofy mused.  
  
Sora nodded. "Strange it should start happening now. The other worlds we've been to never had atmospheres like these."  
  
Maybe this side of the universe has atmospheres, Aozora thought. "There seems to be activity going on over there-" he gestured to a large, swarming area in one of the green clearings "-maybe we should check that place out."  
  
"You think?" Sora asked. Well, there was something funny about that place, something cold and strange.  
  
Aozora nodded. "There's something strange. I can feel it."  
  
"I don't feel nothing," Goofy commented.  
  
"I don't either," Donald was starting to sound challenging again.  
  
"Oh no," Sora groaned. But no argument came.  
  
Aozora was staring at the exact same spot on the world as they drew closer. "Land outside the area. I don't like it. There's a very bad feeling about this."  
  
"You sure?" Sora could feel it, too. That was surprising, on his part at least.  
  
Aozora nodded confidently, his coppery eyes flashing. "There's a power here, some mysterious power. Let's land away from other people and approach on foot. We can mingle in more easily that way than by landing in the middle of the clearing in the gummi ship."  
  
Sora nodded; it sounded logical. He steered the gummi ship towards the great green forest surrounding the clearing. As they flashed over a startling dark lake, fringed with lilies, Sora shuddered. There was something about that lake that bothered him. He peeked at Aozora; his look- a-like was even paler than usual. Did he feel it, too? There was something funny about that lake. It was calling to him. And Sora did not like it at all.  
  
Prince John sat on in the royal seat as the procession began for the archery contest. He had a huge, evil grin on his lion face. Sir Hiss, his ever-ready accomplice, was coiled in the chair next to Prince John, looking just as evil.  
  
"Hiss, this is a red-letter day. A "coup d'etat" to coin a Norman phrase," Prince John grinned. He thought his plan was perfect. No doubt Robin Hood, the greatest archer around, would be able to resist entering this contest. The golden arrow was, after all, the prize. As well as a kiss from Maid Marian, King Richard's niece.  
  
"Yes, indeed, Sire. Your plan to capture Robin Hood in public is sheer genius. Hoo, hoo, hoo!" Sir Hiss agreed, being oblivious yet again to the fact that Prince John did not like being called 'Sire'.  
  
Prince John whirled on Sir Hiss. "Hiss, no one sits higher than the King. Must I remind you, Hiss? Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk."  
  
He glared at Sir Hiss, who quailed under the hard stare. "Do forgive me. I didn't mean..."  
  
Prince John pushed the matter aside and practically shouted out, "My trap is baited and set. And then, revenge! Ah, revenge!"  
  
Sir Hiss was astonished. "Shhh! Not so loud, Sire-" again, Sir Hiss forgot what Prince John had told him "- Remember, only you and I know, and your s- s-secret is my s-s-secret."  
  
While saying so, he coiled around Prince John's neck and hissed, his tongue tickling Prince John's ear.  
  
"Stop hissing in my ear," Prince John snapped at Sir Hiss and the snake quickly drew back. "Secret? What secret?"  
  
Sir Hiss could've rolled his eyes. "The capture of Robin Hood, Sire."  
  
Prince John's mood quickly changed. A dark look set in his eyes and he grimaced at the name. "That insolent blackguard. Ooh! I'll show him who wears the Crown!"  
  
He pumped his fist in the air angrily and the crown on his head slipped.  
  
"I share your loathing, Sire," Sir Hiss agreed insistently. "That scoundrel fooled you with that silly disguise, who dares to rob you, making you look utterly ridiculous."  
  
Prince John did not want to be reminded by it all. "Enough! Hiss, you deliberately dodged."  
  
Sir Hiss shrank away again. He knew what was coming. "But, but—but Sire...please."  
  
"Stop sniveling and hold still."  
  
Sir Hiss braced himself and presently, Prince John bonked him on the head with his fist.  
  
"Thank you Sire," Sir Hiss said crookedly.  
  
Maid Marian, King Richard's beautiful niece, and her maid, Lady Kluck, a huge white, tough hen, approached the area of the archery contest through a road near where Robin Hood and Little John were putting on their disguises. Robin Hood looked up immediately when he heard her voice drifting towards him.  
  
"Klucky, I'm so excited," the vixen was telling Lady Kluck eagerly. "But how will I recognize him?"  
  
Lady Kluck knew Maid Marian must keep her hopes up of seeing Robin Hood, her childhood friend, again. "Uh, he'll let you know somehow. That young rogue is full of surprises, my dear."  
  
Robin Hood looked after Maid Marian as she and Lady Kluck entered the perimeters of the tournament area. "There she is, Little John. Isn't she beautiful?"  
  
He started to walk out of the bushes after her on rather high stilts.  
  
"Cool it, lover boy," Little John quickly snatched him back into the underbrush. "Your heart's running away with your head."  
  
"Oh stop worrying," Robin Hood retorted as he put on the rest of his disguise. "This disguise would fool my own mother."  
  
He was transforming himself into a patched up stork from the middle of nowhere.  
  
"Aha," Little John countered, "but your mom ain't here. You got to fool old Bushel Britches."  
  
He pointed to the Sheriff of Nottingham, a rather rotund wolf, who was walking down a path in between tents confidently. Robin Hood winked, then stepped out of the underbrush in his disguise, and eagerly approached the Sheriff.  
  
"Sheriff, Your Honor. Meetin' you face to face is a real treat. A real treat," he greeted the Sheriff with a fake accent, shaking the Sheriff's hand eagerly.  
  
"Well now," the Sheriff was pleased. "Thank you. Oh excuse me. I gotta go win this tournament."  
  
The Sheriff hurried away and Robin Hood went another way merrily.  
  
Little John nodded at this. "Hey, Rob's not a bad actor, but wait till he sees this scene I lay on Prince John."  
  
He was decked out in pink, with a wig, a moustache, and a round glass on his right eye. He walked with a cane, radiating nobility. Pretending to be a visiting duke from Chutney, he approached the royal box with a swagger, the plume on his pink hat bobbling.  
  
"Ah...me Lord, my esteemed Royal Sovereign of the Realm, the head man himself," Little John started by laying praise upon praise on Prince John and giving him a sweeping bow. "You're beautiful."  
  
Little John set out to conquer the trust of Prince John, gaining the animosity of Sir Hiss in the process.  
  
"What a place!" Sora exclaimed upon reaching the edges of the clearing and seeing the stone towers, the flags, the tents, and the people. There were trumpeters, guards, announcers, archers, and everyday people mingling in the sea of tents and fancy stands.  
  
"I wonder what's going on around here," Donald commented. "Looks like-"  
  
"A festival," Aozora interrupted. "Or a tournament. Yes, I think it's a tournament. Look at all those archers. Maybe an archery contest."  
  
"You think?" Goofy beamed. "I'm not bad at archery myself. Maybe I should join-what is the prize?"  
  
"Like I would know," Donald snapped back.  
  
"We should explore," Sora suggested. "Look around this place. Maybe we can figure out why some of us here are having bad feelings about this place."  
  
He was referring to Aozora and himself.  
  
Aozora nodded. "Good plan. Goofy can be some sort of a distraction. We'll be standing out here if too many people have nothing to distract them. Goofy can join the contest and people would be looking his way. We can go about unnoticed, then, and check this place out."  
  
"You good at archery, Goofy?" Sora asked, trying to confirm Goofy's abilities.  
  
"The best back home," Donald confirmed.  
  
"Well then, Goofy," Sora turned to the rather ecstatic knight. "Go and have fun!"  
  
Goofy bounded off to the tournament, immediately gaining stares from the common folk. He was also gathering odd looks from the guards. A big, gray wolf in pink-red clothing that was striding by with a snobbish air, froze upon seeing Goofy. Sora immediately knew that the wolf would give them a lot of trouble; he looked like he was high-class and he didn't give Goofy a happy look at all.  
  
Instead, he looked angry. But why?  
  
"We should've have him leave the shield behind," he heard Aozora say quietly.  
  
"Huh?" Sora turned on him. "Why?"  
  
"Carrying the emblem of another king, in this case the King, would not make the royalty here all that happy," Aozora explained. "What if he won? The royalty here would not be happy and, in general, nobody here would be happy."  
  
"Too late now," Donald snapped, his voice sounding rather accusing.  
  
"Well, we've got to go join the crowd anyways," Sora said, "and we'll still be standing out. Why don't we split? We'll go in different directions and not follow Goofy's trail. I'm sure Goofy would do well alone so we can worry about the problem surrounding his circus."  
  
Aozora and Donald nodded.  
  
"Maybe the Nobodies are here," Aozora was musing quietly as they went their different ways.  
  
The Sheriff whispered in the crocodile's ear, who then turned to Prince John. "He was right, sir. They have come after all." 


	17. The Arm of Darkness

Author's Note: This new world follows the movie almost exactly so it's rather lengthy. And I don't' think I'm joking about the lengthy part, either. But do enjoy! Thank you for your support-oh darn, I forgot your names again. I'm so sorry but thank you! bows continuously Now please read and review! Thank you!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 17: The Arm of Darkness  
  
As the procession of the contestants marched pas the royal seat, Robin detached himself from the line and approached Maid Marian. He had a single white flower with him.  
  
"Ah, Your Ladyship. I beg your pardon; it's a great honor to shoot for the favor of a lovely lady like yourself. Hope I win the kiss," he told her, giving her the white flower.  
  
"Oh!" Maid Marian was surprised. "Well, thank you, my thin-legged archer. I wish you luck-" her voice then dropped to a whisper "-with all my heart."  
  
Robin Hood gave a slight wink, then bowed and followed the line. Luckily, not many people noticed the exchange, being distracted by the great, gangly form of a strange-looking knight with a foreign emblem. The guards were watching him with contempt; the Sheriff had a shrewd eye on him. The strange knight did not seem to care; he was waving about to the astonished spectators with a carefree air.  
  
"Now that one, he looks like he's got class," Little John was telling Prince John, pointing in the direction of the knight.  
  
"Indeed, he does," Prince John had a very strange tone in his voice. Little John, however, did not notice.  
  
The crocodile, who had alerted Prince John earlier about the knight, approached the royal box. "Your Highness, with your Royal permission, we're ready to begin."  
  
Prince John nodded. "Proceed, Captain."  
  
The crocodile, apparently a captain, turned to everybody else. "The Tournament of the Golden Arrow will now begin!"  
  
The spectators cheered as the archers stood in rows before targets, loading their bows and taking aim. The onlookers cheered, waving flags and calling out the names of those they knew.  
  
"Yay, Dad!" Toby, a young turtle, cheered as his father fired an arrow.  
  
As the tournament dragged on, however, it became obvious who the standouts were. The Sheriff of Nottingham was particularly good, though everybody knew he was cheating. The stork who claimed he was from Devonshire was exceptionally well. And the strange, foreign knight astounded the crowd. One of the targets had their three arrows all stuck on the bull's-eye.  
  
The Sheriff then aimed, fired, and hit the bull's-eye. The crowd booed him loudly, causing the Sheriff to grit his teeth as he let the stork and the knight step forward to fire.  
  
The stork very lazily aimed and fired; the arrow sailed quite true and hit the target, quivering next to the Sheriff's arrow.  
  
Then the knight came forward. He was rather clumsy in all his actions but his arrows flew true and smooth in a wonderful arch across the sky, again making a three-way tie.  
  
"Yay! Yay! Yay!" the onlookers screamed out their approval.  
  
The Sheriff's day was getting worse by the second. It then fell steeply as he spotted a strange sight; a white duck, dressed in blue and carrying a staff, was seen scurrying off into the tents behind the spectators. He knew he had never seen anyone like that white duck; he suspected the duck came with the strange knight.  
  
He wiggled a finger to a guard and whispered, very briefly, "There is a white duck here; an intruder is upon His Highness' ground. Make sure to get rid of him!"  
  
The guard nodded and quickly marched off.  
  
Meanwhile, Robin Hood was chatting quite happily with the knight. "I'm gonna win that golden arrow and present myself to the lovely Maid Marian!"  
  
"Her?" the knight, who you all know is Goofy, pointed to the fair vixen in the royal box.  
  
"That's her!" Robin Hood was turning all goggle-eyed at this.  
  
"Listen Scissorbill, if you shoot as good as you blabbermouth, you're better than Robin Hood," the Sheriff snapped at him, his mood darkened by the odd turn of events.  
  
Robin Hood was thoroughly pleased, first by the Sheriff's comment, then by the fact that his costume had convinced everyone. "Robin Hood, he says! Wow-wee! I'm tiptop, all right but I'm not as good as he is!"  
  
"Who's Robin Hood?" Goofy asked curiously as he fired an arrow.  
  
The Sheriff and Robin Hood, who was rather deeply hurt, gaped at him. "You don't know Robin Hood?"  
  
When Goofy shook his head, the Sheriff exploded, "Where in God's name have you been?!"  
  
"Places," Goofy answered airily. "Many places."  
  
The Sheriff, to the surprise of Robin Hood and Goofy, had a rather thoughtful look on his face. "I thought so..."  
  
"Now if you'll excuse me..." Robin Hood leaned forward and released his arrow as well. It landed next to the Sheriff's and Goofy's arrows.  
  
"Oh...by the way, I hear you're having a bit trouble getting your hands on that Robin Hood," Robin Hood commented amusingly as Sheriff fired his arrow.  
  
"He's scared of me," the Sheriff snapped with confidence. "Now I told you. He didn't show up here today. I can spot him through them phony disguises."  
  
Robin Hood did not realize Goofy had seen the look of glee in his eyes.  
  
Is he Robin Hood? Goofy wondered.  
  
Aozora wandered through the tournament fields. He was searching hard, throwing out feelers and sensing out any traces of Nobodies. He knew the Nobodies had to be around here, hiding or out in the open-  
  
Aozora froze. Out in the open?  
  
Nobodies were shape-shifters, he knew that, of course. But what can they shift into: animals, inanimate objects, or both?  
  
"Idiot," he cursed himself. "Idiot, idiot, idiot! What was I thinking?!"  
  
He looked around him carefully, watching the movements of the wandering spectators. Was there anybody who was watching him carefully, scrutinizing his every movement? He knew he had gotten odd stares; after all, they were animals and he was a human. Or at least, he thought he was human. Was he? What the hell is he thinking?  
  
"I'm human, I'm human, I'm human," he mumbled as he marched past a pie stand, unaware of the odd, almost glaring stare the vulture hawker gave him. "Yeah, I'm just a human with strange powers. Oh yeah, I'm sooo human..."  
  
One of his 'feelers' suddenly tingled. He froze. The feeler began to vibrate fiercely, as though it was a fishing line with a huge fish in tow.  
  
"Gotcha," he murmured as he began to run.  
  
In his wake, several barrels near the pie stand slowly transformed into the armored Shield Nobodies. They, as one, as though they were ordered to at the same time, moved as one in the direction Aozora was moving. The hawker quickly put up a 'Closed' sign and quietly followed the Shield Nobodies.  
  
"What a place," Sora mumbled to himself out loud as he dawdled past two tall, quickly made stone towers. The two elephants on the top of one of the towers, adorned in purple, their trunks sticking into the air like trumpets, watched him curiously as he passed under the banner strung between the two towers. They watched him innocently, unaware of the three silent archers, all weasels, that followed him soundlessly, bouncing behind tents, behind barrels, behind stands, as they watched the Keyblade Master look around.  
  
"This place is huge," Sora told himself. "I wonder if the others found anything..."  
  
As if on cue, he heard insane squabbling. It sounded like Donald.  
  
"Donald?" Sora was surprised. Then it dawned on him. Donald never squalled unless something happened that upset the quick-tempered duck. Something's happened. But what?  
  
Then, he felt a cool presence in his mind. It was there for a few seconds but it was urging him, urging him to come. Quickly, there is danger here. You must come here at once! Your weapon is needed immediately!  
  
Then Sora found himself moving, as though that same presence was now pulling him in the direction of this danger. He recklessly dodged spectators, tents, objects, whatever was in his path. Some spectators screamed in surprise, pieces of barrels went flying, balloons shot up into the air; Sora ignored everything and continued to run, bolting past a barrel of ale with a stopper on it. He didn't notice the rooster with the stringed instrument or the monk with him; he kept running, until he nearly crashed into a group of rhinos. They were surrounding a box of some sort, where there were four seats, a vixen, a white hen, a lion, and a bear. What in the world?  
  
"...Aha," the lion was saying to an oddly patched stork at the stairs to the royal box, holding his 'ceremony sword' out. "And now, I name you the winner, or more appropriately..."  
  
Sora spotted frantic movements out of the corner of his eye. He swiveled his head in that direction and noticed Goofy waving madly from behind the royal box.  
  
' Hurry! Get behind here quickly!' the knight was mouthing to him.  
  
'Why-' Sora was about to mouth back when he suddenly became aware of a presence behind him.  
  
"Your Highness, look what I got me here," a tall, rather rotund wolfish creature in red-pink (Red-pink? Sora crinkled his nose at this. How disgusting!) boomed out and took hold of Sora's left shoulder.  
  
"Hey, what the-" Sora's near-curse died when the rhinos moved away from the royal box to give this ' Your Highness' a good view of him.  
  
'Your Highness' was referring to the lion. He had on a rather huge crown and was looking very snobbishly happy. The bear at his left, who was even more rotund that the wolf holding his shoulder, was dressed in pink (Blegh! Sora gagged) with a glass circle on his right eye was suddenly gone, the hen was clucking like crazy, and the fair vixen was pleading.  
  
And Sora saw who the center of attention was.  
  
Roped up, with an iron collar on his neck, was a tall, very bold-looking red fox, dressed in green. He was obviously a prisoner but why? What had he done wrong? And where was the stork-of course. That oddly patched stork was the fox! He won the contest disguised as a stork! But what in Hades' name had he done?  
  
"Aha! This is wonderful, so wonderful!" the lion clapped eagerly. " Perfect! Now we have more heads to get off with!"  
  
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Sora sputtered out. ' More heads to get off with?'. "What is going on around here? Who the hell are you?"  
  
The wolf behind him boxed him on the head. "That is no way for a scruff like you to address His Highness, Prince John!"  
  
"I don't listen to any Prince!" Sora snapped back. "And don't touch my head; it's for me to touch and not you!"  
  
Everybody gasped. He dares to address the Prince in that manner?  
  
"Oh, oh, oh," the vixen was trying not to cry but was doing so. "I can't bear this, I can't bear this...oh Robin, why? Why?"  
  
The fox, apparently named Robin, replied, "Marian, whatever happens to me, just stay strong."  
  
The words echoed in Sora's mind. ' Just stay strong...stay strong...whatever happens...just stay strong.'  
  
Oh how he wished he could've told Kairi that before he left! But all he was able to tell her was that he'll come back. But what if he couldn't come back? Then what?  
  
"You're taking off his head, too, Your Highness?" the wolf was astounded. "Why him?"  
  
"Because, Sheriff," Prince John was beyond smug, "he's a universal criminal."  
  
"Criminal?" Sora, pulled back into reality, yelled. "Criminal? I'm a criminal? Who says?"  
  
"I say so," Prince John snapped back. "As long as this crown sits on my head, I make the decisions!"  
  
"That crown belongs to King Richard!" Robin shouted out at the top of his lungs in bold protest. "Long live King Richard!"  
  
The growing number of spectators reported back, "Long live King Richard!"  
  
"King Richard..." Sora rolled the name on his tongue, then glared at Prince John. What had he done to King Richard to gain that crown?  
  
"Enough! I am King!" Prince John was throwing a terrible fit, stomping on his seat furiously. "King! King! Off with their heads!"  
  
"Wha?" Sora was furious. "As soon as I come here to see what the hell's going on around here, you decide to take me prisoner and chop of my h-"  
  
The Sheriff, the wolf behind him, seemed to have made some movement of some sort because immediately, several rhinos detached themselves and came over with an iron collar and a long piece of rope.  
  
Before Sora could react, the Sheriff had him by both arms and he fought helplessly as he was roped up, his neck was stuck in an iron collar, and the Sheriff finished him off by gagging him.  
  
Goofy was looking horrified now. And Donald was with him, making insane movements but not able to do anything, lest they give themselves away.  
  
And where the hell was Aozora?  
  
"Oh no," Marian, the vixen, wilted.  
  
Sora saw Robin give him a determined stare. Then Robin looked behind him and Sora followed his gaze, finding himself starting at a huge rhino with a black hood, red tunic and trousers, black gloves, fiery red eyes, and, to his horror, a huge axe, newly sharpened and polished. The executioner.  
  
"Stop! Executioner, stop! Hold your axe!" everybody turned their heads to Prince John, stupefied by his statement. What?!  
  
Prince John looked like he was struggling against something that held his neck or head. With a horrified look on his face, he squealed out, "Eeek! Sheriff, release my buddy and that-I mean, release the prisoners."  
  
The Sheriff was beyond stupefied. "Untie the prisoners?!"  
  
The white hen got all bossy. "You heard what he said, Bushel Britches."  
  
Sora snorted into his gag. Bushel Britches?  
  
Prince John, still struggling against the unknown force gripping his neck, choked out, "Sheriff, I make the rules, and since I'm the headman-" suddenly he whispered to something behind him, then turned back to the Sheriff "-Let them go! For heaven's sakes, let them go!"  
  
The Sheriff, being extremely hesitant and confused the entire way, sliced the bindings off Robin and Sora, then undid the iron collars. As soon as Robin was released, the vixen rushed to him while the white hen crowed at the top of her lungs, "Yeehee! Love conquers all!"  
  
Robin and Marian were holding hands. "I owe my life to you my darling."  
  
"I couldn't have lived without you, Robin," the fair vixen whispered back as they embraced each other.  
  
Sora pulled out the gag and shook the kinks out of his arms while the Sheriff, muttering, "Something funny's going on here," disappeared behind the royal box.  
  
Within ten seconds, Sora heard the Sheriff growling out, "Why you...", Goofy yelping, "Behind you!", and Donald yelling, "Firaga!"  
  
Everybody froze as a cloud of dark smoke bellowed from behind the royal box and Prince John quickly rose up, bothered no longer by that mysterious restraint, and shouted, "Kill them! Don't just stand there! Kill them!"  
  
Then that massive bear, which you all know is Little John, jumped out with a long stick as the rhino guards jumped forward to fight. Robin Hood quickly flashed out a sword and Lady Kluck, the white hen, ordered Maid Marian, "Run for it, lassie. This is no place for a lady."  
  
Maid Marian backed away as a battle began to ensue. A rooster with a mandolin and a monk came about to do battle while Goofy and Donald surprised everybody with their appearance and joined the fray. Sora called the Keyblade to his hand and maneuvered carefully around the rhino guards, knowing that they did have brute strength.  
  
Prince John used the ceremonial sword to try and stab Robin Hood by the back when the fox backed up. Robin Hood, catching the flash of metal, whirled around and flipped the sword out of Prince John' hand. Prince John cries out in fear, "Don't hurt me! Help! Help!"  
  
While Sora took a quick breather to stare at Prince John in astonishment (he had never seen such a coward before), the lion crawled away frantically, falling out of the royal box unceremoniously, then crying out, "Kill them!"  
  
He pointed at both Sora and Robin Hood.  
  
Lady Kluck dueled the Sheriff. It was a short match. The white hen jabbed the Sheriff with a very interesting golden arrow. When he rushed her, she easily flipped him on his stomach and shouted, "Take that, you scoundrel!" She then rushed off to battle some more.  
  
Sora approved of her actions. He also warned himself not to get the white hen mad at any moment in time.  
  
"Help! Robin, help!" Maid Marian panicked; she was surrounded by the fighting.  
  
Robin, grabbing hold of the end of a banner, swung down from the top of a stand, grabbed her and they swung up into the throne of the royal box. With Maid Marian on his right, he fought off three weasels on his left.  
  
"Marian, madam, will you marry me?" he asked as he tipped the chair over.  
  
"Darling, I thought you'd never ask me," Maid Marian gave him her heartfelt reply. "But you could've chosen a more romantic setting."  
  
"And for our honey-moon...London," Robin added as he fought off more weasels.  
  
Sora was quite amazed to hear this, as he ducked under a rhino's punch and jabbed the guard in the face. They're in the middle of a strange battle and those two are talking about marriage? He kept himself from gagging at this; he was old enough now to handle the 'intimate' issues of love without a problem.  
  
But where was Aozora?  
  
Little John was having the time of his life. He fought a horde of rhinos, eventually shoving them all into a yellow tent. He jumped in, stating, " Oh, what a main event this is. What a beautiful brawl."  
  
From the other end of the long tent, Lady Kluck rushed more rhinos in. She jumped in as well and the capacity limit forced Little John out. Furious that he was missing the brawl, he charged back in. Lady Kluck was kicked out on her face.  
  
Furious, she jumped up, golden arrow in hand, and jabbed at a rhino's butt that stuck out of the tent. There was a huge explosion of pain and the tent rose up on multiple pairs of feet. It charged.  
  
Civilians screamed and ran out of the way as the yellow tent rampaged across the tournament grounds.  
  
"We'll have six children," Robin Hood told Maid Marian as he ducked under a weasel's swipe.  
  
"Six? Oh a dozen at least!" Maid Marian retorted, then spotted the same vulture hawker Aozora ran by earlier, who was about to pull an arrow on Robin Hood. "Take that!"  
  
Snatching up a cherry pie, she slammed it in the vulture's face.  
  
"Duck!" she suddenly heard a foreign voice shout out an order. She obeyed without hesitation; in battles, some cries were immediately heeded lest one wants to die.  
  
Sparks and flashes of color flew above her head as she crouched down low. When she finally peeked up, she found herself staring at the same face of the strange being who Prince John labeled as a ' universal criminal.'  
  
Wait.  
  
She continued to stare. The same face had shiny metallic coppery brown eyes, not sky-blue. The complexion was lighter, the hair was blond, and the face was attached to a long black coat.  
  
The being was holding two very beautiful and very dangerous weapons, one in each hand.  
  
"You must be careful," the being told her. "Tell him he must be careful, too. The arm of darkness has stretched far and wide. They're here."  
  
Before she could say more, he vanished.  
  
"Marian, darling, what's wrong?" Robin Hood had not seen the being.  
  
"He warned us," Maid Marian murmured as he quickly led her away. "Robin, there's another being here, like that being the Sheriff had. He told us to be careful, that an arm of darkness has stretched far and wide..."  
  
"Indeed," Robin Hood was genuinely puzzled.  
  
Meanwhile, Little John found himself sitting atop of a charging tent full of rhinos. He exclaimed, "Hey, who's driving this flying umbrella?"  
  
Then he saw that they were on a collision course with the stone tower with the two elephants. He scrambled off the 'flying umbrella' before the imminent collision brought down the tower.  
  
The crocodile held his arms up calmly, as though he was the Messiah coming down from Heaven to bring peace upon the Earth, and said, "Attention, everyone..."  
  
Sora knocked him out. "Attention, nothing! This guy's not thinking right-"  
  
"Sora!"  
  
Sora whirled around and saw Aozora, who had a terrible, rather indescribable expression on his face.  
  
"What? What's wrong, Aozora?" Sora demanded worriedly as the duel-wielding teenager quickly approached. His mind also thought, Where the hell have you been?  
  
Without another word, Aozora took Sora aside, dodged a diving weasel, then hissed, "Nobodies. They're here!"  
  
Sora stared at him. "What?!"  
  
"The arm of darkness has grown long," Aozora answered. "They were already here, stationed, merely waiting for us to arrive. They were supposed to be back-up if Prince John couldn't chop off our head but I distracted them. We have to get out of here; they're going to expose themselves if we don't and the results would be disastrous."  
  
"Where are we going then?" Sora insisted as Donald and Goofy, scuffed up from the battle, quickly approached with shocked looks on their faces.  
  
"Friar Tuck, a friend of that fox called Robin Hood, says we can go with him," Aozora quickly explained, before his usually dark face darkened. "He told me he knows, or is aware of, what's going on around here."  
  
"Who's what?" Donald squalled.  
  
"A friar knows something about the Nobodies here," Sora summarized. " Aozora, you know where to go?"  
  
Aozora nodded. "No arguments, Donald. We have to move."  
  
Donald clamped his beak shut and glared but said nothing as they followed the blond teenager out of the tournament grounds into the dense woods.  
  
Not many yards away, several broken barrels materialized into two Nobodies and three Shield Nobodies. They did not follow the four but instead spread out around the tournament grounds, scaring off any remaining civilians.  
  
Prince John tried to scramble for the safety of a certain barrel of ale when he saw Robin Hood and Maid Marian making their escape.  
  
"Stop the girl!" he shouted in hopes that someone would hear him.  
  
To his bad luck, Lady Kluck heard him. She turned and walloped the Prince on the head with the golden arrow. "Take that, you scurvy knave!"  
  
"Seize the fat one!" Prince John, infuriated, ordered in a furious voice.  
  
Several rhinos advanced on Lady Kluck. The white hen did not waste any time and kicked up her engines into high gear. If Prince John wants me, his men had better catch me first!  
  
She then bolted through a huge stretch of open land, making way to the dark cool depths of Sherwood Forest. The guards tried to jump her, snatching her, charging her, etc.  
  
They all failed. She easily evaded them, then ducked as two guards went for her at the same time but hit each other instead. She then sped faster, as the last of the spectators cheered her from the edge of Sherwood Forest. She pumped her fist up into the air, then managed to evade a rhino that had dived for her and nearly got her. Lady Kluck got away and the rhino slide across the grass, only to smash head-first into a boulder.  
  
Lady Kluck was victorious! Standing at the very edge of Sherwood Forest, she cried out, "Long live King Richard! Yahoo!"  
  
At that moment, Little John, who had escaped the rampaging yellow 'flying umbrella' unharmed, appeared, snatched Lady Kluck, and pulled her away to safety as several arrows hit the trees, missing their mark.  
  
Prince John was frustrated, furious, embarrassed, and humiliated. He sniffed back tears, then wailed out furiously, "Hiss, you're never around when I need you!"  
  
He had the incredible luck of being near a barrel of ale stopped with a cork. For inside the barrel, he heard a bubbly, inebriated voice saying, " Coming, coming..."  
  
Prince John whipped out the cork and a very woozy Sir Hiss appeared, his eyes cross-eyed and unfocused "Ha, ha. For I'm jolly good fellow. Hoo, hoo, hoo. Oh there you are, old boy. P,J., you won't believe this but the stork is really Robin Hood."  
  
Prince John glared at him, then reached out with both hands and choked the green snake. "Robin Hood! Ah! And that bastard Keyblade master, too!"  
  
He yanked out Sir Hiss and knotted him on a pole. He then stomped away, snapping, "Get out of that if you can!"  
  
Prince John stomped off, only to greeted by several Nobodies and Shield Nobodies.  
  
"If you make miserable hell for the people around here, you'll draw out Robin Hood," Prince John told the attentive Nobodies and Shield Nobodies. " And now, most likely the Keyblade master will be with him. Destroy them both."  
  
One of the Nobodies hissed.  
  
"I'm king! King!" Prince John threw a fit. "And he gave me the authority! I tell you what to do now, get it?"  
  
The Nobodies and Shield Nobodies bowed and hastily retreated.  
  
Robin Hood and Maid Marian strode through a very ethereal scenery. Fireflies flew all around them in the dusk sky and pink blossoms from the trees fell softly. They passed by a lake with lily pads, smiling, devouring each other with their eyes, in love with each other, now and forever.  
  
Love...  
  
It seems only like yesterday...  
  
You were just a child at play... Now you're all grown up inside of me... Oh, how fast those moments flee...  
  
Under a single tree near the lake, the lovers stopped. Robin very gently placed a ring of flowers on Marian's ring finger on her left hand. They smiled to one another and drifted onward, towards a waterfall. There, they disappeared underneath the waterfall and went down the passageway of rock to the other side.  
  
"Quickly!" Friar Tuck beckoned Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora forward frantically. "We cannot stay out here any longer! The Nobodies are on the move-"  
  
"You know of the Nobodies?" Goofy was astonished, as he nearly went sprawling over a tree root.  
  
"I am part of the Order," Friar Tuck responded as they quickly walked by, on the other side of the lake. "Order of the Hearts and Souls. Quickly now; you must talk to Robin Hood about this matter. Unless you do, you may make a very serious mistake on this world and who knows what might happen then!"  
  
Sora nearly had to run to keep up with the stout friar. He had never seen anybody so rotund who could move so fast. Besides that bear...  
  
The shimmer on the lake water distracted him. Sora slowed, letting everybody by him. He had seen a strange, unusual shimmer in the water, flashes of red and strange blue. And the lake was a calm, clear dark blue.  
  
He approached the lake, started to feel his senses fire. There as something about that lake, something strange. He didn't know what it was but it was the same feeling he had when they flew over a large blue body of water-this WAS that large blue body of water.  
  
"But its just water," Sora told himself as he peered into the deep depths of the lake.  
  
Before his eyes, the water began to swirl. It began to toss back and forth in ripples, though the wind was blowing softly and in only one direction. Sora had never seen water behave by itself before.  
  
He knelt down at the lake's edge, to get a better picture of what's going on. He just wasn't prepared for what he was going to see. 


	18. Reign of Thunder

Author's Note: This chapter will be updated early because of an extremely unstable schedule next week that may compromise my promise to update once a week. Also, am I really making you suffer from my cliffhangers? Perhaps this will make you anticipate the next chapter even more! Have fun!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 18: Reign of Thunder  
  
"I'm scared," Pooh whispered to Meg as they listened to the Heartless ships attack the doors to Coliseum relentlessly.  
  
"Me, too," Meg replied. "I thought I'd never see the day when the Heartless could have a serious chance of conquering Coliseum."  
  
"If they're going to, we'll give them hell," Riku gave a surefire answer. "If they're not, we'll still give them hell."  
  
"Kid, I've got two words for you," Phil told him as he produced himself a spear. "I like how you talk but I hope you really can give them hell."  
  
"Phil, I can give everybody here hell if I wanted to," Riku answered truthfully.  
  
Tarzan, who had been twirling the spear in his fingers lazily, looked like he was concentrating furiously, his brows furrowed. Then he said, "But Phil...that's fourteen words, not two."  
  
Phil glared at him, saying, "Tarzan, I've got two words for you: its my say!"  
  
"That's three," Riku was grinning; it was rather hilarious making Phil angry.  
  
"Meg, how are you going to fight?" Tarzan changed the subject quickly. " Do you use a weapon?"  
  
Meg said, "Maybe. But I've got Hercules' friend here, Pegasus."  
  
"Pegasus?" Pooh repeated.  
  
Meg nodded, then put her fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly. The whistle was answered by the unmistakable neigh of a horse and a white, winged horse flew from somewhere around the building of the Coliseum and landed before them all.  
  
"This is Pegasus," Meg gestured to the majestic white horse. "Together, we can give the Heartless hell as well."  
  
The doors began to crack; everybody looked to it. Pegasus' tail plumed and the look of astonishment passed through his face. Riku called the Dark Keyblade to his side; he really did begin to doubt the powers of the Dark Keyblade. Can it defeat Heartless?  
  
This Keyblade was made to unlock hearts, he told himself. But the Heartless don't have hearts, hence their name. Then can this Keyblade be an effective weapon against them, like the Kingdom Key?  
  
"Blizzaga!" he heard Pooh shout out at once.  
  
"Pooh!" Riku exclaimed. "What in-"  
  
Then he saw what Pooh did. He froze the doors so they were incredibly stiff and rather resistant to the Heartless ships.  
  
"Wow," Tarzan commented. "Smart."  
  
But they could all hear the ice chip off on the other side.  
  
Tarzan shrugged. "I was kidding."  
  
Then Riku became eerily aware of the sound of scratching to their left. He cocked his head that way, listening in carefully to the sound of what seemed to be claws scratching furiously at stone...marble stone.  
  
"Phil," his voice dropped dangerously low. "I think they're trying to tear down the left wall."  
  
Phil scoffed it off, "They can't dig through marble! Their nails would be gone before they make even a dent in that wall!"  
  
"You sure?" Riku was very worried. Heartless were unpredictable and he told Phil that.  
  
"Positive," Meg answered instead. "Almighty Zeus blessed these walls. He wouldn't have if it weren't for Hercules."  
  
"Zeus?" Tarzan was puzzled. "Who's-"  
  
Riku held up his hand immediately. "We can't keep asking questions. Phil, Meg, even if Zeus blessed these darn walls, they can't keep Heartless out forever. You have to ask for a miracle-beg for one, actually. These Heartless are very hard to evade or push aside."  
  
"If you're saying that Heartless are very hard to evade or push aside," Meg was turning critical, "are you saying that we have no chance of holding up against these Heartless and might as well run away from Coliseum?"  
  
Riku hit himself on the head. "No, I'm saying that walls alone cannot defeat Heartless! We're going to have to be like Phil's Mr. Superman in order to stop them from conquering this place."  
  
"Kid," Phil was staring at the left wall. "I've got another two words for you: I think they're coming."  
  
"That's four," Tarzan gave what was now becoming a customary reply while everybody else turned to the left wall.  
  
A long crack ran down the pale wall. The scratching was now accompanied by a strange rat-tat-tat sound. The Heartless ships' weapons.  
  
"It looks like they gave up on the doors when Pooh froze them," Meg decided as she mounted Pegasus and snatched a metal spear from one of the broken statues. "We're going to be assaulted from the left."  
  
"I froze them?" Pooh had a confused look on her face.  
  
"Never mind," Meg quickly replied, then looked to the wall. The crack was widening and smaller cracks branched off from the large one. "Why don't we give these Heartless the kind of hell I went through before?"  
  
"You went through hell?" Riku asked.  
  
"It ain't easy to explain, kid," Phil answered, rummaging through broken statues and marble. He pulled out a Gladius and a bronze shield. "I think these two will do. Defense and offence, perfectly balanced."  
  
While the trio gave him puzzled looks, Meg explained, "Phil not only trains 'heroes', he knows weaponry and the balance between weaponry. Of course he knows nothing about magic so he can't exactly equip Pooh for this battle. I assume you two are ready?"  
  
Tarzan nodded, tapping his spear on the ground. "I am ready."  
  
Riku nodded, though he knew everyone was aware of his hesitance with the Dark Keyblade. "I am ready as well."  
  
There was a huge cracking noise and the crack widened drastically.  
  
"We must keep the Heartless from reaching our gummi ship," Riku stated seriously as they backed towards the right wall with the gummi ship. "If we fail, we can at least get out of here."  
  
"I'm not leaving this place," Phil growled. "They want this place, they gotta do it over my dead body."  
  
Riku sighed over this familiar statement. "Phil? I've got some actual two words for you: too bad. You're coming with us, whether you like it or not. The guys back at Traverse Town ordered it."  
  
Phil growled something about, "What are they, the wise guys?..." under his breath but made no serious protest.  
  
Riku opened his mouth to state a comeback...  
  
...and the left wall crumbled.  
  
From the dust cloud that billowed up, the result of the wall's collapse, Shadows, Search Ghosts, Wyverns, and Soldiers shot forward. Riku was surprised by two things. One, there were only four groups of Heartless. Two, even if there were only four groups of Heartless, there certainly was a shitload of them.  
  
"Athena, grant me accuracy for this battle," Meg prayed, then hoisted up a spear, readying it for throwing, while she gripped another spear in her left hand.  
  
"Thetis, this is Achilles' trainer, Phil," Phil was saying gruffly. " Grant me luck."  
  
"Firaga," Pooh whispered, pointing at the mass of darkness and a fireball soared in a wide arc. Everyone froze, even the Heartless, and their heads and eyes followed the fireball as it landed with a violent explosion in the mass of Heartless.  
  
"Nice," Tarzan whistled as a cloud of black smoke and red hearts shot up into the sky. Then he gave an undistinguishable war cry and, with spear in hand, rushed at the Heartless, which had charged as well. Tarzan gracefully jumped up and sliced at a Wyvern, taking off its head. He then bounded at a Search Ghost, dodged its dislocated hands and stabbed it in the body.  
  
"Blizzaga!" another blast of ice soared in an arc and landed in another part of the mass of black.  
  
"Forward, Pegasus!" Meg cried and Pegasus charged. As they rushed the enemy, Meg leveled the spear in her right hand, then threw it. The spear penetrated several Heartless before vanishing into the mist of darkness.  
  
"Gods, this ain't pretty," Phil told Riku as Pooh sent a sphere of water in another arc. "Especially if you were me."  
  
"I'm glad I'm not," Riku quickly quipped. "I'd hate to be as short as you."  
  
Before Phil could make an angry remark, Riku rushed into battle. He threw out feelers, sensing out Heartless, their types, and in which direction they were moving. Then, executing a couple of exhilarating steps, he smoothly sent several red hearts floating up into the sky.  
  
"He looks like he's dancin'," Phil was staring as though he was seeing the sun for the first time. "By the gods, this kid could've been a hero!"  
  
"Phil, you lazy bum!" Meg yelled from the south end of Coliseum; she stabbed Heartless with the spear while Pegasus kicked out and pounded at Heartless with his hooves. "Do something! Don't just stand there! Move!"  
  
"Move, move, move!" Phil repeated angrily, then ran to the battlefield, looking extremely odd bounding in an uneven gait with a bobbling large shield and Gladius in his hands. "I wish they had satyr-made weapons...Hermes, Thetis, Athena, Zeus, all you guys on Mt. Olympus, help us!"  
  
He threw himself recklessly at a group of Soldier Heartless and nearly went out shrieking in shock. But his fighting instincts took over and he got down to the dirty stuff; he sent up a regular train of red hearts.  
  
Pooh, staying with the gummi ship, did an excellent job of protecting the gummi ship. His arm continued to cannon balls of flame, ice, or water into multitudes of Heartless, destroying handfuls at a time. Tarzan was the most graceful warrior. His stealthy, leopard-like movements in combat were like ballet and his spear gave many a Heartless the Kiss of Death. Riku was probably the most astonishing fighter. He slaughtered the Heartless with such regularity and such recklessness it seemed that the silver-haired teenager was going to be stabbed by Heartless every five seconds. Phil wasn't doing bad himself, though he needed to stay behind or around large, inanimate objects in order to better defend himself against Heartless.  
  
Meg and Pegasus had the bad luck of being on the south end of the Coliseum- that was where the double doors were. Pooh encasing the doors in ice didn't help; the Heartless gummi ships had pounded the doors with such monotony, it was impossible to be distracted by the rat-tat-tat noise.  
  
But everyone became aware of the pounding on the doors once they shattered. Pegasus reared in surprise when splinters from the doors entered his hindquarters. Meg cried out in surprise as splinters dug into her, releasing tiny streams of blood that dripped onto Pegasus' white body.  
  
Pegasus' reaction actually destroyed some Heartless but the trouble was really coming when Heartless were seen marching in on Coliseum from the south end of the huge marble building. Once Pegasus and Meg got away, Riku and the others were able to see how much in trouble they were.  
  
The masses of Heartless rapidly subtracting the distance between themselves and Coliseum intimidated them. And there was nothing to block the advancements. Then more of the walls crumbled as more Heartless entered the Coliseum. As everyone backed up towards the gummi ship, it became increasingly clear their fight was a lost cause.  
  
"We have to get out of here, Phil," Riku told Phil as they looked at the Heartless rather nervously. Tarzan noted Heartless climbing on the rooftop of the building to the north and said so.  
  
"Phil, they're swarmed the place," Meg said desperately, her left hand gripping her right forearm. Blood streamed underneath her hand. "We've got to get out of here or they're gonna take us all!"  
  
"Quickly!" Pooh had opened the door into the gummi ship and waved them in. "No time, no time, no time for honey, no time for fun talks, no time for walks, we must hurry, hurry, hurry..."  
  
Phil looked at Pooh with a critical eye; Meg told him to drop it before the satyr even opened his mouth.  
  
As Meg shoved Phil into the gummi ship, then followed him, Riku and Tarzan looked at Pegasus. A big horse. In an average-sized gummi ship. With a teddy bear, a woman, a satyr, a jungle warrior, and a teenager.  
  
Pegasus seemed to know what they were thinking. He snorted contemptuously at them and trotted into the gummi ship as though it was the most natural thing in life.  
  
Riku and Tarzan shrugged, then the seasoned warrior pointed upward. Riku turned his head up, threw out feelers and felt, to his horror, hundreds of Heartless gummi ships hovering over Coliseum. The Heartless were hell-bent to Hades in pulverizing Coliseum into dust.  
  
"What to we do?" Tarzan demanded.  
  
Riku thought for a moment as they rushed to the door. Phil and Meg said something about gods...  
  
"Phil!" Riku yelled as he pulled closed the door and Tarzan put the gummi ship's engine into high gear. "We've got a billion Heartless gummi ships over our heads right now! Who do we pray to help us?"  
  
Phil thought for a moment as Pooh began to level out Heartless with the ship's set of weapons. But Meg was quick with her answer.  
  
"Zeus," she quickly answered. "Pray to Zeus. He'll help us. 'Us' especially, right Phil?"  
  
Phil had the oddest expression on his face, agreement mixed in with contempt. But he nodded. Very reluctantly but he nodded.  
  
"Zeus," Riku shouted right out as the gummi ship rose up into the sky, " help us get out of here!"  
  
"Kid, that ain't no way to ask for Zeus' help-" Phil began to criticize.  
  
A flash of thunder materialized inside the gummi ship and just about fried Phil. Again.  
  
"Cough, cough...I lied," Phil hacked out as thunder flashed outside the gummi ship.  
  
As Riku watched in awe, Tarzan carefully stirred around the bolts of lightening that came out from a suddenly darkened sky, destroying one Heartless ship after another in quick succession. A reign of thunder. Zeus ruled the sky and thunder. It was power.  
  
"Amazing," Riku whispered as Pooh shot down more Heartless ships.  
  
As the gummi ship rose up and away, Heartless tore down Coliseum. They began to destroy everything that was on that world, until it was barren.  
  
Then, by some unknown force, the world exploded.  
  
By then, the gummi ship was too distant to be affected by the blast. But it was horrible to see.  
  
"No..." Phil moaned sadly. Riku did not know the best way to comfort the now- devastated satyr.  
  
"Some poem," Selphie commentated as soon as they got away from the Oracle Kenaii, who was fast becoming one of those preachers that can talk for hours without stopping.  
  
"What a strange prophecy..." Kairi was musing as they walked down a rather hazy rode. "Why didn't Sora or me or the others hear of it before?"  
  
"What others?" Selphie asked curiously.  
  
"Oracle Kenaii told me it was the prophecy of In-between," Hercules explained good-naturedly. "Those who live in the real worlds normally don't go to In-between to hear a prophecy of that place. They wouldn't care about a place they don't live in. And Oracle Kenaii can't exactly materialize in the real world; he'd scare the hell out of them!"  
  
"Obviously," Selphie agreed emphatically.  
  
Kairi had to agree. It wasn't everyday a ghost walked up to you and preached about a prophecy.  
  
"Where is this place with mazes supposed to be?" Selphie peered up the foggy path. "I can't see anything beyond this stupid fog!"  
  
Kairi shrugged. "Oracle Kenaii told us to follow this road so we might as well follow-"  
  
To the astonishment of Selphie and Hercules, Kairi disappeared.  
  
"Where'd she go?" Selphie was trembling, on the verge of panic.  
  
"Don't panic, don't panic," Hercules muttered. "She can't just disappear in In-between. That's not possible, that's not possible-THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"  
  
Selphie stared at him. He was saying not to panic and he was panicking.  
  
"Geezes, man, you guys are so loud!" they heard Kairi's faint voice from somewhere down below. "I'm here!"  
  
"Where's here?" Selphie demanded. "Where the hell are you?"  
  
"I agree," Hercules added, his voice still a little high from his bout with panic. "Where in Hades' hell are you?"  
  
"In a hole!" Kairi responded. "You should come on down; it's weird. I don't like the looks of it, either."  
  
"Where can there be a hole?" Selphie wondered and she inched a foot forward, to test the ground for the hole.  
  
Within seconds, she was gone, screaming her head off.  
  
Hercules thought it was a good idea to jump in the direction of Selphie's screaming.  
  
Kairi was waiting with a look of exaggerated exasperation on her face as Selphie came down screaming. She was soon followed by Hercules, with a rather happy-go-lucky look on his face. He thought he was having fun.  
  
"I. Am. NEVER. Going. To. Do. That. Again," Selphie spoke each word like it had its own sentence as she picked herself up. "That was creepy."  
  
"Really?" Hercules picked himself up and brushed dirt and dust off his armor. "I thought it was fun."  
  
Selphie was staring at the grin on Hercules' face.  
  
Kairi shook her head, her purplish-blue eyes serious. "There's no time to be laughing. Look around u."  
  
The other two obliged.  
  
They were in a round room, with destruction screaming everywhere at them. The walls were torn into and whatever was on the walls was crushed into undistinguishable pieces. The marble-tile floor, or whatever it was, was littered with pieces of objects and marred with horrible scratches and slices.  
  
Then there was the blood.  
  
Horrified, the three stared at the long stains of dried, dark red blood and their eyes followed its grotesque path down a long, crooked hallway. They all looked at each other and slowly crept down the hallway, looking about warily. The bloody markings all over the walls of the hallway did not reassure them, nor did the pieces of several doors before them. The doorframes disturbed them just as much as the pieces of wood hanging from the hinges and the splinters and sawdust lying on the floor everywhere.  
  
Each doorframe got smaller.  
  
"How do we get through there?" Selphie wondered, gesturing to the barely marred last door, which was small for Kairi and Selphie and tiny for Hercules. "One, we don't know what's beyond it and two, Hercules can't fit through it."  
  
She jabbed her thumb in the warrior's direction.  
  
"Herc, do you think you can get through without busting the door?" Kairi asked rather sweetly.  
  
Hercules scratched his head, looking baffled. "Uh...I don't know. Besides, I met the doorknob by a different route..."  
  
Selphie reached out tentatively and turned the doorknob on the door.  
  
"Oh, do come in, come in, its alright," they heard a sleepy voice drawl to them. "I wired the door to explode if one of those blasted Nobodies or Heartless came in but you three are human or are supposed to be so its quite safe. Do come in; I just finished a nap and need some people to talk to."  
  
All three froze, daring each other to breathe loudly.  
  
"What was that?" Selphie demanded to Hercules.  
  
"Must be the Doorknob," Hercules answered happily. "He sleeps all the time, or so he tells me."  
  
"He may seem to be sleeping, "a teasing, rather creepy voice sang from within, "but sleeping helps him become aware of problems you cannot see."  
  
They all froze again.  
  
"Now what was that?" Selphie demanded again.  
  
This time Hercules had no answer. "I really don't know..."  
  
Kairi reached out and pushed the door open. She crept into a mightily strange room and looked around, while Selphie tried to get Hercules in.  
  
The room was spacious, with a blue table in the middle of the room, two bottles sitting on it in their own lonely way. There was a table in one corner of the room, with a drawing of a chair next to it. There was a vase in another corner; a fireplace stood out not far from it. There were openings and closings here and there, things drawn into walls, things sticking out.  
  
And before them, beyond the blue table, was a sleepy-looking doorknob on a small door. And a grinning mouth.  
  
"There is a grinning mouth," Selphie said slowly, "without a body to go with it."  
  
She was rather right. They stared at the mouth for quite some time, until the doorknob stirred and said, "Ahem."  
  
The tension in the room was so stiff that uttering one little word caused them to jump. The room shook in the process, as Hercules hit himself on the head.  
  
"Ow..." he winced, rubbing his head, while Kairi and Selphie turned nervously back to the doorknob.  
  
"Well, at least you're here," the doorknob spoke, in a very odd voice. Not only did his voice sound sleepy, it sounded snobbish. "I've been waiting quite a long time, you see, and I fell asleep. Lucky I did, though, for my mind went wandering around our still-mysteriously world and I think the Queen is aware of your arrival."  
  
"What Queen?" Selphie whispered to Hercules.  
  
"No idea," he replied rather honestly.  
  
"The Queen of Hearts," the mouth spoke up with teasing enthusiasm. "But that's not the whole point. When he falls asleep, his mind wanders and whenever he wakes up, he spits up useless information."  
  
"Oh shut up, you cat, you're causing quite a racquet," the doorknob snapped back.  
  
"Cat?" Kairi turned nervously to the mouth.  
  
"Purple is the clue, after all," the mouth answered and a cat gradually formed from the mouth, a striped cat of purple and pink.  
  
"A pink and purple cat?" Selphie was flabbergasted. "And it talks, too!"  
  
"The Cheshire Cat at your service, ladies and gent," the Cat bowed. "The purple is the clue, after all."  
  
"Funny you should mention the Oracle's prophecy," Hercules mused.  
  
"There are two prophecies, spoken by two oracles," the doorknob stated. Or rather, one prophecy here and several prophecies back in the real universe. But you should only concern yourselves with this one."  
  
"Purple is the clue," Kairi said. "Gold is all the rage. Royalty still resides..."  
  
"And the mystery of the white is told," the doorknob finished." I happen to be gold, you see, but I don't understand the ' all the rage' part."  
  
"Because you are privy to many things we all must know," the Cheshire Cat rolled his eyes.  
  
Kairi and Selphie cringed; the pupils rolled in opposite directions.  
  
"And you're purple," Hercules was looking at the two bottles on the table and did not see the rolling eyes. "So you have some clue to what we have to do here, right?"  
  
"So the royalty would be this Queen of Hearts of yours, right?" Selphie ventured to conclude.  
  
"Right on target," the Cheshire Cat praised. He then vanished into thin air and materialized on Hercules' head. "But of course, we're only clues and little 'eavesdroppers'. You're real purpose here in Wonderland is to find out the mystery of the white. In this case, the Nobodies."  
  
"Nobodies?" Selphie was genuinely confused.  
  
"Not again," Hercules groaned.  
  
"The Nobodies are at it again, conquering worlds," the doorknob muttered. "Or so they are trying. The Heartless are at it again as well; very interesting. Of course, then again, they do not know of that little report he wrote about the Nobodies."  
  
"Not the Other Report, right?" the Cheshire Cat spoke up from his high position.  
  
"No, not that report," the doorknob and the Cheshire Cat were carrying on a conversation as though Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules didn't even exist. Or, in the case of the Cheshire Cat, they were inanimate objects. "You know who is to find that report."  
  
"The son is to find his father's report on the Nobodies?" the Cat was amused. "Then what about her?"  
  
He pointed at Kairi.  
  
"What is going on?" Hercules demanded. "Can you two please explain?"  
  
"Of course, of course," the doorknob looked to the Cheshire Cat. "You're the clue; go tell them."  
  
"Ahem," the Cheshire Cat made himself comfortable on Hercules' lofty brow. "The Queen of Hearts knows something of this other report that we were previously talking about. Which is why royalty is mentioned in the first place. Doorknob here is 'all the rage' because you all will eventually want to go back to him for any ideas of what's going on in the real world. And I am the clue because I know of this report that you must find the pieces of."  
  
"Pieces?" Kairi exclaimed. "What do you mean?"  
  
"This other report of ours had been exploded into pieces following the destruction of a few worlds here," the doorknob input, with him happening to sound very sleepy. "They're scattered all over the place. What that Oracle wanted you three to do was to find the pieces of figure out what happened about thirteen years ago and what the Nobodies are."  
  
"Why do we have to do it?" Selphie pouted.  
  
"You three were special from the moment you were born," the Cheshire Cat spoke, leisurely and patiently. "You and the others back in the real universe."  
  
"I know the Queen of Hearts knows something about where the piece on the Nobodies is," the doorknob blurted out, then began to snore.  
  
They all stared at him for a moment, then the Cheshire Cat waved him aside and said, "Ignore him, he always does that. But yes, the Queen of Hearts knows about where the piece may be. But it won't be easy getting it from her. She's a witch when it comes to getting information from her. You either have to do something for her, argue it out, or go searching for it by yourselves."  
  
"What's the best thing to do?" Hercules asked.  
  
"Whatever you do for her, she'll still order for her remaining guards to chop of your heads," the Cheshire Cat ignored their looks of horror. " Searching for the information is impossible here in Wonderland, hence the line "Where the mazes twist and turn/ with certain uncertainty." And arguing it out with her may still result in your heads coming off."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Selphie shouted.  
  
"Argue it out; she may let out some information," the Cheshire Cat grinned. "I did that last time and, though I nearly lost my tail, I came to understand where Alice had gone."  
  
"She said she got taken by the Heartless; what did the Queen had to do with it?" Kairi demanded.  
  
"Oh the Queen got threatened into setting up the trial in order to draw out Sora, Court Wizard Donald, and Captain Goofy," the Cheshire Cat mused. "Then, during that disastrous battle, she was whisked away. A trail of clues was set to lead those three fine heroes here to battle the Trickmaster, in an attempt to snuff out their lives. What a failure. It was the most incredible failure I would ever witness. But yes, you should argue with her. It's better than getting your head chopped off or never finding the piece of this other report."  
  
"In order to go," the doorknob's voice caused them all to jump, "drink that...which one was it?"  
  
"Might by the blue one," the Cheshire Cat answered.  
  
"Yes, drink out of that bottle," the doorknob yawned. "Or else you'll never fit through the opening."  
  
"That one," the Cheshire Cat gestured to the little opening at the bottom of the wall to the left of the doorknob (when you face the doorknob heads on).  
  
"Oh, I see," Selphie bent over and looked at the wall. "That's really small."  
  
"Well, here goes," Hercules was about to chug in the liquid from the blue- labeled bottle. "Wait, it doesn't run out, does it?"  
  
"Never had," the doorknob yawned.  
  
"One last question," Kairi asked. "Who wrote this 'other report' of yours? I wanted to ask but with all this information, I almost forgot."  
  
"Ah, do you really want to know?" the Cheshire Cat, which now sat on the blue table, asked with a sly grin.  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Ansem wrote two 'other reports'," the doorknob stated.  
  
The looks on their faces were worth more than a thousand words. 


	19. A Most Noble Act

Author's Note: To all Americans, happy Fourth of July! waves madly Which is why this chapter is also updated a bit earlier than usual. This is a present to all Americans who read this! Cheers and thank you, faithful reviewers. Here is the chapter you all must be waiting for earnestly, since that evil cliffhanger and the chapter afterwards have you all bent on murdering me. hides before continuing to speak By the way, if you would like to see how Aozora looks like, you may do so by clicking on a link I posted on my Bio page. If he somehow manages to look like you, do tell me. Thanks and go read your hearts out! Just don't forget to review. (  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 19: A Most Noble Act  
  
Aozora followed Friar Tuck, Donald, and Goofy for only a little while, before realizing that Sora wasn't with them. He froze up quickly, his senses all tense, on alert. Where did he go?  
  
"What's up?" Goofy hiccupped.  
  
"Sora," Aozora answered. "Where did he go?"  
  
Friar Tuck stopped in his tracks. Donald, who was not paying attention, ran into him.  
  
"Ow! What where you're going!" Donald squalled as soon as he was back on his feet.  
  
"Its not that," Friar Tuck reprimanded quickly. "Aozora, where's Sora?"  
  
"How'd you know my name?" Aozora demanded, then gave himself a mental slap. "Why do I ask; you're part of the Order..."  
  
"Hey everybody, look!" Goofy pointed a little way behind them. "That there's Sora....but....er...what's he doing?"  
  
Sora, for some odd, unexplainable reason, was kneeling in front of the lake, staring into its watery depths. It was very odd, because they had no idea why Sora would even think about doing that.  
  
"Sora?" Aozora called out. "What are you doing?"  
  
Sora didn't even seem to breathe; he was more like a carved stone statue of a boy looking into the lake.  
  
"Oh no..." they heard Friar Tuck say. "Oh no."  
  
"What? Is there something wrong?" a hard edge began to collect in Aozora's voice.  
  
"Oh no...he looked into the lake," Friar Tuck began to rush his way over. " I didn't even warn you about the lake! Oh, I'm such a fool!"  
  
"Why?" Donald demanded as the three with Friar Tuck rushed after him. "What's wrong about the lake?"  
  
"The lake...holds the strangest powers," Friar Tuck answered." For hundreds of years, the innocent passerby would go to the lake and would never be heard from again. Then one of my fellow monks told me about the 'Curse of the Lake'."  
  
"A curse?" Donald squabbled madly.  
  
"Whoever looks into it sees strange things," the Friar explained as they rushed to Sora, who happened to be rather far away. "Things like the future, the present, and the past. But often, I'm told, they can wreck one's mind, or cause them to fall into the lake and drown...But for one with power like Sora, that's rather dangerous; I don't even want to know what the lake can do to someone like him..."  
  
"What?" Aozora bolted past him. "Sora! Get away from that lake! Get away! Now!"  
  
Sora fell into the lake.  
  
He didn't know what was going to happen if he looked at the lake. It was so strange, the water tossing back and forth and swirling like a whirlpool. But he did not expect this. No, he did not want to see it.  
  
A huge battlefield loomed before his eyes. Heartless and Nobodies, among other shadowy shapes and beings, were in the dark army before him. It was a barren wasteland of a battlefield...and he heard voices behind him, shouting soldiers to their posts...  
  
Blood dripping from every blade, bodies strewn all over the soaking ground, the rain falling like tears from the angels above...somewhere, a man was crying...  
  
And he saw what he believed was the present, was now...  
  
Kairi was walking down a hazy path in a world of gray...with two people he could barely make out...they barely looked familiar...but there she was, Kairi, the one he promised he would return to...  
  
Riku was in an unfamiliar gummi ship with five undistinguishable figures...why was it all so hazy? But he was there, and he looked...fine, just fine...  
  
Sora shook as he stared into the water. Why? Why was the strange power of the water tormenting him with images of death, images of war, images of his friends?  
  
It was a dark, windy night...the moon shone a faint hue of red in the stormy sky...two people stood in a clearing, wind throwing itself against them...one was holding two keys in its hands, the other had only one...both were human, facing off in the dark, dark world...  
  
Then, two children, young, small, appeared as though out of thin air...they cried out, "Daddy, what are you doing?"...and the one with the two blades turned to them...  
  
Two strange, canid creatures, one blazing white, the other a deep dark brown/black, fought tooth and nail in darkness...feathers and fire flew...the worlds rumbled and shook under their very feet....  
  
Come...come, wielder of the Key...come into the waters...and see what you must see...hear what you must hear...take what you must know...  
  
He heard someone cry out his name...faintly...  
  
Come!  
  
He fell.  
  
"No!" Aozora cried out, his hand outstretched, wanting to stop Sora. But Sora fell, head first, into the dark waters.  
  
"God, save us now," Friar Tuck prayed. "This night was not meant to go this way, it wasn't!"  
  
"I'm gonna get him!" Aozora unzipped his long cloak, pulled it off and chucked it aside, then dove into the waters after Sora.  
  
"He wears white?" Donald was puzzled.  
  
"Oh God, now can you save us?" Friar Tuck prayed all the more fervently. " He shouldn't have gone after him! Doesn't he know what the waters can do to ones like them? They're both Keyblade wielders, who know what can happen to them! Maybe I should get Robin Hood."  
  
With that, Friar Tuck rushed to their original destination with no knowledge of the fact that he would crash the very-lively party that was being hosted in honor of Robin Hood and Maid Marian.  
  
It was strange. Sora knew he had fallen into water, he knew human beings cannot breathe in water, but why, after a several seconds of holding his breathe, was he able to breathe?  
  
So...the Keyblade Master himself as come...  
  
Sora blinked. Floating in the dark depths, he thought he saw a tall, darkly cloaked person before him, three strange orbs of power orbiting around it. The being raised its hooded head just a bit, then gave a half-bow, as though acknowledging a king.  
  
You have come...though your destiny is not clear. You answer the higher call, the nobler cause, without knowing what fate may hold for you...  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora demanded, trying to yell in the water. But all that came out were bubbles.  
  
You know what will happen if you fail? If you do not succeed...if you cannot return?  
  
Sora felt his heart quiver. What was this being talking about?  
  
Then, before his eyes, he saw an image that shook him to the core.  
  
It was dark, dark like the night...a vast, endless sea, dark and murky...the sky was clouded over, nothing more to be seen...a restless wind blowing with nothing to brush up against but the cloud and sea...loneliness...the empty sea screamed of it...sadness...tragedy...it was a bitter place, an empty, never- ending realm of sadness...  
  
"What-what is that place?" more bubbles floated out of Sora's mouth.  
  
The Grandmother was to tell you, but she had failed. Now I am with the task of telling you. This is the Sea of Sorrows. If you fail, all the worlds will turn to the darkest sea...and both the dark and the light will have fallen into ruin. If you fail, this is where you will go...and this is what everything will become...  
  
Sora stared as he took in those words. If he failed, is this what the end of everything would look like?  
  
Is this answer you've been looking for? Always ask yourself as you go down the road to your destiny....always ask if this is the answer you seek...  
  
Then, the image of the empty sea and the being itself vanished, as someone grabbed his arm and he was pulled upwards...  
  
Aozora found himself breathing in the waters of the lake, which stunned him. Allowing his body to sink a little bit, he carefully opened his eyes, peering into the murkiness of the water, searching for any signs of Sora. But what he found was a bombardment of voices.  
  
Protector of the seeker...wielder of two blades...child of the blue sky, protect him...protect him at all costs, protect him to the end...you must not fail...you know the consequences...you know what will happen...  
  
Aozora desperately pushed aside the voices, as he saw Sora sinking lower into the waters below him. He propelled himself forward, using arm and leg to reach out for Sora as he sank.  
  
My pupil...do not fail...remember my parting words...do not fail...  
  
Mentor...Aozora froze, stunned with disbelief. It was his mentor, the one they called Eldest...  
  
Do not lose hope in finding your friends...do not lose hope in your mission...do not lose hope in the cause...do not lose hope in remembering your past...  
  
"Mentor!" Aozora cried out, bubbles floating from his mouth, as he grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him up.  
  
"Should I go in?" Goofy looked hesitantly at the lake; everyone noted the bubbles coming from the lake.  
  
"Friar Tuck says this lake is cursed," Robin Hood was musing; Friar Tuck did crash the party and caused a hullabaloo about Sora. "But why would anyone go in?"  
  
"He just fell in," Friar Tuck was explaining, moving about frantically. " He was looking into the waters and he just fell in! It's my fault, all my fault! I should've told them about the lake's curse but I forgot! God forgive me!"  
  
Aozora suddenly surfaced. Gasping for air, he pulled Sora along, who looked completely out of it.  
  
"Oh, they're alright after all!" Friar Tuck breathed a sigh of relief, while Robin Hood reached out to pull in Aozora and Sora.  
  
"My are you two a fright!" Maid Marian rushed up with two blankest she grabbed from one of the trees back at the camp.  
  
Little John had the "more laundry, no..." look on his face.  
  
"I'm sure glad to see both of you are okay!" Goofy yanked Sora out of the waters. "Um...Sora, are you okay?"  
  
Everyone turned to the Keyblade Master. He had a fazed out look on his face. Friar Tuck immediately began to curse himself for not warning them about the curse of the lake.  
  
"No...I'm fine...really," Sora whispered.  
  
"The lake's curse," Aozora was musing as he accepted one of the blankets from Maid Marian. "What is the true nature of the lake's curse?"  
  
"I-I really have no clue, no idea," Friar Tuck admitted. "All I know is that it has driven some mad and some never return form the journey to the lake. Why, what did you see?"  
  
"Yes, tell us what you saw!" Skippy hopped up and down eagerly.  
  
Aozora gave everyone a rather dark glare, then looked at Sora, whose face was oddly pale. "I don't know...I'm sorry, but I'd rather not."  
  
Skippy, the young white rabbit, looked sullen, then looked to Sora," Well Mister, can you tell us what you saw?"  
  
Everyone looked to Sora, who was starting to shiver. He shook his head slowly, then said, "I think I'm done for the night."  
  
Mother Rabbit threw Skippy a "don't you dare, young man "look and herded him away. Toby and the others from the party followed. Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marian, Lady Kluck, and Friar Tuck stayed and looked on as Sora and Aozora got up on their feet.  
  
"Der...uh...Sora, you okay, right?" Goofy had a very worried look on his face.  
  
Sora shook his head. "I don't want to talk right now, Goofy. Maybe later."  
  
His voice came at a whisper. Quietly, Robin Hood, Little John, and Friar Tuck led the way to their camp, to settle down for the night.  
  
"Der...excuse me," Goofy asked Little John, "you're name is Little John, right?"  
  
"That's right," Little John, the huge bear, answered. "Yes?"  
  
"Why are you called 'Little' John?" Goofy questioned curiously. "You don't look little to me."  
  
Everyone grew silent for a moment.  
  
"You know, that is a good question," Robin Hood admitted.  
  
"I think it's because it makes him sound nicer," Donald growled; his temper had not fully simmered down.  
  
"Good explanation," Robin Hood complimented. Aozora swore Robin Hood really wasn't listening and didn't want to start a conversation as absurd as this. "Truth is, it's a name that just stuck to him."  
  
Aozora rolled his eyes. He didn't even know why Goofy started the conversation in the first place.  
  
"War...there will be war," he heard Sora whisper under his breath. " Yes...there will be war..."  
  
"What makes you say that?" Aozora asked quietly.  
  
Sora looked to him and his pain-filled blue eyes stunned Aozora.  
  
"Because..." Sora answered, "I saw it...in the waters of the lake."  
  
Aozora knew Sora saw more but did not push it.  
  
"Aww...you fellows didn't even hear my song!" Little John suddenly exclaimed.  
  
"What song?" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora were startled by the sudden statement.  
  
"The one about Prince John!" Robin Hood exclaimed, suddenly filled with glee.  
  
"How does it go?" Friar Tuck asked eagerly. Being the one crashing the party, he didn't get a chance to hear it.  
  
Robin Hood and Little John looked to each other and winked. They grinned to Maid Marian and Lady Kluck, both who nodded in agreement  
  
"Oh the world will sing  
Of an English King  
A thousand years from now,  
And not because  
He passed some laws  
Or had that lofty brow.  
While bonny good King Richard leads  
The great Crusade he's on,  
We'll all have to slave away  
For that good-for-nothing John.  
Incredible as he is inept,  
Wherever the history books are kept,  
They'll call him  
The phony King of England."  
  
Friar Tuck added with much energy, "A pox on the phony King of England!"  
  
"He sits alone on a giant throne,  
Pretending he's a king,  
A little tyke who is rather like  
A puppet on a string,  
And he throws an angry tantrum  
If he cannot have his way.  
And then he calls for mum,  
While he's sucking on his thumb.  
  
You see, he doesn't want to play.  
  
Too late to be known  
As John the First  
He's sure to be known  
As John the Worst.  
A pox on that phony King of England!  
  
While he taxes ups to pieces  
And he robs us of our bread,  
King Richard's crown keeps slipping down,  
Around that pointed head.  
Ah, but while there is a merry man,  
In Robin's wily pack,  
We'll find a way  
To make him pay  
And steal our money back.  
  
A minute before he knows we're there,  
Old Rob'll snatch his underwear.  
  
The breezy and uneasy  
King of England.  
  
The sniveling groveling  
Measly, weasly  
Blabberin', jabberin'  
Gibberin', jabberin'  
Plunderin', plottin'  
Wheelin', dealin'  
Prince John,  
That phony King of England.  
Yeah!"  
  
"How long have we've been here?" Sora asked for the umpteenth time since they arrived, in a volatile fashion, to Sherwood Forest.  
  
"Weeks," Little John replied absentmindedly as he handled the cooking; he never really trusted Robin Hood again after the burning episode the day before the phony archery contest.  
  
"And what are you two planning to do again?" Aozora asked from his sitting position on the wooden table in the clearing.  
  
"Get Friar Tuck and the others out of the prisons," Robin Hood answered as he continued to fletch new arrows. "We can't have Friar Tuck hanged and the others are completely innocent."  
  
In the weeks since Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora arrived, the Sheriff and Sir Hiss were caught singing Robin Hood and Little John's song about Prince John, it was learnt the people of England were singing it, and Prince John taxed everyone viciously. Most, if not all, could not pay up continuously and were thrown in jail.  
  
Then, Friar Tuck got thrown into jail for having a brawl with the Sheriff. The two mouse residents of Friar Tuck's church rushed to Robin Hood with the news, and he went sneaking off to Prince John's castle to figure it all out himself. He came rushing back with Little John with the news that Prince John planned to have Friar Tuck hanged the next day.  
  
"We can't have that happen to him!" Little John was pacing earlier that day. "That's impossible; he's our friend! Rob, we've got to save him!"  
  
"There will be more than guards there, John," Robin Hood replied as he was polishing his bow. "You guys know what I mean, right?"  
  
He was referring to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora.  
  
"Nobodies," Aozora answered instantaneously.  
  
"Again?" Donald complained.  
  
"Cheer up, Donald!" Sora grinned. "At least we won't have to face both Nobodies and Heartless, right?"  
  
"Huyuk!" Goofy nodded in enthusiastic agreement.  
  
Donald grumbled something undistinguishable under his breath. Sora ignored that and instead turned to Aozora. "And what's on your mind?"  
  
Aozora had been busy brooding silently. "Not much...except, how are we to seal this world off from the Nobodies?"  
  
A long silence followed, later accompanied by, "What? What did I say wrong? Aren't I right?"  
  
And now, they were all getting ready for a night raid of Prince John's castle. Robin Hood and Little John were whistling rather merrily as they created a crude map of the castle and planned their course of action. Sora added a bit here and there but let Robin Hood and Little John do most of the planning; after all, it was their home turf.  
  
"Donald, we're almost out of Potions, Hi Potions, Ethers, and Mega- Ethers!" Goofy announced as he marched in, carrying shatter-proof bottles in his arms. "And we're almost out of Elixirs, too! We've only got one Mega-Elixir and three Elixirs!"  
  
"I hope they have shops in Twilight Town," Sora said darkly while Donald hit himself on the head and let fly some undistinguishable curses.  
  
"They do," Aozora had not told them about his own store of potions, ethers, and elixirs. "You guys use those amongst yourselves; I'll be fine."  
  
"You sure?" Sora asked worriedly.  
  
"He thinks he's Superman," Donald input. "Leave him alone."  
  
"Yeah, what he said," Aozora played along.  
  
Donald gave him a "what an idiot" look and began sorting through the pile of potions, ethers, and elixirs.  
  
The Nobodies kept to themselves, well away from the weasel archers and rhino guards that patrolled Prince John's castle. They went about in their own little groups, trying to have as little to do as possible with Prince John's forces. And whenever they passed by the others, they gave them contemptuous looks, as though the others were far below them in the social ranking.  
  
They only patrolled the walls. Prince John made it final that his soldiers patrol everywhere and the Nobodies be kept only to the walls. But should Robin Hood and his fellow outlaw friends attack, then the Nobodies can go all over the castle, to fulfill their mission, while Prince John's forces fulfill theirs.  
  
Upon arriving and creeping deep into the castle, Robin Hood, Little John, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora analyzed the problem laid out before them. Aozora knew much about the Nobodies; after all, he was said to be a member of those hooded people before he broke away and left.  
  
"They're restricted to the walls," Aozora noted. "They can't move elsewhere unless the instructions say so. So they will act like the archers and the guards; they have to see us in order to attack us."  
  
"Great, it makes things a whole lot easier," Robin Hood breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Huyuk, that's-"  
  
"Goofy, not too loud!"  
  
"Uh? Oh...sorry," Goofy apologized as they hid in the shrubbery near the spot a vulture, interestingly named Nutsy, patrolled.  
  
Nutsy approached their hiding spot, unaware of those who were hiding in the shrubbery. Little John signaled everyone to be quiet, then reached out to snatch Nutsy.  
  
Nutsy turned his back to the spot and set his pike/axe on the ground, then trumpeted out, with Little John's hands a few inches from his head and the church bells beginning to toll, "One o' clock! And all's well!"  
  
Robin Hood and Sora yanked Little John back and they all watched with wary eyes as the bells rang three times.  
  
"Nutsy, set your brains ahead a couple of hours!" the Sheriff yelled out sleepily from his seat next to the prison gates.  
  
"Yes sir," Nutsy answered dutifully. "Does that there mean adding or subtracting?"  
  
Sora snorted at Nutsy's stupidity. Everyone threw him a warning glare.  
  
"Oh, let's forget it!" the Sheriff answered in irritation.  
  
"Yes, sir, Sheriff, sir," Nutsy said.  
  
The Sheriff yelled back, "Nutsy, how can I sleep with you yelling "all's well "all the time?"  
  
"Sheriff," another vulture guard, named Trigger, hissed. He patted his loaded crossbow as he continued, "everything ain't all's well. I got a feeling in my bones there's gonna be a jailbreak any minute."  
  
Robin Hood, Little John, Sora, a very nervous Donald, Goofy, and Aozora looked at each other in surprise.  
  
"Criminently, Trigger!" the Sheriff yelped as he found Trigger's crossbow pointing up at his face. "Point that peashooter the other way."  
  
He pushed it aside. Trigger tried to reassure him, "Don't you worry not, Sheriff. The safety's on old Betsy."  
  
He patted the crossbow and it fired. The Sheriff and Trigger both ducked as the arrow flew all over the place, hitting the ground, the wall, the gate, and then sailed over to where Robin Hood, Sora, and crew were.  
  
"And I thought he was nuts," Aozora quipped and pointed in the direction of where Nutsy had vanished off to.  
  
"What are you trying to do, you birdbrain?" the Sheriff railed at Trigger, who pulled back his head meekly.  
  
"Just doing my duty, Sheriff," he replied with humility.  
  
"Oh, you and that itchy trigger finger of yours," the Sheriff growled. Nutsy approached the hiding spot again. Robin Hood nodded to Little John, who reached out and was not interrupted in snagging the vulture guard.  
  
Their only bad luck was, Nutsy made some noise while being yanked away.  
  
"Hey, you hear that?" Trigger hissed immediately.  
  
Oh damn! Aozora thought.  
  
"Sure did I, Trigger," the Sheriff agreed in a whisper. "There's something funny going on here. Come on."  
  
He gestured to Trigger to cover him, "You cover me. Wait a minute."  
  
He froze and Trigger nearly bumped into him. The Sheriff whirled around on Trigger, "Is the safety on old Betsy?"  
  
"You bet it, Sheriff," Trigger answered happily.  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of. You go first, "and Trigger moved to the front as they approached where Little John mugged Nutsy. "All right you in there! Come on with your hands up!"  
  
"Yeah," Trigger added with a threatening gesture of his 'old Betsy'. " Reach them up to the sky."  
  
Sora looked to Robin Hood, who was finishing up putting on the disguise. "Just you watch this performance, boys," Robin Hood said with glee as he tied a crooked sock to his face.  
  
"Be careful, Rob," Little John told him.  
  
"Good luck," Aozora agreed.  
  
"And I thought that guy was nuts," Donald muttered under his breath in the direction of the roped up bundle of feathers Goofy was guarding.  
  
Robin Hood hopped out of the hiding place and went into his act.  
  
"Many Nobodies have reported to Sherwood Forest, Princess Kida," she said softly, as the two-cloaked figures looked into the lake. "What must we wait for?"  
  
"The only way for the Nobodies to stop coming here is if we seal it," the other said. He bent down to look deep into the waters. "What must be done?"  
  
"A noble act must be performed," the princess of Atlantis answered quietly. "An act of great risk and sacrifice that tests the depth of one's soul will lock the world forevermore from Nobodies. This world has a heart no Heartless can touch; it is true for some worlds. But there are worlds with souls, and this one is one of them. You must wait for a noble act; Eldest has taught you two how to identify, yes?"  
  
"Indeed, the mentor has," he agreed.  
  
"And then we shall do what must be done," she said; she stood up and looked across the lake. "I sense something...someone is here. It feels...familiar."  
  
"Time will tell," Princess Kida said, repressing a smile. "Now you must go. Time is also pressing." 


	20. Time Is Pressing, Time Will Tell

Author's Note: The more I proofread chapters at this moment in time, the more I wonder how I could write this so that its worthy of you readers. Nonetheless, I will post the chapters for your enjoyment. Thank you for your support! And Anonymous Reviews are always welcome! Enjoy!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 20: Time Is Pressing, Time Will Tell  
  
Aozora jerked. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Little John looked at him in surprise.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sora asked worriedly.  
  
Aozora shook his head, trying to look as though nothing was wrong; his eyes, coppery as usual, shone though with a feverish metal sheen.  
  
"I-uh-no, nothing's wrong," Aozora replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.  
  
"Shh!" Little John reprimanded. "You guys are missing it! Rob's gotten way too good with this!"  
  
Huh?  
  
Sora looked in the direction Robin Hood had gone.  
  
Adorned in Nutsy's purple cloak, the vulture guard's pike leaning against the prison wall, the crooked sock cleverly shaped like a vulture's beak, Robin Hood was saying something to a very oblivious Sheriff, who was leaning against his chair and had a look of contentment on his face.  
  
"Just close your sleepy little eyeballs," Robin Hood was crooning to Sheriff, who yawned and was borderline on dozing. "The sandman's a-coming, why don't' you...let me loosen that belt? Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax..."  
  
Sora felt his jaw drop open. Damn, Robin Hood was good.  
  
"Oh relax..." the Sheriff sighed as Robin Hood carefully loosened the belt and gently fingered the keys out from the Sheriff's side.  
  
"Di, di, di..." Robin Hood murmured, trying to keep the Sheriff too stupefied to know what was going on.  
  
He inched the keys out of the belt slowly and carefully, but as bad luck would have it, the keys squeaked.  
  
A million potentially violent curses ran through Aozora's head as the Sheriff suddenly yawned and said, "Aw Nutsy, that' mighty sweet. Sing it one more time."  
  
Robin Hood, who had nearly jumped back, carefully sang, "Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax, dum, pump, pump...do, do, do, do...."  
  
"Amazing," Sora muttered to Little John. "He's so stupid."  
  
"We knew that from the beginning," Little John said with a wink.  
  
Robin Hood slid the keys out of the Sheriff's belt, then made frantic hand signals to the other to come.  
  
"Come on, we gotta go," Little John whispered and they sneaked out.  
  
"Let the party begin," Aozora was heard muttering under his breath as Robin Hood handed Little John the keys as they quietly opened the prison door. They snuck in, one by one, and all seemed safe until two things happened: Goofy's shield banged into a stone wall while, at the same time, the prison door squeaked as Robin Hood closed it.  
  
"Wait a minute! Jail break! Jail break!" the ever attentive Trigger yelped at the top of his lungs as he rushed to the prison. "I heard it, Sheriff! The door! The door!"  
  
Robin Hood, Little John, and Sora looked at each other in surprise. Donald was already reprimanding Goofy with rather silent hisses while Aozora's hands began to glow slightly purplish black and soft gold.  
  
Sheriff woke up with a start. He glared at Trigger as the vulture guard approached him with panic, then looks to the prison door, which Robin Hood had shut.  
  
"Now, for the last time," the Sheriff growled, "no more false alarms!"  
  
Trigger nodded unhappily, seeing that he was wrong, and went back to his post. The Sheriff tripped him in the process, then went back to sleep.  
  
"Phew...that was close," Robin Hood sighed as all six turned to the scenario behind them.  
  
The view of the dark, dank prison slammed into their faces. The innocent prisoners, chained to heavy iron balls, looked at them at first with confusion, then with some recognition, as Robin Hood handed Little John the keys and told them all in an extremely serious voice, "Now, you guys release Friar Tuck and the others. I'll go visit the royal treasury."  
  
He turned to go.  
  
"Wait," Sora said. "Let me help you."  
  
Everyone seemed to stop breathing.  
  
"Its dangerous," Robin Hood finally said. "Very dangerous. And you gotta be quiet if you want to help me."  
  
"Quiet? Him?" Donald muttered from under his breath.  
  
"Hey!" Sora turned on him. "I want to help him, Donald. Go with Little John and the others."  
  
"Oh no, no way are you going," Aozora spoke up firmly, in a voice of steel.  
  
"Why's that?" Sora demanded, taking one step towards his look-a-like, his eyes challenging.  
  
"There is no way we're gonna risk the Keyblade Master on a mission like that," Aozora said calmly, watching Sora boil with rage.  
  
"I'm going to help him, Aozora," Sora said, his voice trembling, attempting to keep the volume down at a bare minimum. "You can't tell me what to do. If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's that someone tells me what to do."  
  
"You may not like it," Aozora answered, his voice so horribly cold, it made everyone within hearing distance visibly shiver, "but if there is one thing we cannot afford to do, it is to risk the life of the Keyblade Master."  
  
"I will do what I want to do," Sora growled into his face. "So leave me alone!"  
  
"He's right, though," Little John said carefully. "I mean, its great if Sora goes and helps Robin Hood raid the treasury but Aozora is kind of right. Sora, we can't exactly risk you doing this. Are you that sure you want to help ol' Rob here?"  
  
"Quickly," Robin Hood found a very long piece of rope and was wrapping it around his shoulder. "You must make your decision. We don't have much time."  
  
That could have been one of the worst things Robin Hood would actually say. The air between Sora and Aozora crackled as they glared at one another. Sora was actually become more unnerved by Aozora's copper brown eyes by the second but he steeled his resolve; he understood what it meant for the people of Sherwood if they make a successful raid to the treasury but he could not understand why Aozora was so against this.  
  
What is it that makes you worried, Sora wondered, so worried that you would come a bit close to alerting the Sheriff of our whereabouts in prison?  
  
Aozora gritted his teeth silently; he didn't like those blue eyes at all. They unnerved him; they forced him to remember two different pairs of blue eyes, the owners of them he doubted he would ever see again.  
  
Why can't you understand the importance of things? Aozora growled deep in his mind. Why can't you see the danger that follows you, the darkness that threatens to overtake you?  
  
They could have gone on like this forever, if Robin Hood tsked and said, " Tsk, tsk, you two children are worse than I thought. Sora, if you can stay quiet, let's go."  
  
Sora grinned, despite the dark mood of the prison, and stuck his tongue out at Aozora. Aozora cocked an eyebrow at this show of child play, and then narrowed his eyes dangerously, his copper eyes sending a message filled with crackling anger.  
  
Sora looked rather disturbed as he separated from the group and joined Robin Hood. They snuck out of the prison and tiptoed out of sight.  
  
"Oh don't you worry, Aozora," Little John said rather cheerfully and clapped a hand on his shoulder as he watched them leave. "Robin Hood's really good at this. And it seems your friend is, too."  
  
"I don't know him too long to say that with confidence," Aozora answered rather darkly, his voice chilly. "Come on, let's free the others."  
  
Little John, Donald, Goofy, and a rather apprehensive Aozora crept through the prison, finally making out a single cell. Little John signaled the others to be quiet, and slowly unlocked the cell.  
  
Inside was Friar Tuck. He was terribly dehydrated and tired; he was lying sprawled on moldy hay in the damp room. There was a bowl of water nearby but the water was disgustingly contaminated.  
  
"Oh, Little John! It can't be!" the friar exclaimed in surprise as the prison door opened.  
  
"Shh!" Little John quickly reacted. "Quiet. We're busting out."  
  
He leaned forward and unlocked the iron ring on Friar Tuck. Friar Tuck spotted Donald, Goofy, and Aozora behind Little John at the doorway to his tiny, moldy cell but he didn't see Robin Hood or Sora. His mind began to panic.  
  
"Where is he?" Friar Tuck demanded urgently as Little John helped him up.  
  
"Robin Hood?" Little John asked as he undid all the keys from the ring and handed one to each person to unlock the prisoners.  
  
"No, Sora," Friar Tuck answered as he undid the ring on Allan-a-Dale, the great rooster minstrel.  
  
"Sora?" Little John was confused. Not only was Aozora worried about him, so was Friar Tuck! And he didn't have much to do with the outsiders, anyways.  
  
"He's the Keyblade Master," Friar Tuck explained as he undid the ring on Mother Rabbit. Oddly enough, he looked pointedly at Aozora, who was undoing the ring on a badger.  
  
"I know that! He went off with Robin Hood to raid the treasury," Aozora hissed. "A stubborn pain in the ass. He wouldn't listen!"  
  
Little John was getting all the more confused by the discussion between the two.  
  
"You're the Guardian," Friar Tuck said, his voice hinting the hardness growing in his tone. "That's a dangerous mission, I'm sure you know. You should've stopped him."  
  
Little John decided to block out the conversation-that-was-turning-into-an- unusual-argument and unlocked Skippy.  
  
Skippy, who had his bow with him, jumped up and exclaimed, "I'm ready. Where's the bad guys?"  
  
He pulled out a hidden arrow and strung it.  
  
Little John chuckled and said, "Take it easy, son."  
  
Meanwhile, Friar Tuck was saying, "I happen to be of the Order of-"  
  
"-the Hearts and Souls, yeah I know, I'm not stupid," Aozora snapped as he undid the chains on the group of raccoons. "My mentor told me-"  
  
"Eldest," Friar Tuck reprimanded. "My dear boy, what have those years done to your head?"  
  
Aozora gave him a hard stare, daring him to say more.  
  
Little John, putting the keys back into the large iron ring they were originally fun, then headed to one of the prison windows. He looked intensely outside for a few seconds, then backed off as an arrow, with rope tied to it, soared in. Little John borrowed Skippy's bow, strung the bow, then shot the arrow back.  
  
"What are you doing?" Donald asked.  
  
"Receiving the riches," Little John and Friar Tuck said with a grin, as moneybags began to appear.  
  
"Robin Hood! I'll get even," Prince John tossed and turned in his royal bed. "I'll get...It's Robin Hood I want. It's Robin Hood and that bastard child. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"  
  
Robin Hood and Sora froze. They stared at each other, then at Prince John.  
  
"He's obsessed," Sora mouthed to Robin Hood, who nodded and carefully picked up a bag of gold.  
  
"Come on, Sora," Robin Hood was tying a long chain of moneybags to the rope that was constantly moving. "There's no time."  
  
With that, the two gradually depleted Prince John's stores of gold.  
  
At the receiving end of the line, Little John and Friar Tuck undid all the moneybags. Donald, Goofy, and Aozora distributed them among the others.  
  
"Ha, ha. Praise the Lord and pass the taxes rebates!" Friar Tuck let out a mild laugh.  
  
Aozora did not have a clue what the friar was saying. He decided to ignore the friar and help him pass out the 'taxes rebates', whatever they were.  
  
"Is that all?" Sora whispered to Robin Hood as they tied (hopefully) the last of the moneybags onto the moving rope.  
  
"Actually, there's one more...." Robin Hood's voice drifted off into the night as they both eyed the bag of gold Prince John had tight in his arms.  
  
"Oh great," Sora cursed as they watched Prince John suck on his thumb, his arms creating a protective cradle around the bag of gold.  
  
"We've got no choice," Robin Hood sighed as he tiptoed towards the prince and an oblivious Sir Hiss. "Sora, get ready to leave as soon as possible."  
  
"I'm already ready," Sora replied. He had the Kingdom Key ready to appear in his hand at a moment's notice, but he felt he really was not going to need it that night.  
  
How wrong he was.  
  
The sound of a coin hitting the cobblestone alerted Trigger. He did not know where Nutsy was and he was not aware of the Sheriff's predicament. His 'Betsy' loaded and on the ready, the vulture guard carefully walked back to the prison.  
  
"Sheriff, don't get your dander up," he was saying as he approached what seemed to be the Sheriff sleeping next to the prison door, "but I still got a feeling-"  
  
The Sheriff suddenly moved. He snatched Trigger before the vulture guard could react and threw him into the prison. He then slammed the prison gate shut.  
  
"Friar, get going," Little John whispered as he pulled off the Sheriff's clothing; he had stolen them from the Sheriff after shoving him into the prison. "Hurry!"  
  
The friar and the villagers, each holding as many gold bags as possible, hustled away from the dreaded prison and towards a two-wheeled wagon. They clambered into the rickety wagon and Friar Tuck, after placing his bags of gold into the wagon, went to the front and set himself in between the poles that the carthorse would normally stand in. He pulled the poles-and the wagon-towards the suspiciously open castle gate. Little John looked behind him worriedly as they inched towards the drawbridge. Where were Robin Hood and Sora?  
  
Aozora seemed to be having the same thoughts and kept throwing nervous glances behind him. He had begun to slow down, as though anticipating that any moment from now, Robin Hood and Sora would appear. Donald, who sat in the wagon, kept a watch, on the lookout. Goofy was also beginning to slow down as well, looking behind him, wondering where Robin Hood and Sora had gone. Then...  
  
"Oh, oh, oh, oh ah...Aah! Aah! Hoo! Guards! Guards! My gold! Oh no, no, no!" they all heard Prince John's voice cry out. "They're getting away with my gold! Guards! Guards! Guards! Stop them! Stop them!"  
  
"Jump!" they heard Robin Hood's voice yell a split second later.  
  
"Guards! Get them!" Prince John shrilled at the top of his lungs. "No, not them! Them! Them! Rhinos halt! Stop! Desist! Aah! Ooh! Aah!"  
  
The sound of wine barrels rolling was coupled by Prince John throwing a nasty fit. Then...  
  
"Well, don't just stand there, you idiots! Get them! Stop them! Before they get away-no, not them! Them!" Prince John's voice was suddenly strong and angry.  
  
Aozora had a sinking feeling in his heart and soul. He had a very good idea of who Prince John was talking about.  
  
Robin Hood and Sora suddenly appeared, sprinting as madly and quickly as possible towards the two-wheeled cart. Friar Tuck by then had abandoned his position at the head of the cart and was reassuring some worried villagers in the wagon. Little John had taken up the task of pulling the wagon.  
  
"Everybody!" Robin Hood shouted at the top of his lungs. "Come on! That's all of them. Get going!"  
  
"This ain't no hayride people, people!" Little John bellowed as he gripped the poles and yanked the wagon forward across the drawbridge. "Let's move!"  
  
"On to Sherwood Forest!" Friar Tuck shouted and pumped his fist in the air, as the villagers catcalled the squabbling rhino guards.  
  
Aozora surveyed the whole group. Everyone seemed to be here, yes everybody was here-  
  
Aozora stumbled. Robin Hood was to him quickly, helping him back up. It was then the fox saw crazed fear in the copper eyes.  
  
"Sora," the teenager whispered and his eyes darted to the castle they were leaving behind, hopefully forever.  
  
"Stop! My baby!" Mother Rabbit shrieked, her arms reaching out from her helpless position in the wagon.  
  
Everyone looked behind their shoulders or turned to the castle.  
  
"The Nobodies!" Goofy yelled. "It's the Nobodies!"  
  
"May the Lord protect us," Friar Tuck whispered.  
  
Sora was fighting off the Nobodies that surrounded him and Tagalong, Mother Rabbit's youngest child. He had cast Aeroga on them both but there was a limit to how long the Aeroga will protect them. And to those who knew magic, they were aware of the fact that Sora may not have the energy to procure two more Aerogas.  
  
"Sora!" Aozora yelled and made to go but Robin Hood was too fast for him. He darted back inside the castle and dodged the Nobodies.  
  
"Sora! Give her to me and let's get out of here!" Robin Hood yelled.  
  
Sora made a wide arc with his Kingdom Key, pushing away the circle of Nobodies surrounding him and Tagalong. He the picked up Tagalong and 'tossed' her to Robin Hood. Then, to keep the Nobodies from following Robin Hood and Tagalong, he literally threw himself into the group of Nobodies.  
  
"Mama, Mama!" Tagalong yelped as Robin Hood made a mad dash towards the castle gate.  
  
Then, quite suddenly, the castle gate crashed down before their eyes, locking them within Prince John's castle. Little John, Aozora, Donald, and Goofy, who had made a mad dash of their own to Robin Hood and Sora, stopped short of the gate, horrified out of their wits.  
  
"We got him now!" the Sheriff's voice shrilled over the chaos Sora was creating. "We got the both of them! Get them now!"  
  
Robin Hood quickly pushed Tagalong through the spaces between the long, crude iron bars that made up the castle gate. "Get going and don't worry about me."  
  
"It's not just you we're worried about though, Rob," Little John hinted as he handed Tagalong over to Goofy and the knight made a mad dash for the wagon. "You know what I mean."  
  
Robin Hood took nearly a minute to realize who he was referring to. "No...we gotta get him out of here!"  
  
"This time we got 'em for sure!" the Sheriff yelled. He grabbed a flaming torch and charged at Robin Hood.  
  
"Go! Go now! I'll take care of him!" Robin Hood yelled.  
  
"I'm coming in!" Aozora knew the exact words for blasting the iron gate into pieces but the look Robin Hood gave him spoke enough.  
  
"You have to guard the people," Robin Hood said quickly. "They may come after the others. You have to guard them."  
  
"I'm the Guardian!" Aozora yelled as Donald attempted to drag him away. " I have to go with you!"  
  
"Buddy, we're getting out of here," Little John practically picked up the both of them and headed for the wagon.  
  
Aozora wilted. Could they not understand what he had to do?  
  
"You're not going anywhere but hell!" the Sheriff growled at Robin Hood as he chased the fox into the throne room.  
  
"We'll see," Robin Hood answered as he jumped on top of the throne.  
  
The doors suddenly crashed open and Sora tumbled into the room, followed by a massive swarm of Nobodies.  
  
"Sora!" Robin Hood shouted, then jumped over the Sheriff and headed for the Keyblade Master, who had suddenly crumpled to the floor.  
  
Grabbing a pike from the wall, he swung it in a wide arch, pushing back the Nobodies, and hoisted up Sora against his body.  
  
"Sora, Sora, can you here me? Sora?"  
  
Sora would not answer. Robin Hood held back a swear and fought off the Nobodies.  
  
"There is no way I'm letting the two of you go," the Sheriff snarled behind him. "This is gonna be easy."  
  
Robin Hood's mind worked furiously. He was handicapped carrying Sora. He had only one free arm and that held a pike. And the Sheriff was equipped with a burning torch.  
  
A strange sensation ran through his body. He had suddenly formed an idea, an incredibly crazy idea. It involved climbing a tower.  
  
Robin Hood hoisted Sora onto his back and bolted past the Sheriff. Furious, the Sheriff and the Nobodies followed him. But the Sheriff had the bad luck of waving the torch around like crazy. The torch set ablaze the whole room, something nobody ever expected.  
  
The Nobodies shrieked and shied away from the burning flames; the Sheriff could not reach Robin Hood and Sora and dashed outside, while Robin Hood got Sora and himself out of the window and carefully climbed up the tower.  
  
"Oh my god," Little John was saying from down below, safely hidden near the moat. "Oh my god, they're not gonna make it!"  
  
"No!" Aozora appeared, his eyes shining fearfully. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...."  
  
He fell to his knees.  
  
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy yelped. "No, they're not gonna make it, they're not gonna survive!"  
  
Robin Hood looked behind him to the burning mess. Weasel archers were flinging arrows at Sora and him. The Nobodies were doing something to the towers, something he knew wasn't good. And the only way out of the castle was down, into the moat.  
  
"Friar Tuck, now I will pray to God above," Robin Hood murmured as he looked to Sora, who was still knocked out. He looked at the peaceful face of the Keyblade Master. "God help us all."  
  
To the horror of Little John, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora, Robin Hood and Sora fell into the moat.  
  
"Little John, Little John, wha-" Skippy yelped as he approached the four people. He skidded to a stop as he heard a huge splash. Then arrows flitted from above and they ducked away. The arrows were aimed for the water however, where Robin Hood and Sora vanished. Bubbles blossomed from the water as the arrows pummeled into the water, then floated back up.  
  
"Come on, Rob, come on," Little John whispered, not knowing what to think.  
  
"He's just got to make it," Skippy agreed.  
  
Aozora only felt hope ebbing away from him. Hope then spilled away in torrents as only Robin's hat surfaced. There was no sign of either one of them.  
  
"Yes! They're finished!" Prince John cheered. He was wearing a nightgown and his castle was burning but he did not seem to notice. "Done for! La, la, la! Ha, ha, ha!"  
  
"He's got to make it," Goofy was saying. "They have to be alive."  
  
"He's going to make it...they're gonna make it, aren't they, Little John? Aren't they?" Skippy looked to the large bear helplessly.  
  
"No...we failed..." Donald sat down suddenly, slumped over.  
  
"Wait a minute..."Skippy stared at the water. Two reeds were sticking out of the water. That was normal, considering there were other reeds sticking out of the water as well. But reeds don't move, especially in a line towards them. "Hey, what's that? Look it! Look it! Look it!"  
  
Aozora perked up. He knew what purpose reeds had. And if two reeds were moving towards them, sticking out of the water...  
  
"Ha ha, did you have us worried, Rob. I thought you guys were goners," Little John wiped water off his face as Robin Hood surfaced from the water, pulling a woozy Sora after him.  
  
"Ah not Robin Hood!" Skippy was jumping for joy. "He could've swum twice that far, huh Mr. Robin Hood?"  
  
Sir Hiss, who had been watching Prince John jump for joy, spotted the commotion near the moat. "Look, Sire! He's made it! They've made it! They got away again!"  
  
Prince John ran to the wall, aghast.  
  
"A pox on the phony King of England!" Robin Hood, Little John, Skippy, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora shouted as they vanished. "Oo-da-lolly!"  
  
Seconds later, Prince John was found sucking on his thumb and using a stick to whack Sir Hiss as the snake tried to flee.  
  
It was a sunny day, when the fields were green, the sun shone bright, and life and joy bloomed everywhere. King Richard had returned and now Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff were forced to work in the Royal Rock Pile as punishment for what they had done to all of England. And somewhere bells were ringing. A marriage.  
  
"Long Live Robin Hood!" the people were cheering as Robin Hood and Maid Marian, the newlyweds, appeared at the front of the church. Smiling, they kissed and the crowd cheered. Then, as they headed for the carriage that awaited them, the regal King Richard appeared. "Long live King Richard!"  
  
"Oh Friar Tuck," King Richard could not stop laughing, "It appears I have an outlaw for an in-law. Ha, ha, ha!"  
  
"Ha, ha," Friar Tuck agreed. "Not bad."  
  
His eyes, though, darted to the four outsiders who stood amongst the crowd, cheering with the people.  
  
Godspeed, Keyblade Master. Godspeed to those who defend you, who guide and aid you on your journey. Godspeed.  
  
"Gee, Skippy, how come you're going?" Toby, the slow turtle asked Skippy as he jumped to the front of the carriage besides Little John, who was driving the coach.  
  
"Well, Robin Hood will have kids so somebody's got to keep all right things," Skippy answered, then clutched to the seat as Little John shouted, "Ho!" and got the horses moving.  
  
"Ach! I've never been so happy in my life," Lady Kluck wiped away a tear, before leaving by a different route to where Robin Hood and Maid Marian were headed.  
  
"Farewell, friends!" Robin Hood and Maid Marian called back to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora. "Good luck, Keyblade Master! Good luck!"  
  
"Goodbye!" Sora yelled back. "Thank you so much! I hope we meet again!"  
  
"Don't we all!" Maid Marian laughed with joy as the carriage vanished into the distance.  
  
"Well, folks, that's the way it really happened," Allan-A-Dale said, then began strumming.  
  
"Love goes on and on  
Oo-da-lolly  
Oo-da-lolly  
Golly what a day  
Oo-da-lolly  
Oo-da-lolly  
Golly what a day.  
  
And may God bless us all."  
  
"They had done the impossible," Princess Kida told the two who looked deep into the waters of the lake. "They made the ultimate sacrifice. That alone locked the world against the Nobodies forever. But time will tell if my words will hold true."  
  
"They did the impossible," the young woman's voice mused. "Time pressed all around them, their lives were threatening to go in seconds, yet they survived it all."  
  
"You have done fine work yourselves," Princess Kida smiled. "Very subtle but yes you have done well. If the castle gate was not open, the results would have been beyond disastrous."  
  
"I could imagine it myself," the young man's voice agreed.  
  
"Can you?" Princess Kida truly had a mysterious smile on her face. "I can see a disaster far worse than you two may ever see. We have only stalled it. It will take luck, in fact far more than luck, for us to truly advert the disaster. If we all fail...it will cost many lives. This is what Eldest wants of you two. To help the Keyblade Master stop the disaster before it leads us all to war...and darkness." 


	21. Amongst Us All

Author's Note: I have no comment whatsoever on this chapter, as I am currently a very braindead author. Thank you for your reviews, readers, and on with the story!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 21: Amongst Us All  
  
"That was the closest you've ever come to flirting with death, I'm told," Aozora told Sora as he manned the controls. Goofy stood by; Aozora's shift was almost over.  
  
"Perhaps," Sora snapped. He didn't like Aozora's tone of voice at all.  
  
Donald sensed a barrier of anger rising up between those two and contemplated whether or not to mention the fact that nobody is allowed on the gummi ship without smiling.  
  
"Don't," Goofy suddenly spoke. "Not now. Later."  
  
Donald jumped. How did Goofy know what he was thinking?  
  
"Don't what?" Aozora's voice was terribly cold.  
  
"Uh...der...I don't know," Goofy answered honestly, then glanced at Donald. " You just looked like you were gonna say somethin'."  
  
Donald glared at him, then said," Shift over."  
  
"Yippee!" Goofy yelped. Aozora quickly moved out of the pilot's seat, lest Goofy might throw him off the chair, and then settled in a secluded corner of the gummi ship. He gave the whole scenario before him an intensive glare; he was in a very crappy mood, largely thanks to Sora's course of actions back at Sherwood Forest.  
  
The idiot that he was. Why can he not see the danger he puts himself in when he pulls his move? Does he not understand how important he is to the survival of the light? Oh man...he's such an ass. I can't believe I have to guard him...damn you Dream Heart, you gave me one hell of a job to do!  
  
"Where are we headed again?" he demanded.  
  
"Twilight Town," Donald snapped back. He was busy going through the last of the storage, counting the number of Potions, Elixirs, Ethers, Mega- Potions, etc, that they had. "We're almost out of supplies, especially from that last fight we had. Know of any place we can go to get more supplies?"  
  
Aozora flipped through the number of places in his head.  
  
"Might have to ask one of my old friends," he finally replied. "They still know the place better than me. And I know one of them was able to get a lot of supplies for me at a cheap price. They heaped together a lot of the munny they had, which wasn't a lot at all, and gave me enough supplies to last me a little while."  
  
"And we've got plenty of munny," Donald added. "Find your friends and ask them about the place."  
  
Aozora nodded.  
  
"I don't understand..." Sora was murmuring, his eyes closed. He was sitting against the gummi ship wall opposite of Aozora, his arms covering his face.  
  
It took the others a full minute or two to realize that he was asleep.  
  
"Murmuring in his dreams again," Goofy sighed as he flew over an asteroid.  
  
"What do you mean?" Aozora asked.  
  
"For a while...der...Sora's been saying odd stuff in his dreams," Goofy began hesitantly. "Like what he just said a moment ago."  
  
"Odd stuff...hm..." Aozora thought. He gave Sora a very dark look.  
  
"Passing New World," Goofy announced. "Looks fine, looks like no problem at all. Der...ten minutes, I think. Yes, I think we'll reach Twilight Town in ten minutes."  
  
The others nodded, then Goofy went back to piloting, eventually forcing Sora awake when the gummi ship suddenly barrel rolled to avoid a swarm of Heartless ships.  
  
"Twilight Town..." Aozora sighed as they left the train that took them from the gummi shipyard to the heart of Twilight Town. "Stayed here six months, left for a few weeks with you guys, and now it feels like I'm coming home."  
  
"This wasn't your home?" Sora asked, surprised.  
  
"Didn't he...der...already explain it?" Goofy offered an answer.  
  
Sora hit himself on the head.  
  
"Let's go to the clock tower," Aozora said. "We'll be able to find my friends there...unless they moved."  
  
"Unless they moved?" Donald shrilled, his voice growing higher.  
  
Aozora shrugged. He was very forward to meeting Ashita and Yuri again but he wasn't so sure about Orion. Orion did act strange around him...though he was rather good at not showing it.  
  
"Yuri and Orion are both related to this Ansem of yours," Aozora said. "I still find it very strange."  
  
"I know!" Sora growled out. He knew it was impossible. How were they both related to Ansem? And how did Aozora become their friend anyways? He knew, from collecting Ansem's Reports, the former king had sent a person out in search of the Keyblade Master. Sora didn't' know if he did succeed or no but what he did know was that Ansem was supposed to be dead...or at least gone.  
  
Was Ansem still alive? Two relatives of Ansem hovering near Aozora, who can use the keyblade like me, two keyblades in fact. What can that mean? I wonder...  
  
"And what about Ashita?" Goofy was talking to Donald. "He said he came from Deep Tranquility. That can't be a chance happening, right? I mean, they last lived in Deep Tranquility, too, before King Mickey-"  
  
To everyone's surprise, Donald whirled on the knight, jumped (they had never seen him jump at someone twice his height before), and snapped Goofy's mouth shut with his hand.  
  
"Not another word," Donald said rather dangerously. "Not here, not anywhere, never say anything about that. You know what he said. You know we're the only ones who really know. If you start talking, the rumors would come again. Keep your mouth shut."  
  
Nobody had ever really heard him give direct orders to Goofy. Or seen him do it, either.  
  
"Um...is there a problem?" Aozora asked hesitantly.  
  
"No!" Donald squalled. "Come on, let's keep moving."  
  
With that, he took the lead and stomped his way toward the clock tower. Everybody else gave each other really odd looks, especially at Goofy, then ran to catch up to him.  
  
None were able to notice a shadow lurking in the background, watching them as they approached the clock tower. He gripped at the brick wall he was up against in anger as his eyes focused on Aozora.  
  
Him...he's back...Ansem should know of this...yes, he needs to know of this...two Keyblade Masters...yes, he will like this very much...  
  
With that, the shadow vanished.  
  
"You think we'll ever see him again?" Yuri asked as she twirled her brown hair slowly with her finger and stared at the twilit sky.  
  
"Depends on who you're talkin about," Ashita replied as he counted munny in the clock tower room.  
  
"I don't know...both, maybe?" Yuri was rather uncertain.  
  
"Sigh...both? Please don't mention his name, whatever you do," he said as he started putting away the munny.  
  
"Why?" Yuri asked.  
  
Ashita gave her a long stare. "You know why."  
  
"But I don't understand," Yuri sighed, then put her chin on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs. "A simple visit to Cid...and he goes ballistic. Why, I've been wondering now, why?"  
  
"Wish I knew the answer to that," Ashita replied as he walked over and stood next to her. They both watched the busy scenario of Twilight Town before them, from their view at the top of the clock tower.  
  
"I wish I knew how both of them are doing," Yuri finally said after a little while.  
  
"Yeah, I wonder why," Ashita said sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up," Yuri said, then turned her eyes downward to the area right in front of the clock tower. She watched the people walk back and forth past the clock tower, ignoring it for all its majesty among the smoggy buildings of Twilight Town.  
  
"Wait a minute..." Yuri noted four people approaching the clock tower, something very few had done. "Ashita, there are four people approaching the clock tower."  
  
She pointed downward. They both, cautiously, peered over the edge of the 'balcony' they were on. They saw the tops of a brown-head, a blond, a blue hat, and an awkward yellowish-orange hat. The four people were headed straight for the clock tower.  
  
"One of them's blond..." Ashita noted very carefully.  
  
"You think that's Aozora?" Yuri breathed.  
  
"Let's go find out," Ashita suggested and they bolted into the clock tower.  
  
"Do you really think they're still here?" Sora asked uncertainly as they approached.  
  
"You know what?" Aozora answered. "Hanging around Donald must be giving you some sense of mistrust in most people. Trust me, they're still here."  
  
Donald grumbled at this and Sora glared at his look-a-like. Aozora, however, acted oblivious and strode forward quickly to the boarded up door. He raised his right hand up, about to knock on the door.  
  
The door flew open so fast and Aozora stood so close to the door, it missed his nose by centimeters. Ashita and Yuri came tumbling out and whirled on Aozora.  
  
They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity. Then Ashita and Yuri pulled Aozora into a huge hug.  
  
"They're short of supplies, Ashita," Aozora patiently explained as they followed Ashita and Yuri up to the top of the clock tower. "You know that store you went to get my supplies?"  
  
Ashita gave a brief nod, then froze. He turned on them and said, "You're going to tell me we're going back there, right?"  
  
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora blinked at him in utter confusion.  
  
"Orion left," Yuri suddenly said, knowing full well what might happen once she said that. "He left right after we left that store. Three days ago, he left us. I don't know what happened between him and Cid but-"  
  
"Cid?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy demanded.  
  
"Rikku's dad, I'm guessing," Aozora added.  
  
"I can't go back there," Ashita said. "You know how scary that bald guy is? Gave me a nasty stare the whole time we were there. Scared everything out of me."  
  
"I know," Yuri agreed. "He gave me and Orion a hard stare, too. Then he pulled Orion aside while we were dawdling and talked with him. Orion raised his voice, then stormed out of the shop. We went after him...he left, as soon as he reached the clock tower and got everything from his room."  
  
"He left?" Aozora was stunned. "Did you guys hear anything that was said between him and Cid?"  
  
"Only this," Ashita said. "Before Orion left, Cid said, "Amongst us all, there can be no traitors." Orion yelled back, "Who says I'm a traitor?" and Cid said, "Then who are you?" and some other stuff. Then Orion left the place."  
  
The silence that followed the last sentence was deafening.  
  
"' There can be no traitors?'" Aozora repeated slowly. "What in-"  
  
His abrupt silence disturbed them to no end.  
  
"What? What's wrong?" Yuri demanded, her eyes worried.  
  
"Ashita, we have to go to that shop," Aozora stared at his friend. "I have to talk to that guy."  
  
"Aozora, why-" Sora began to ask but Aozora cut him off.  
  
"I think he knows something that we need to find out," Aozora said. "From these guys-" he gestured to Donald, Goofy, and a fuming Sora "-I figured out who Orion's uncle is. And I do know he had referred to someone as his 'uncle' once about three months ago."  
  
"Oh yeah..." Sora remembered what Aozora had said when they first met.  
  
"Really?" Yuri looked visibly upset. "But that's not right...all I know is that we have only one uncle."  
  
Everyone grew silent. Ashita's words rang loudly in their minds.  
  
"Amongst us all, there can be no traitors"..." Who says I'm a traitor?"..." then who are you?"...there can be no traitors...then who are you...  
  
Ashita was really hesitant as he opened the door into the rather insignificant building in the foreign trader's sect of Twilight Town. Yuri, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora followed him solemnly and silently into the biggest mess they had ever seen in a building.  
  
Potions, Ethers, Elixirs, and everything else of the category was scattered all over the concrete floor. Cupboards were broken apart, torn. There were deep scratches on the wall; there were traces of blood all over the place. And three very familiar people were clearing up the place...  
  
"Yuna? Rikku? Paine? What are you guys doing here?" Sora demanded, making their presence known.  
  
Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were in the act of lifting what remained of a metal cupboard and moving it out through a back door. Supervising them was a very gruff-looking bald man with a strange scowl on his face and a funny blue jumpsuit. Or was it a jumpsuit? Sora could not tell.  
  
"And who may you be?" the man barked.  
  
"Aw, Dad, let them be, they're our friends," Rikku quickly retorted as they made their way carefully towards the back door. "Hey guys, what's up?"  
  
"And you two..." Rikku's dad gave Ashita and Yuri a dark stare. "Now what?"  
  
"Dad!" Rikku's voice yelled back.  
  
"Uh...my friend's...uh...friends want to talk to you about...uh..." Ashita stammered.  
  
"About Orion," Aozora said briskly, knowing they were wasting time already and they could not afford to lose any amount of time.  
  
"Orion, eh?" Rikku's father was alert, his voice suddenly very menacing. " What do you want about that kid?"  
  
"We want to know what you said to him," Sora said, his voice very quiet but incredibly commanding.  
  
"Do you?" the bald man suddenly deflated, was very calm and collected.  
  
"I think it is important that we know what you've said to him," Sora continued. "These people here-" he gestured to Aozora, Ashita, and Yuri "- were with Orion for a long time and of the three, Aozora noted at Orion was talking with someone in his room. He heard two voices and Orion called the other voice 'Uncle'. We know Orion's dad is the cousin of the king of Old Citadel and Yuri is the niece of the king of Old Citadel. And we three-" he gestured to Donald, Goofy, and himself "-know the king died-or vanished- a year ago. And Yuri just told us that the king was the only uncle to Orion and herself. And, I think you know who exactly the king of Old Citadel is."  
  
It took nearly five minutes for everyone to understand his speech. But once they did, they understood was he was saying.  
  
"King Ansem was a good ruler," Rikku's father, Cid, said slowly. "I knew him. I also knew Orion and Yuri when they were too young to remember me. Orion was always with King Ansem and we joked about him being Ansem's little shadow. Yuri was more distant and preferred to stay with Ansem's son- "  
  
"ANSEM HAD A SON?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy shouted at his face.  
  
"There were no records stating that!" Donald added right afterwards.  
  
"I remember," Yuri agreed, as Yuna, Rikku, and Paine trooped back into the room. "Barely but its still in my memory. He was very nice and he had silver hair just like Ansem."  
  
A horrible thought bubbled into Sora's mind. And there's only one person in my universe with silver hair...  
  
"And then Ansem exiled all of us," Cid sighed as Yuna, Rikku, and Paine settled on cardboard boxes to listen to Cid's story. "We were all suddenly without a home. So we all came here and wondered what was going to happen to us all. Then we heard that Old Citadel self-destructed. That's what we heard; we never really knew what happened-"  
  
"What about Ansem's son?" Sora asked briskly.  
  
"No news of him for like eleven years," Cid shot back. "And you wanted to know about Orion, don't you?"  
  
He directed this to Aozora, who gave him a steely glare.  
  
"Last night something attacked my place," Cid began slowly, his eyes on his daughter and her two friends. "We didn't know what it was but I had a very good idea what it was going for."  
  
"It was trying to get my old man," Rikku continued. "A huge white thing, armored, with pointy shoulders and a hand for one arm and a long lance for another. It looked like some ghostly knight, with the oddest symbol on its helmet."  
  
Sora and Aozora, not realizing the other knew of it, quickly conjured the image of the Dream Heart in their minds.  
  
"We tried to fight it," Yuna added. "But in this cramped space...it was horrible. Every item that was in this store didn't survive the night. Eventually we forced it outside and it got horrible from there. Heartless, like the ones Sora described, swarmed the place. The only difference between the ones Sora described and the ones we fought was that the ones we fought were big and rather muscular. They were very difficult."  
  
"What was strange to us was: How did that great white thing find Cid?" Paine was finishing off. "We mounted up every defense possible to protect Cid but they still found him. And it's just not possible. Every defense we've been putting up around people like Cid had been infallible until now."  
  
"Member of the Order, I'm guessing," Aozora looked to Cid for confirmation. The bald man barely gave him a nod but it was there.  
  
"Three days ago, that ass came with those two into my store," Cid growled. "Two days later, that white monster attacks me. And I know that there was only one reason the white monster attacked me. Someone confirmed that a member of the Order, me, was residing here, doing my own business. And so someone ordered that white monster to attack me and kill me. That would put a halt to the Order and you can just imagine the disaster that would follow- "  
  
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute!" Sora put a stop to the discussion. "What the hell are you saying by 'Order'? What Order? I don't think I've heard of this 'Order' before. What the hell are you guys talking about?"  
  
"Sora," Aozora snapped back. "I'll tell you back at the gummi ship. The Order is a complex thing. It involves many people. Right now, we need to focus on Orion."  
  
Sora glared at him but Aozora ignored him.  
  
"Aozora," Cid said carefully, thinking carefully. "I think I know who was behind this. An attack on a member of the Order is very difficult, very difficult. We still don't know what happened to the Grandmother but it is very difficult to get rid of a member of the Order. The only foolproof way to destroy a member of the Order is to send a 'spy' of some sort to that member and pinpoint the exact location of the member. We of the Order have a tendency to stay in one place all the time. May seem to be a pretty stupid thing to do but we need to stay in one place for many confidential reasons. So its really easy for us to be tracked down...if the 'spy' knew who the look for and where in the first place."  
  
Aozora closed his eyes while Cid was talking. He was trying to piece together a puzzle that was forming in his mind. So far, everything seemed to fit into place. Except...  
  
"Sora, are you sure Ansem is dead?"  
  
Sora hesitated. Yes, he had seen Ansem fade away when Sora shouted that Kingdom Hearts was light and light flowed out of the double doors, piercing into Ansem's body and causing him to fade away. But Aozora's question shook his faith in that. Had Ansem really died?  
  
"I don't know."  
  
And the pieces fell into place.  
  
"That's impossible," Aozora growled, his voice suddenly harsh, ugly. Everyone was stunned by the change but what could they say? "That's utterly impossible. How can-how can it be possible? Cid, that' can't be true."  
  
"I think you've got it, kiddo," Cid answered calmly. "It's possible. I could tell. The look in his eyes gave it all away. Poor kid, he didn't know what he was doing."  
  
"Wait a minute, what?" Sora was genuinely confused. And so were Donald, Goofy, Ashita, and Yuri.  
  
"Yuri, are you sure Ansem was the only uncle you two knew your whole life?" Aozora decided to confirm his realization.  
  
Yuri hesitated but she nodded.  
  
"You told him, "Amongst us all, there can be no traitors." And you also demanded if he knew who he was," Aozora said. "Was he really the 'spy'? Was he really the one who spied for Ansem, spied on you, sent the white creature after you? Do you really think it was him?"  
  
There were audible gasps of horror. Then Ashita said, "That's impossible. Orion is not of that type! How can he, of all people, do that to us?"  
  
"There are people out there," Cid replied. "You don't know how evil or how good they are. You don't know whether or not one can express good or evil plainly, in front of your face, or hide it within his or her heart and soul. You don't know what kind of forms evil and good can take and you definitely don't' know when all this suddenly becomes a revelation on your part. You didn't know Orion's light or darkness, you didn't know how well he was able to hide from you all. He was well qualified to do this, to betray you and the light by spying for the darkness. The only really good question was whether or not Ansem did die."  
  
"Then Ansem didn't ..." Sora didn't even finish.  
  
A cold silence fell upon them all, as the sound of thunder rumbled through the air and a cold rain began to fall outside.  
  
"Not...possible," Ashita said haltingly as they staggered out of Cid's store into the pouring rain. "Not...possible...how could Orion do that...do that to us..."  
  
Sora was in a daze. His feet followed the group but his mind was elsewhere. His memories were elsewhere.  
  
Ansem wasn't dead? That's not possible. I saw him die, I know I did. But then, who was Orion talking to, addressing him as 'uncle'? And Yuri said Ansem was their only uncle. So what does that mean? Was Ansem truly alive? Is he alive now? Is he looking for me, watching me, my every step, my every breath?  
  
Sora looked around him. He was suddenly very nervous; he was shaken by the idea of having an old enemy of his return. He didn't look where he was going, though, as he looked around himself. He didn't know he had drifted away from his troubled group of friends and allies. And that was a bad thing.  
  
Sora rammed himself into something he didn't want to run into. Or was it someone?  
  
He was suddenly thrown against the brick wall of a coffee shop, an arm pressing into his chest. Something cold rested against his neck, something solid, metallic even, that placed a slight pressure on his throbbing artery.  
  
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," the voice of the captor whispered into his ear. "But of course, I always have to end up running into stupid people again and again. Pity your friends aren't with you."  
  
"What do you want from me?" Sora demanded, trying to sound as fearless as possible and utterly failing.  
  
"What do you think?" another voice said with a smirk. It was a crusty voice, a worn, grainy, but chilling sound. "The dagger wants to taste some blood. Especially the blood of the Keyblade Master. And the Heartless...they'd love to have the heart of the Keyblade Master as well. Or so I'm told."  
  
It was Orion. With him was a man who looked like a homeless alcoholic. And with them was a horde of the Heartless Yuna described to them.  
  
And Sora thought his situation was bad enough. It was steadily growing worse.  
  
Aozora froze. Donald bumped into him hard and fell on his bottom, cursing and picking himself up from the muddy puddle he had fallen into.  
  
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" Donald snapped.  
  
Aozora ignored him as usual. His senses were tingling, sending warnings screaming into his churning mind. A dark presence hovered in his mind, something threatening...  
  
"Where's Sora?" Goofy suddenly wondered.  
  
"Why, isn't he with us?" Ashita demanded, pushing wet hair out of his face.  
  
"Der...no," Goofy answered.  
  
"Oh no..." Donald groaned.  
  
"Something's happening," Aozora suddenly exclaimed. "We've gotta find him!"  
  
He whirled around and dashed back down the street they were walking on, splashing through murky pools of water. He sent out feelers, searching for the Keyblade Master who seemed to be gaining a habit of disappearing at all the wrong moments.  
  
"Sora...not again..." Aozora growled, then his eyes widened. He could sense Sora's presence, a hot-white glowing form, with a pool of darkness within him. And there was a strong presence of darkness all around him. But why?  
  
He came to a screeching stop, as a can rolled out in front of him. Another can, just like the one that hit him on the head. Then Heartless came tumbling out from behind a building. Aozora quickly tensed, his hands glowing purplish black and pure white.  
  
"What in-" Ashita's voice rose over the noise made by the suddenly bulked- up Heartless.  
  
"Get back!" Aozora yelled at the top of his lungs and tossed his coat aside, as the Oblivion and the Starlight flashed into his hands. "Get out of here; it's too dangerous for you! Go find Sora. I'll take care of them!"  
  
He didn't know if they managed to hear his last words, for the Heartless surged on him like a tornado.  
  
"We have to find Sora!" Donald said. "Come on, let's go!"  
  
Goofy was a little hesitant. He threw doubtful glances at the battle between Aozora and the Heartless.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" Ashita said. "He told us to get out of here."  
  
"And we have to find Sora," Yuri added.  
  
"Right," Goofy nodded. "But where?"  
  
"Go where the Heartless came from!" they heard Aozora yell. Then they heard a pain-filled yell.  
  
"Aozora!" Ashita and Yuri shouted.  
  
"Come on, we have to find Sora!" Donald yelled. "That's our first priority. And he told us to go find him so he probably has it all under control anyways."  
  
The other three gave him doubtful glances but they proceeded to do as he said. They rushed around the battle and proceeded to go up where the Heartless came from.  
  
They just had no clue what they were going to see.  
  
Aozora staggered off, doubling over. The gash at his right side was blinding pain; he felt wetness spreading from the wound.  
  
The huge Heartless that hit him jumped at him again, sensing weakness. Aozora willed himself to ignore the pain but he could only move his left arm. Using the Starlight, he swung it up and to the left, slashing at the Heartless.  
  
The Heartless merely bounced off the blade; he had moved too slow.  
  
"Damn it!" Aozora swore as he tried to ignore the pain, erase it from his mind, while concentrating on getting rid of the Heartless. He didn't dare use any destructive words; there were way too many things on his mind right now and he doubt he had the time to clear his mind out in order to use the words properly.  
  
Pain seared into his mind, as a Heartless appeared out of nowhere and threw him against a brick wall.  
  
The Oblivion spun away and promptly vanished back into him. The Starlight he still had, though it was gripped listlessly in his left hand.  
  
Heartless loomed over him, as he propped himself up against the brick wall. He felt blood trickling down his back and his head was ringing from the impact.  
  
"Damn it all," he cursed to himself as he struggled to get up. But he could not move. He was rendered helpless, completely at the mercy of the Heartless. 


	22. A World of Silence

Author's Note: Any of you who really, REALLY hate my cliffhangers, raise your hand. sees the sea of raised hands and ducks away before the tomatoes start flying Anyways, here's a chapter that would not only make you wait for the next chapter, I hope all you readers, yes you, will understand how important Riku and Kairi's sides of the story will be. Thank you, readers and reviewers, for your wonderful support. Now on with the story!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 22: A World of Silence  
  
The silence was just deafening. And he hated it. Riku hated the silence, but he could do nothing about it. He chose to do nothing about it.  
  
Phil, Meg, and Pegasus seemed to be in mourning, mourning for the destruction of their home. And that horrible explosion that destroyed that place clung tenaciously to his mind.  
  
"Where are we headed next?" Tarzan demanded, fiddling with the controls with his feet..  
  
"Wherever we go, I have to go to Traverse Town," Meg spoke up, her voice serious.  
  
"Why?" Phil barked; he was in the nastiest mood.  
  
"I need to talk to Leon and the others," Meg responded coolly. "It's confidential."  
  
Phil opened his mouth to object but Riku cut him off.  
  
"The world we're headed to...can you go to Traverse Town from there?" he asked calmly.  
  
Meg nodded. "Pegasus can actually take me there; he is a unique winged horse, created by the gods and bestowed upon with special powers. He can take me there."  
  
She smiled to the noble white horse. Everybody else except Pooh gave them both a skeptical look.  
  
"No really, I'm not kidding!" Meg protested. "We've done it before, flying out there and to another world!"  
  
"So that explains your unexpected and unexplained disappearing act!" Phil said.  
  
Meg 'sweat dropped'. "Well, "  
  
"Damn!" Phil growled.  
  
Then Tarzan uttered something and, for the first time, sat up straight. He then said something else and rubbed his back, while returning it back to its original formation.  
  
"What?" Riku barked. "What is it?"  
  
"Look," Tarzan pointed to the front of the gummi ship. But nobody needed to come close to the glass. They could already see it. Or what was left of it.  
  
It seemed to be Agrabah. Or what was left of it.  
  
"Oh, by the gods," Phil murmured stunned.  
  
Debris drifted in space; that was all that drifted. Except for a golden dome of the palace of Agrabah. Debris and the golden dome were the only remnants of the great world called Agrabah.  
  
"This was Aladdin and Jasmine's home..." Meg whispered. "We are just so lucky they made it out of there alive."  
  
"Holy shit," Riku whispered.  
  
"You've said it, kiddo," Phil agreed.  
  
Tarzan carefully maneuvered through the floating debris, taking care not to get too close to the floating chunks of Agrabah.  
  
"So this is what...the Coliseum would look like right now," Riku said quietly.  
  
"...oh bother...and I thought honey was messy," they heard Pooh mumble to himself.  
  
Everyone then fell silent for several minutes, contented with merely watching Tarzan steering Cid's gummi ship through the mess created by the Heartless.  
  
"We're headed to Halloweentown, right?" Phil suddenly barked, as they moved out of the mess and into deep, clear space.  
  
"I believe so," Tarzan replied. "That's what the map here says."  
  
He pointed to the hologram of the map of the universe. They were headed straight for a war-ravaged world named Halloweentown.  
  
"But Sally," the great pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, begged. "I promise you, nothing will happen. Just let Dr. Finkelstein and me tweak things just a bit-"  
  
"Please, Jack," the young woman pleaded. "Don't. We've already caused enough trouble last time, remember? Not anymore. We must look to the safety of the people first before considering what to do about the Heartless."  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack," the two-faced Mayor agreed. "We don't have time for you and Dr. Finkelstein to experiment again. Last time was a disaster-"  
  
"That was one year ago!" Jack exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his long, bony arms up in the air for emphasis. "We've got a good plan- a great plan, in fact!  
  
"Really?" the Mayor was suddenly interested. "Tell us about it!"  
  
Jack's face fell. "Uh...I'm sorry, but it's confidential."  
  
"If it's controlling the Heartless, Jack," Sally said, "then I've had it. Look to the people first, Jack, not to controlling the enemy. Cid said help will arrive soon; we must look to our own people."  
  
"Sally is right," the Mayor agreed. "Jack, I will not let you and Dr. Finkelstein carry out this 'confidential' plan of yours."  
  
Jack drooped briefly, before jerking back up and exclaiming, "When are they going to be here?"  
  
"As soon as they get through the barrier surrounding Halloween Town," Dr. Finkelstein wheezed as he rolled to them in his wheelchair. "Mayor, the portal is ready. If needs be, it can take everyone to Traverse Town. Of course I hope that would never have to happen but when worst comes to worst- "  
  
"What will become of us all?" Sally murmured as she knelt down and petted Zero, Jack's ghost dog. Her arm came off in the process but Jack helped her put it back on.  
  
Nobody knows like I do, Sally thought sadly as they all looked up at the ominous sky, lit with the glowing lights of Heartless ships. Nobody knows what would come out of this; nobody suffers like I suffer, holding that dark, dark secret within me...I was not chosen as a Heart and Soul for a good reason, for the inevitable will happen, no matter how hard they try to stop it. No matter how hard they try to protect him, they will fail, they will ultimately fail...  
  
"Damn, that was crazy," Riku growled as he stumbled his way out of the smoking gummi ship and into a very dark and gloomy town.  
  
"You've said it, kiddo," Phil agreed with a hacking cough as he tumbled out, followed by Pooh, Tarzan, Meg, and Pegasus. "Tarzan here's kinda dangerous; why don't somebody else do the piloting?"  
  
"I don't know how," Riku answered as he gestured to a gathering crowd around them.  
  
The well next to the gummi ship swirled in an eerie green color; they soon found out why the green liquid within was churning.  
  
Jack Skellington leaped out of the well and landed on his long, lanky legs before Riku and the others. They jumped back in surprise as the pumpkin king looked at each of them and smiled.  
  
"Welcome to Halloweentown," Jack said with an unusually demonic grin.  
  
"Thank you," Riku stammered back. "Are you Jack Skellington?"  
  
Jack nodded. He knew who Riku was and he wasn't really surprised that Riku knew something about him as well. After all, this kid had been near Oogie Boogie, hasn't he?  
  
"See Jack, they are here," a woman who seemed to be made up of many different body parts appeared, along with a glowing, floating little pumpkin, an egg-shaped man, and a cripple in a wheelchair.  
  
"Say," Meg turned to the man in the wheelchair. "You're Dr. Finkelstein, right?"  
  
The cripple was taken by surprise by the fact she knew him but he nodded. Then recognition registered in his voice."Yes, of course I am. What is it you wish?"  
  
"Cid told me not too long ago you were making portals for the worlds with many people on them, right?" Meg demanded. "Portals that can take people to Traverse Town?"  
  
"Meg, why-" Phil began.  
  
"Of course, of course-ah, I see," Dr. Finkelstein nodded." Of course, it is always available. Come this way."  
  
He began to wheel away, prompting nearly everyone to cast confusing looks upon the cripple and Meg.  
  
"He created portals that can take us to Travers Town," Meg explained as she whistled to Pegasus and moved to follow Dr. Finkelstein. "And, I need to get there."  
  
"Leaving already? Oh bother..." Pooh seemed to deflate by the second.  
  
"Good luck, then," Riku said with a wave.  
  
Tarzan merely nodded but Phil looked downright furious. However, he bit his tongue and watched as Meg and Pegasus followed Dr. Finkelstein deep into Halloweentown.  
  
We need more people with us when we travel, Phil thought to himself quietly as Jack, the woman named Sally, and the egg-shaped man who was the Mayor of Halloweentown began to brief Riku and Tarzan about the situation at Halloweentown while Pooh tried to make friends with the floating pumpkin. I'm stuck with mostly a bunch of no-nothings – well, maybe except Riku – and Meg, who's also a member of the Hearts and Souls, is gone! I'm the only one here, for crying out loud! Why didn't he let Sally be one? Oh, damn! I forgot, of course I forgot...damn Dr. Finkelstein!  
  
He glared at the crippled doctor as he wheeled back.  
  
"Pegasus and Meg are off to Traverse Town to...er, report to Leon and the others," Dr. Finkelstein replied, obviously attempting to sound as casual as possible.  
  
"That's good!" the Mayor said. "It's been a while since we've sent a report to them; they must be worried out of their minds-"  
  
"What exactly do we need to do here?" Riku asked, aiming straight for the reason why they were there in Halloweentown.  
  
"We must save Halloweentown," Sally offered an explanation. "This is one of the last worlds now; Wonderland, Coliseum, -" Phil cringed "-Deep Jungle, and Agrabah are officially destroyed. Monstro has not been seen for months; I expect he is where he needs to be."  
  
"And what the hell does that mean?" Phil barked.  
  
Oddly enough, everyone chose to ignore that question. All except Pooh, whose reply was, "Oh bother...my ears..."  
  
"You have no idea how strong the Heartless have become, have you?" Tarzan asked.  
  
"The Heartless have conjured new forms," Dr. Finkelstein said. "They are multiplying faster than ever and appear even more quickly, allowing them to assemble into massive armies within minutes. And believe me, its not pretty."  
  
"Our main goal is to destroy the blockade above us," Jack said, gesturing to the sky. "The blockade is the most dangerous thing right now; if all those ships blast us at the same time, we'd all be gone in seconds."  
  
"Well, what's one gummi ship gonna do against them damn Heartless?" Phil fired.  
  
"Right now, we're barricaded in Halloweentown," Jack quickly added. " There are many Heartless out there. I believe they came from the Heartless ships but I never really did think the ships could carry so many Heartless."  
  
"What the heck does that mean?" Riku demanded. There were thousands of Heartless ships up there in the sky; what did Jack mean? "Are you saying there's an army of millions of Heartless outside Halloweentown?"  
  
"One million three hundred thousand two to be exact," Dr. Finkelstein offered. "It's worse than before."  
  
"One million?" Riku was aghast. "How the hell are we supposed to defend Halloweentown and everybody in it against one million Heartless?"  
  
"If there was a way, I would've said it," Phil shot. "But look at this town; its old, rickety, and practically pathetic. You people been lucky for some time now but if one million Heartless makes a surge against Halloweentown, we're all toast!"  
  
For a while, everyone was silent.  
  
"Oh bother..." Pooh sighed and for a while, it seemed like the most sensible comeback to the situation.  
  
Riku heaved a massive sigh as Phil began to lecture everyone on what he thought was most sensible: sent your most able-bodied fighters to the edges of Halloweentown and herd everyone else towards Dr. Finkelstein's portal, just in case the Heartless break through.  
  
I sense disaster everywhere, Riku noted, sensing the ominous feeling in the heavy dark air. There is disaster wherever we go, wherever I go. I just don't understand, what can I do to help Sora? Why does the King want me to go on this sort of journey, with two very mismatched partners? What are his intentions? What are his purposes? What are mine?  
  
"The air weighs heavily with doom," Sally was suddenly at his side, her kind voice low and solemn, filled to sadness. "The doom that would weigh all of us down. We cannot run away from it; we can only fight it, defend the defenseless, and find a way to reverse that doom."  
  
"What is the doom?" Riku asked, as Phil started to bark at the Mayor about his ideas on what should be done to Halloweentown. Tarzan and Pooh had gone to group up able-bodied fighters and were taking them to the walls of Halloweentown.  
  
Sally had a tragic smile on her face. "One nobody wants to know. If it weren't for my foresight, I would have been a member of the Hearts and Souls, doing what Phil and Meg are doing. But my foresight is dangerous; not only do they always come true, it is also inevitable. There are very few times when it seems the doom can change but the doom I have carried in my heart for years...it is inevitable. No matter how hard you or the princess will try, no matter how hard the King and the Guardian would try, it will happen. And the doom I spoke of earlier...it will come to pass."  
  
Riku didn't like it at all. Sally was saying about him and a princess, King Mickey, and some Guardian not being able to stop something that obviously was of importance. And because it was what she said was inevitable, it was impossible to stop the other doom from coming.  
  
"Death at the doorsteps, leading to the darkness, and the never ending light fades into night," he heard Sally whisper.  
  
Riku left to muster the defenses of Halloweentown.  
  
"How do we get information from the Queen of Hearts?" Selphie asked sullenly for the third time as they cautiously approached the entrance to Wonderland.  
  
"Surely there's another way," Hercules agreed. "Arguing won't help us at all and every other 'possible' way seems hopeless."  
  
Kairi had a look of determination plastered to her face as she pondered on what they were going to do. Should they discuss what to do or should they just let the whole thing play itself out?  
  
"Maybe we should just let the whole thing play itself out," Kairi suggested. "We can figure out what to do as it goes."  
  
"That could be a good idea," Selphie nodded.  
  
"But I'm still bringing my sword," Hercules said adamantly. "If something happens, I've got to keep you two safe. Oracle Kenaii said you two were of major importance and must stay alive the whole time. I intend to do as he told me to do."  
  
Must stay alive? What the heck does that mean?  
  
"Visitors, Your Majesty," the White Rabbit chimed as he rushed into the lush throne room. "Visitors from Real Universe!"  
  
"What?" the fiery-tempered Queen of Hearts rose to her feet. "They enter without my permission to visit? Off with their-"  
  
"No Your Majesty, no, no, no!" the White Rabbit yelped. "Please don't; I think they are important visitors, Your Majesty!"  
  
"I'm important!" the Queen of Hearts barked. "I don't give a card's ass who's important or not! I'm the important one here and I most certainly did not give permission to let these unwanted trespassers in there. Arrest them and off with their heads!"  
  
"But Your Majesty!" the White Rabbit was trembling. "One of them is the son of Zeus! You know what that means, Your Majesty!"  
  
The Queen of Hearts froze, her face fixated with a look of fear. "The son of Him...very well, let them pass. But one moment of disturbance and I want their heads off!"  
  
The White Rabbit nodded, bowed, and scurried off to escort these visitors to the throne room while the Queen of Hearts sat in her chair, brooding over what possibly could have drawn the son of Zeus into Wonderland.  
  
"This way please."  
  
Kairi jumped. A white rabbit, dressed in an oddly colored suit with strange glasses and a huge hand watch, appeared right before them. Trembling slightly, he bowed and said, "This way is to the throne room. Please follow me."  
  
The white rabbit scurried off. Kairi gave Selphie and Hercules an odd look and they shrugged. They followed the white rabbit into a very strange small room, with hedge walls to the right and left. Before them, the walls turned to each other at ninety-degree angles, then froze and formed an archway in the shape of a heart.  
  
And apparently, beyond that room, was the throne room.  
  
"And I thought my mother looked bad when she was mad," Hercules murmured, referring to Hera, his mother.  
  
The Queen of Hearts was the most ruffled-looking woman Kairi had ever seen. She seemed to have a scowl imprinted on her face and she wore a very medieval, puffy dress with a tall, stiff white collar. Her tiny golden crown sat daintily on her oblong head and in her right hand, she had a scepter in the shape of a red heart.  
  
Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules tentatively approached the queen on her throne. Spades and Hearts Cards guards lined up on the right and left of the throne room, standing at attention, ready at a moment's notice to obey the Queen's wishes. Before them was a podium that faced the Queen's seat and, to her right, was another podium. The white rabbit that led them to the throne room scampered up the long stairs to the top and stood at attention. To the Queen's left stood a shredded cage, seemingly lathered in dark, dry red.  
  
To Kairi, it seemed that the broken cage was drenched with blood.  
  
"Is that blood?" Selphie demanded in a horrified voice.  
  
"Silence while in the presence of the Queen until you are acknowledged," the white rabbit called out.  
  
"Why are you here?" the Queen of Hearts barked. Her angry stare bore down on all three of them. Hercules actually seemed to cower away.  
  
"We-uh...we...um..." Kairi searched for the right words in her mind.  
  
"Wait a minute," the Queen of Hearts narrowed her eyes as she stared at Kairi. "I know you. You were one of the seven Princesses of Heart, am I correct?"  
  
Kairi gave a meek nod.  
  
"Are you here to know of Alice's plight?" the queen barked.  
  
"What plight?" Selphie exclaimed.  
  
"What happened to Alice?" Kairi asked evenly, forcing her fears down to a bare minimum.  
  
"White creatures assumed to be Heartless came and attacked Wonderland," the white rabbit piped up, as he unscrolled a rather important-looking document and read from it. "They seemed to be after Alice. Though the reasons are unclear, we believe it is because of her status as a Princess of Heart. However, not only had Heartless had not been seen in these parts of the Old Universe for some time, we became suspicious that these white creatures could be the new enemy. Then a strange, hooded being arrived. He took off his hood, if only for a moment, to speak to Alice. A redheaded stranger, he quickly replaced the hood and ordered the white creatures to attack Alice. Blood has been spilt but we do not know if Alice survived or not."  
  
"Oh no...Alice," Kairi murmured, her knees trembling.  
  
"What else do you know about these white creatures?" Hercules demanded.  
  
"And why do you wish to know?" the Queen of Hearts snapped back.  
  
"Oracle Kenaii wishes it that you tell us all you know about these so- called Nobodies, the white creatures that attacked Wonderland," Hercules answered in a clear, commanding voice.  
  
Silence.  
  
"They are Nobodies, then," the Queen of Hearts seemed oddly reluctant in getting that out of her mouth. "I do not know what they are or where they came from. I do not know why they went after Alice. Right now I don't care. Right now I want to know why you three are here!"  
  
She thundered the last sentence in their faces.  
  
"He said it already," Selphie said. "What do you know about these white creatures? That's why we're here."  
  
The Queen of Hearts was rather taken back. They came to Wonderland only to ask about the Nobodies? But of course, Oracle Kenaii was a strange on indeed. But she had promised him she would never reveal the information...  
  
"The situation is dire," Hercules said. "You do know the known universe is on the brink of war."  
  
"War?" Kairi and Selphie spun on Hercules.  
  
"And information on the Nobodies is supposed to help you stop the war?" the Queen of Hearts laughed. "Fools, what you know about the Nobodies are pitiful compared to what you need to know. Why is Oracle Kenaii making you focus on childish issues when you should be focusing on how to stop this war from happening?"  
  
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Selphie yelped. "Let's back it up here; what war?"  
  
"Between the light and the dark," Hercules and the Queen of Hearts chimed as one.  
  
"For as long as the known universe had been in existence," Hercules explained, "there had been war. For years now, the darkness has been winning. They have been able to create many creatures and demons from darkness, they were able to convert the innocent of the light into darkness, they were able to do what we could not do. Oracle Kenaii wants us to find out as much as possible about the Nobodies so that we can understand how to destroy them."  
  
"Impossible," the Queen of Hearts scoffed. "You have much a chance of destroying the Nobodies as you do of Heartless. They are both born from darkness, as we all know, and so far, the little brat with the Keyblade has done nothing to destroy the Heartless. And I thought the Ansem Report would reveal it all!"  
  
"Ansem Report revealed nothing of destroying Heartless!" Kairi answered angrily. "It only told of his discoveries on the Heartless and their origins."  
  
"Then the Other Report won't help you at all!" the Queen of Hearts lashed out. "It says nothing of destroying Nobodies as well!"  
  
The queen just realized she told them she knew what was in this 'Other Report'.  
  
"Tell us about the Nobodies," Kairi demanded. "We must know, so we can stop evil and do what must be done to stop this war from happening."  
  
"War is inevitable," Hercules sighed, "but we can lessen the impact of war. Queen of Hearts, tell us about the Other Report, lest you want to see all you know and love be destroyed!"  
  
He knew deep in his heart and soul that the Queen of Hearts was as vulnerable as was everybody else. The only question was: what was one vulnerable to?  
  
She glared at them, angrily, hesitantly, suddenly unsure of what to do.  
  
"If he finds out," she began in a voice trembling with anger-or was it fear? "If he finds out, he'll know how to deal with you three. But let us put that matter aside. You want to know of the Other Report, don't you? Well, let me tell you now, I have read the two Other Reports. I know what is written in them. However, only one of the Other Reports is here, scattered. What you must do is to go to the other worlds here in In-Between and find them. The other Report is to be found by Ansem's son. He will be the first one to find it and he will know what to do with it. But you, Princess of Heart, once you find this Other Report, you will know what to do with it, do you understand?"  
  
Kairi nodded numbly, before everything registered in her mind. Ansem had a son?  
  
"What I know and have of the Other Report is small but should be of importance," the Queen of Hearts said. "What I know is very dangerous in what it is, because if word leaks out about it, the results would be disastrous. Do you understand? You cannot start talking about this information to just about anybody!"  
  
"So what is it you're trying to say?" Selphie demanded impatiently.  
  
"What I'm saying is that you three need to be careful!" the Queen of Hearts barked. "Finding all the pieces of the Other Report is very difficult and it all must be done before the feathers fall!"  
  
The White Rabbit hiccupped and covered his face. "Oh no, please Your Majesty, please, don't mention it! I beg of you, don't speak those three words! Oh, oh, oh..."  
  
Everyone stared at the White Rabbit but he ignored them.  
  
"The feathers fall..." Hercules mused. "I believe Father mentioned those three words to me once but he never explained it to me. What is so important about it?"  
  
"It has been foretold that something will happen that is unstoppable," the Queen of Hearts snapped. "If we do not find any way to stop this 'unstoppable' event, it was told that feathers would fall from the sky. You, son of Zeus, knows what would come afterwards, am I correct?"  
  
Hercules stared at her blankly. Kairi was confused. I don't understand...  
  
"War comes if the feathers fall," the queen said harshly. "Feathers from the sky means the war between the light and dark would be at its greatest, harshest, the worst war of all. You three are destined to find the other pieces of the Other Report, to piece it all together. You must find out for us the past of the Universe, what happened that unleashed the full fury of the Heartless, of the Nobodies, and you will find out what truth about the Keyblade Masters!"  
  
Her ringing words echoes in the huge throne room. Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules were aghast. They didn't think what they had to do could be so important, so significant.  
  
"I choose not to take off your heads," the Queen of Hearts spoke, " because Hercules is the son of Zeus and Kairi is a Princess of Heart. Those two facts alone kept you alive here. And now I understand your true purpose. White Rabbit, the chest please!"  
  
The White Rabbit removed his hands from his face and stared at the queen for a fifth of a second. Then he dashed off to the left, through some mysterious dark doorway. He came back after some time, carrying with him a tiny, lacquered chest in his hands. He approached the Queen of Hearts and carefully transferred the chest to her, as though whatever was in it was the most precious thing in the world.  
  
"This," the Queen of Hearts told Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules, "this holds a piece of the Other Report. This will begin your journey. I wish you luck, because I know your purpose is greater than my purpose in this lifetime."  
  
Kairi approached the Queen of Hearts and took the chest.  
  
"Take the chest with you," the Queen of Hearts told them as they turned to leave. "It can carry all the pieces of the Other Report. You will need something to hold them all together, as I should know. I've seen the whole of them both."  
  
Kairi nodded, Selphie and Hercules bowed, and they left for the room to tell the Doorknob and the Cheshire Cat their discovery.  
  
"What does it say?" Hercules demanded after they returned to their original sizes.  
  
Kairi carefully opened the small chest and they all looked inside, the Cheshire Cat carefully balancing himself on Hercules' head.  
  
A single piece of paper sat in the chest. Written in a clear, bold handwriting, the words on the paper read:  
  
"The Heartless take hearts, the Nobodies take the souls. Those who are unaffected by loss of 'humanity' and morality are termed soulless and are a cause for worry, as they attract Nobodies who would devour the souls. The people do not turn into Nobodies or Heartless; they merely vanish. Therefore, the Nobodies are actually fewer in number than Heartless; however, they are actually stronger than Heartless and therefore, would pose a more serious threat than the Heartless." 


	23. Rift

Author's Note: Things are about to get quite strange and I hope you guys can handle it. Thank you for your continuous support and enjoy!  
  
Secrets of Memories  
  
Chapter 23: Rift  
  
Orion grit his teeth, as he stared at his victim. The sky-blue eyes of the teenager before him were confused, fearful, and, most of all, betrayed. The look in his eyes hurt him but Orion fought himself, forced himself to ignore the eyes and continue his work.  
  
"Why don't we just slit his throat and get it over with," Shanks whispered, his stale breath causing Orion to cringe.  
  
He didn't know why He chose Shanks. Orion could not understand His decision but did not go against it; time was too pressing to protest. But Shanks proved to be a stealthy stalker; he was able to track the Keyblade Master when Orion lost him in the wilderness of Twilight Town.  
  
The Keyblade Master shifted slightly against the brick wall he was up against and Orion pressed the knife blade harder against the neck, against the life vein that was pulsing with fear and adrenaline.  
  
"A pity your friends aren't here to help you," Orion gave a dark grin to his captive. "No doubt the fight would've been enjoyable. But I think I'd prefer it done quietly, nice and quiet, where nobody can see it."  
  
"Why...why are you doing this...to us?" the Keyblade Master struggled to speak; the knife blade was also pressing against his voice box and his windpipe and he was having a hard time breathing.  
  
"I do as He tells me to do," Orion answered.  
  
"Your...uncle, I assume-" the Keyblade Master choked as Orion pressed the blade even harder against his throat.  
  
"He never died, Keyblade Master," Orion spat on his face. "He was merely waiting, waiting to become powerful enough to restore our home world. He only became powerful to restore Old Citadel. I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Keyblade Master, because I sure as hell know that he is not evil."  
  
The Keyblade Master strove to speak but a noiseless hissing was all that he could emit.  
  
"Once this blade cuts into your throat, you're dead," Orion said. "The Heartless will become strong once they have your heart. And whatever my uncle said about the inevitable will come to pass. Imagine the world once the Keyblade Master dies."  
  
The dark grin on his face grew as he shifted to deal the deathblow. But before he could do anything, a scream tore into the sky behind him.  
  
"...imagine the world once the Keyblade Master dies," Orion spoke.  
  
The words continued to echo in Sora's head. What would happen if I died? He then remembered the images played to him back at Sherwood Forest, in the mysterious, enchanted lake. A desolate sea, dark and grim, with a clouded, shadowy sky. There was no land, there was no life. It was just the sea and the sky. Desolation. Misery. Loneliness. Solitude. Empty of laughter. Devoid of love. Denied of life and light.  
  
If you fail, all the worlds will turn into the darkest sea...and both the dark and the light will have fallen into ruin...  
  
Kairi...I have to get back to her, I must see her one more time!  
  
Sora closed his eyes. He suddenly felt like the loneliest person in the world. But no longer.  
  
A scream shattered the twilit sky. He knew whose voice that was. He knew why the person would scream. After all, what would you do if you saw your cousin ready to murder someone in cold blood?  
  
Sora slowly opened his eyes very slowly, wondering what he might see.  
  
Orion's face was suddenly pale, and his hold on the knife was extremely shaky. The shabby man had suddenly vanished but the huge Heartless were still there.  
  
"Orion...what are you doing?" Yuri whispered, in a horrified, betrayed voice.  
  
"Orion!" Ashita was aghast, shattered.  
  
Orion's face had suddenly set and his eyes glared angrily. He grit his teeth and his hands stopped trembling.  
  
"...let loose the Heartless..." Sora heard Orion hiss from the corner of his mouth.  
  
Sora moved his mouth to speak but nothing came out; the knife was at the point of crushing his windpipe.  
  
"Leave," Orion whispered, his voice trembling with rage. "Leave. Now!"  
  
"We're not leaving," Donald snapped back. "Let him go-"  
  
"–and we don't want to hurt you, Orion," Goofy added with a rather suggestive move from his shield.  
  
Goofy was not one to threaten. But he had his duties and nothing was to stop him.  
  
Something suddenly registered in Sora's mind. Orion threatened to slit his throat and give him to the Heartless but he had not done so. What could that mean?  
  
That thought was suddenly driven from his mind as the metal suddenly bit into his throat. It nipped at it but no more. He would've dismissed that strange sensation, if it weren't for the fact something a lot like blood was trickling down his neck.  
  
"How dare you!" Yuri was mad now, really mad. "How dare you try and kill someone! Orion, you were never like this! What's happened to you?"  
  
"Why should you care?" Orion snapped back. He knew what he was doing, wasn't he?  
  
"Release him!" Donald growled.  
  
"Never!" Orion hissed.  
  
Donald suddenly squalled and yelled, "Firaga!"  
  
Smoke billowed from the right of Sora and Heartless began to pour from the alley to the right of Sora.  
  
"There's more of them?" Ashita was horrified. "Then...what about Aozora?"  
  
The warm liquid was still flowing thickly from his side and a new cascade of redness was coming from the back of his head, where he impacted with the brick wall. Heartless of all kinds were surrounding him, including strange dog-like creatures with jagged mouths.  
  
"Ohhh..." Aozora moaned. He barely had to strength to do anything other than blink. His arms felt heavy, his limbs seemed to go numb, and it was getting increasingly harder to breathe.  
  
Just one more blow...just one more blow from the Heartless and it was all over for him.  
  
And I can sense a rift, there's a split...a wall of anger between Sora and I...I must fix it...but how...  
  
Heartless loomed before his eyes but they were fast growing into meaningless shadows. He was unable to see or define the shapes now, and his world was dimming.  
  
Am I dying...  
  
He heard voices shouting. Heartless were shifting away, suddenly distracted, suddenly seeing something else. Flashes of light exploded in the darkening distance, and he saw dark shapes moving, dark hooded shapes...  
  
Everything was falling into darkness. And in the process he noted that everything around him started to look like stones again, the glowing floating stones that circled around him from his previous dreams...  
  
The Dream Heart loomed before him...looking battered, shattered...He was unaffected by the circling stones.  
  
"We meet again, Guardian," the voice spoke. "Times have changed the course of the world, I can see."  
  
"Now what?" Aozora demanded.  
  
"A rift is growing between you and the Keyblade Master," he heard Princess Kida's voice. "We are not sure how to seal the rift, something that I wish we could seal. But you know of those who see the inevitable, am I correct?"  
  
"We know of one who sees the inevitable," the Dream Heart said. "One who prophesized what would come to pass, no matter what. What we're doing right now is that we are trying to find a way to stop the prophesized from happening. "  
  
"So you're saying this rift is something prophesized?" Aozora was horrified and confused at the same time. Someone prophesized every moment of 'now', apparently speaking, and that whatever the prophesy was, it didn't sound all too lovely. "It will prove dangerous in the future," the Dream Heart spoke quietly. " The Hearts and Souls are trying to stop other factors from happening and I have lent my hands."  
  
"But the results follow the prophesy," Princess Kida's voice was gloomy. " Who knows? Maybe in the end the feathers won't have to fall after all."  
  
"Maybe in the end the feathers won't have to fall..." Aozora heard it before but he could not remember.  
  
"What must I do, then?" Aozora demanded.  
  
"Help is already on the way," Princess Kida's voice explained calmly. " They will help you."  
  
"You must make your way to Old Universe after sealing the worlds here in New Universe," the Dream Heart continued. "By then, you must stay with Sora. It will become dangerous, very dangerous. The universe is turning against him, Guardian, and its your duty to protect it."  
  
Aozora nodded, as the stones slowed in their course and all began to fade...  
  
Sora tried desperately to free himself as a battle began to rage. Donald and Goofy obvious needed there help but if Orion was not afraid to leave a slight, bleeding cut on his throat, Sora knew Orion would obviously be not afraid to slit his throat before everyone present.  
  
"Don't move," Orion hissed.  
  
Sora responded by doing something desperate. He suddenly forced himself backwards, to gain clearage from the deadly blade that was against his throat. In the process, he lifted his leg and kicked hard at what would be a guy's most incredible weakness.  
  
Orion cringed and doubled over, pain rushing through all parts of his body. His hand slipped and the knife fell. To Sora's horror, it came down on his left arm and dug itself into his forearm. White-hot veins of pain streaked into his mind and he bent over, trying to stop a furious blood flow.  
  
"Curaga!" Donald yelped and though the blood continued to flow, the pain lessened.  
  
"Sora, we need your help!" Goofy yelped as he ducked a Heartless and slammed it into the others with his shield.  
  
Sora called the Kingdom Key to his right hand and stepped forward into battle. Every Heartless froze, suddenly looking to Sora and the blade he had in his right hand. Their eyes seemed to narrow in fury as they glared at the legendary weapon in his hand.  
  
Sora tried to balance the weapon with both of his hands but his left arm jerked away in a sudden pang of pain. Sora realized he was rather handicapped; he did rely on his left arm to use the Kingdom Key.  
  
"Crap," Sora muttered, before he began to charge forward.  
  
"Aeroga!" Donald quickly cast and wind swirled all around Sora. Something slammed against the powerful wind shield and Sora whirled around.  
  
The knife clattered to the floor as Orion staggered away, blending into the sea of Heartless. Sora pondered for a second whether or not to go after him but his decision was made for him as Heartless surged on all sides. He swiped them out of the way with the Keyblade but had not been able to destroy any one of them since he could only use his right arm. The sea of Heartless surrounded him and cut him off from Orion who had vanished. The shabby man was gone, too, abandoning all the gruesome work to the Heartless.  
  
Sora twisted away from a clawed hand and High Jumped. He cast Firaga down at the sea of Heartless, then dove straight down, relying on Aeroga to protect him upon impact.  
  
Heartless leaped up to meet him and Sora quickly used Strike Raid to get rid of them. The blade returned to him as he reached the rest of the world; he bounded back up a bit, thanks to Aeroga. He then regained his footing and slashed back and forth, coupled with overhead swings, ducks, and Barrel Rolls. Strange to him, though, was that two Heartless seemed to replace every one he destroyed.  
  
"There's too many of them!" Sora shouted, gasping for a breath as he jumped back from a charging Heartless and tried to cast Aeroga at the same time.  
  
Wisps of wind appeared but no more; Sora was so winded and so tired he could not cast any more magic. He was then forced up jump up and twist away from two Heartless at the same time; then he stumbled as he landed and staggered back to his feet. It was then he became aware of a long gash on his right side. He looked down on himself briefly and saw dark liquid spreading on his navy blue shirt. A wet stickiness was spreading and pain was suddenly taking control of his body.  
  
"Sora?" Goofy yelled out worriedly when he saw the Keyblade Master stagger to his feet, looking painfully weak. He then gave a yelp of fright as Heartless closed in on Sora.  
  
"Donald! Goofy!" Sora screamed as pain began to blind him and Heartless closed in on him. He felt claws rake against his wispy shield and he tried to push them away with the Kingdom Key. But woe to him, the gash on his right kept his arm from fully extending himself. Sora began to tremble, perspiration dripping from his forehead; he suddenly found himself having a hard time walking, let alone dodging the Heartless.  
  
"Sora, behind you!" Donald squalled and seconds later a shot of ice flew past, missing Sora's right ear by centimeters.  
  
"Donald!" Sora yelped. The reply was a blast of blinding light.  
  
There was a blinding flash of light and Aozora barely heard the Heartless screech. Then someone was shaking his shoulders and a voice, tense and gentle at the same time, demanded, "Hey, are you okay?"  
  
What's going on...wait-I've heard that voice before...  
  
He heard shouting in the distance, as he slowly, feebly, painfully pulled himself together.  
  
"Hold still," the same voice said. "This won't hurt a bit."  
  
Then Aozora heard something vaguely like, "Lumara ni."  
  
That's the spell of healing...and only members of the Society know that!  
  
Pain suddenly left his body and a gentle warmth washed over him. All of his senses sharpened to the point he felt 'normal' again. Aozora opened his eyes.  
  
He saw wisps of darkish red hair and lonesome blue eyes, before they faded into shadow. Aozora was suddenly aware of the fact it was an Unknown that healed him.  
  
Before Aozora could scramble away, the Unknown said, "We're not here to hurt you!"  
  
Then he became aware of another Unknown, slightly taller than the one who healed him, who was holding a strange staff with a luminous crystal on top and white wings. He was currently surveying a rather messy scenario, mostly of the dark liquid that remained of the Heartless. But what drew Aozora's eyes was a strange engraving on the metal that kept the crystal and wings stuck on top of the rest of the staff.  
  
Is it just me or is that the King's head from Goofy's shield I see engraved on the metal?  
  
"Coast clear," the unknown with the staff said.  
  
"Good," the one who healed him nodded. "Let's go."  
  
Aozora easily noted that the one with the staff was a guy and the one who healed him was a girl; has he seen them before? They were members of the Society and he was part of the Society for half a year.  
  
"Wait..." Aozora staggered to his feet. The world spun and he nearly fell.  
  
"Take it easy, Guardian," the one who healed him grabbed his arm and steadied him. "You've been badly injured; you need rest."  
  
"I don't need rest. I'm fine," Aozora snapped back but he was lying; he was still leaning against the Unknown.  
  
"The spell has not taken full effect yet," the other Unknown spoke. "You need to-"  
  
"I know," Aozora interrupted. "It'll take effect in a few minutes but I have to get to Sora!"  
  
"He'll be fine," the Unknown with the staff reassured him. "He took quite a beating and nearly lost his life but he'll be fine."  
  
"He WHAT?!" Aozora yelped.  
  
"We have to go," the Unknown with the staff told the other. "Ancient Greece's been resurrected; you know what we have to do."  
  
"But the Guardian...he's so..." the Unknown who was helping him regain his balance was suddenly hesitant to let him go. "So...familiar..."  
  
"I don't recall seeing you before," Aozora retorted.  
  
"I agree," the Unknown answered evenly, "but I think we have met each other before."  
  
She let go of him and headed for the Unknown with the staff, who was creating a circle of blinking light in the middle of nowhere.  
  
"I'm sure we'll meet again, though," she called back to him as the circle the other created became an ominous, swirling vortex. "Whatever happens, be aware that most Unknowns aren't so kind."  
  
"And don't lose the Keyblade Master, whatever happens," the Unknown with the staff added, his voice suddenly hard and abrupt. "Come, we have to go."  
  
He gripped her arm and seemed to drag her into the portal.  
  
"We will meet again, Guardian," the Unknown who healed him whispered as they entered the swirling vortex and it closed up behind them.  
  
Aozora had his hand lifted towards them as they vanished, then dropped it to his side.  
  
She's right...I did meet her before...the both of them, I have met them before...but no, not in the Society...but where?  
  
He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, then threw out feelers, searching for Sora. He found the Keyblade Master in a strange, pulsing light. But what disturbed him greatly were veins of red and a strange sphere of darkness, surrounded by the light, pulsing by itself as though it was merely waiting for the right moment, the right moment to explode.  
  
"Sora!" Aozora yelled, and headed straight for where the feelers were telling him to go.  
  
The wound at his side stung him sharply; Aozora remembered that the spell did not exactly erase the wound. It partially heals wounds but lets the body do the rest; disastrous results always followed whenever members of the Society fully healed the wounds with the spell.  
  
"Damn it all!" Aozora swore as he staggered his way towards Sora, wondering how everyone would react when they saw him approaching in blood- soaked clothes.  
  
Sora did not know what happened but he found himself crumpled on the floor. Blood still seeped from the wound on his right side and the knife wound on his left forearm was threatening to drive him crazy with its white-hot pain.  
  
The Heartless, they're getting stronger...but how? But why?  
  
He raised his head ever so slightly and found himself staring at Goofy's loafers.  
  
"Yahoo! He's okay!" Goofy hoisted Sora to his feet and hugged him at the same time, causing Sora to wince and grit his teeth, attempting to keep himself from screaming in pain. What was really getting onto him was that the cut on his neck and the slash on his arm were throbbing, pulsing with pain.  
  
"Thank goodness, I thought we were all goners," Ashita looked extremely relieved as he picked his way through puddles of dark liquid towards him.  
  
"Just look at this mess," Donald shook his head as he looked at the puddles, all the remained of the Heartless after that blinding flash of light. "And where's Aozora?"  
  
Sora managed to raise an eyebrow. Donald was worried about Aozora?  
  
From somewhere, Yuri gave a yelp, followed by a shout of pain and, "I'm alright, Yuri, stop hugging me; it hurts!"  
  
"He's okay after all, too!" Goofy grinned while still keeping a paling Sora in a vice grip.  
  
"What in Spira?!" they heard Cid swear. The man approached from another direction, also picking himself through the mess.  
  
"Hey Cid," Ashita said weakly, while everybody else suddenly noticed Aozora approaching, with Yuri practically clinging to him.  
  
Cid's eyes widened as he noted the blotches of blood all over the teenager; with Sora also covered in blood, the two looked like twins who took a shower in blood.  
  
"What happened?" Yuna called out as Rikku, Paine, and she appeared; they were obviously following Cid. "Oh by Spira!"  
  
"Sora, are you okay?" Rikku rushed to Sora, who seemed to be dead; his face was dangerously pale.  
  
"Quick," Cid stepped forward and picked up Sora in his arms. "We've got to get out of here and somewhere safe. Sora and Aozora need a place to recuperate; we need a-"  
  
"We know of a safe place," Paine said coolly. "Come on."  
  
Aozora gave Sora a horrified look. A long, thin cut was still streaming blood from Sora's neck and blood soaked up his right side and his left arm. Sora was continuously turning paler by the minute and he was starting to have a hard time to breathe.  
  
"I think this knife's got something on it," Yuna was picking up a bloody knife near a blast mark and her finger moved to touch the sharp side.  
  
"Don't!" Aozora barked. "I think I know what's on it."  
  
"What is it?" Donald was starting to panic. "What do you mean by 'this knife's got something on it'?"  
  
"I don't know who gave Orion a knife with poison on it but whatever it is, we've got to get him out of here. I know how to heal him but not out here," Aozora explained.  
  
Everyone stared at Aozora.  
  
"Whatever happened, how it happened, and how do you know about this or that is of no concern to me now, we've got to get him outta here," Cid said abruptly as Sora started gasping for air. He turned to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. "Let's go. Now!"  
  
He watched in silence as the group of ten rushed away into a remote part of Twilight Town. He grinned darkly, knowing that the Keyblade Master and the Guardian had been stalled, allowing the others to finish preparing themselves for what might come next. Orion had done well. He didn't think the nephew of his boss's rival would be able to do it, but he had. He and Shanks had done extremely well.  
  
"Well, sir?" Shanks whispered to him, his eyes gleaming. "Did it all go well?"  
  
He nodded. "You and Orion have done well, incredibly well."  
  
"What next, sir?" Shanks asked. "Orion had already left to report to Him. Sir, have you sent your report as well?"  
  
"I would've have said it was not of your concern but I see you are concerned about this," he said quietly, his emerald eyes shining. "Yes, He knows of what has been done. No doubt the others know of this as well. We have ample time."  
  
Shanks nodded, then asked, "Sir, what am I to do?"  
  
"Lay low, Shanks," he answered. "Lay low for now; I won't have need of your skills at this moment in time. The bag of munny has already been delivered; use the munny wisely and not just for drinks."  
  
Shanks' eyes shimmered in embarrassment and anger but he nodded.  
  
He raised his hand to dismiss Shanks and the shabby man left.  
  
"The Guardian must be stopped," he murmured to himself. "Yes, I must stall him. Fate is already playing in our favor; the rift must grow."  
  
A voice suddenly whispered into his ear. Ancient Greece has been resurrected. The Oracle will no doubt pull Hercules out of the In-Between, which will make things harder for the Other Report to be put together. The others will be directed to Ancient Greece and no doubt their presences will attract the Keyblade Master and the King's petty servants.  
  
He grinned. His master had done well himself, setting up the game board in order to play in their favor.  
  
There really is not much to worry about, the voice continued in the device in the Unknown's ear. If all does not go in our favor in Ancient Greece, we need not worry. The other game boards are being set; the wheels are in motion. Worry yourself with stalling the Guardian; the rest of us will take care of the Keyblade Master.  
  
"Just one problem," he hissed. "The whistleblower. He sent out his students to help the Keyblade Master and the Guardian. What do we do of them?"  
  
When his master did not immediately reply, he was worried. It sounded like his master did not know of it.  
  
The whistleblower has been apprehended and we're sending out raiders to stop them, his master finally replied. I believe we could make good use of the whistleblower but we can eliminate his students.  
  
"I see," he nodded. "Very well, Master, I will do you say."  
  
Good luck, the voice said and connection cut off.  
  
He smiled, an even darker grin than before. His emerald eyes gleamed even more with anticipation of another great fight. The Keyblade Master had been an interesting rival, a strong foe. The duel with the Guardian though, he thought, would be more interesting, more entertaining.  
  
After all, the Guardian did have two blades.  
  
"Cid, Leon, Cloud, we've got a problem," Yuffie rushed into the Red Room where the others were gathered. She looked extremely winded, extremely worried, and extremely confused. "Meg's back and we've got a problem."  
  
"What problem?" Cid demanded as Meg followed Yuffie into the room.  
  
"I see Dr. Finkelstein's portals are working," Leon nodded.  
  
"I bring word from Halloweentown," Meg said evenly. "It is fated to fall; the defenses cannot stand against a million Heartless, in addition to the blockade surrounding the world."  
  
"And she's also seen something strange on the way here," Yuffie added intently.  
  
"Rubble from Coliseum are suddenly gone," Meg explained. "I saw a half of an arm of a statue disappear into thin air. If my suspicions are correct, Eldest has intervened with Coliseum's destruction, after all he has told us about his ability."  
  
"The rest of Ancient Greece is coming back together as well then," Cloud noted. "But what of Hercules?"  
  
Meg looked down at her feet, saddened by that fact. "I really don't know but whatever happens he must be there when Ancient Greece is fully formed-"  
  
"-or else we're stuck with a ghost of a world and it won't be sealed against Heartless, Nobodies, or both," Cid finished. "Geezes...and what of Hades?"  
  
"I hear he's been trying to recruit a 'dream' of some sort," Cloud actually smirked.  
  
"A dream?" Aerith was confused. "Why would he-dreams don't die."  
  
"Exactly," Leon finished her off. "If all works in Hades' favor, Sora's gonna have a bit of a problem when he gets there."  
  
"They are just beginning," Meg replied. "For both Sora and Riku. They are returning."  
  
"Geezes...not again," Yuffie moaned. "I was hoping Sora would've eliminated them for good but I guess not."  
  
"Heartless do have strange powers, as do those who are leaders of them," Leon added.  
  
"And Hollow Bastion?" Aerith brought up a volatile topic again.  
  
"Don't mention it," Cloud growled back.  
  
"Wait a minute," Meg was thinking. "If leaders of the Heartless can come back, then what about..."  
  
They were silent for a long time, then the others suddenly understood.  
  
"Ansem." 


	24. Unwelcome Resurrection

Author's Note: Thank you for your support, reviewers! I'm glad my cliffhangers are so torturous (just kidding, really). Well, I'm guessing this will fuel my latest cliffhanger but anyways, on with the story! Secrets of Memories Chapter 24: Unwelcome Resurrection 

"What's that?" Phil barked at Dr. Finkelstein and Sally in absolute disbelief. "Say that again!"

" All the pieces of Ancient Greece are being put back together again," Dr. Finkelstein patiently explained to the stunned satyr.

" In New Universe, that is," Sally added calmly. "He truly can put worlds back together again, no matter the state of the world."

" Who's 'he'?" Tarzan asked. He and Pooh had returned from stationing outposts along the walls of Halloweentown.

" You will know in due time," Sally smiled mysteriously. "But Phil, the people of Ancient Greece will need you amongst them."

" Hercules ain't there," Phil snapped in reply. "If he ain't there, that world's a ghost and I sure has hell am not going there until he does."

" Oh he will, he will," Sally gave an even more mysterious smile.

" What are you talking about?" Riku was confused, completely befuddled. "I thought Coliseum was destroyed."

"Oh no, not really," Dr. Finkelstein explained. "See, a powerful being can keep a world from fully entering ln-Between. One must have great skill and must know what he or she is doing in order to keep a world from being sent there. This being that Sally has connections to, he is also putting Ancient Greece back together again. Coliseum was but a part of Ancient Greece; destroying it actually makes it easier for Sally's connection to put that part of the world back where it belongs. It's extremely difficult to explain, really, but I'm sure it'll all work out."

" Um...may I ask a question?" Pooh suddenly asked nervously, putting his paw up in the air. "I saw bugs gathering near a huge, white bag of some sort not too long ago. The bag looked like something, a thing of some sort, if you know what I mean. What do we do-"

" Bugs? Huge white bag of some sort?" Jack demanded. His eyes narrowed as he put together what little description Pooh was able to offer. "Pooh, are you sure about this?"

Pooh nodded, then shook his head. "Oh bother...I'm not sure, maybe, maybe not..."

" I don't like this," Jack finally stated. "I know of only one connected to bugs and a huge white bag of some sort that looks like a thing. And if my hunch is right, defending Halloweentown has just become a nightmare. Riku, come with me. We've got to know what's going on here."

Riku nodded, thinking all the while. Jack was right. There was only one he knew who was connected to bugs and a white bag. But that was impossible! He was sure Sora had gotten rid of him last year.

" Oogie Boogie had better not be back," Riku murmured as he followed Jack Skellington towards Moonlight Hill.

" I don't understand," Tarzan said as he watched the two walk into the distance. "I don't understand; what is going on here?"

" Long story, "the Mayor answered. " It's a ridiculously long story and I'm not sure we have time for it."

" Oogie Boogie was a monster made of a white sack and bugs," Sally began calmly. "He joined the Heartless maybe two years ago and began to terrorize his part of the universe, Halloweentown, the same way his colleagues terrorized their parts of the universe. Last year, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack got rid of Oogie Boogie and saved Halloweentown. But now...I'm afraid they're all returning."

" What do you mean by returning?" Tarzan said.

" The ones that Sora, Donald, and Goofy stopped? I think they will come back," Sally said calmly. "Those who lead Heartless are very special, very unique indeed."

" Which means," Dr. Finkelstein added, "that I'm afraid some that we don't' want returning will return."

" Clayton returns?" Tarzan was looking very worried.

" No," Sally shook her head. "He did not lead; Sora has killed him for good."

" That's good, at least," Tarzan gave a slight sigh of relief.

" I've once heard," Pooh suddenly said, "of someone Sora had to go against. He had an odd name, I cannot remember it. All I know is that the name starts with an 'a'."

Sally and Dr. Finkelstein looked at each other. They knew of only one person who fit Pooh's description.

" That's not possible," Dr. Finkelstein demanded of Sally. "That's not possible!"

" Leaders of Heartless are special indeed," Sally merely stated. "You chose a wise brain for me, Dr. Finkelstein. A wise brain indeed. Ansem most likely returned, don't you think?"

" What will happen if Oogie Boogie did return?" Riku asked quietly as he followed Jack through the Boneyard to the door in the giant pumpkin tomb.

" We will have to fight him," Jack replied calmly.

" If he is destroyed, this world will fall," Riku stated abruptly. He knew it really wasn't the right thing to say but it was the truth. If Oogie Boogie stands, the Heartless will not destroy Halloweentown; if Oogie Boogie falls, Halloweentown will fall as well.

" I know," Jack agreed. "But what choice do we have? I'd prefer we rid the universe of an unworthy foe instead of letting one stand in a world that does not deserve to be destroyed."

" Why are they all being sent to Traverse Town?" Riku then asked.

" All refugees go there," Jack replied as they weaved their way through the gloomy tombs towards a curled hill. "The place is huge, with three districts, meaning three levels. It can fit many people in there, regardless of size."

" I see," Riku nodded, understanding what Jack was saying. Traverse Town was large, after all.

Jack suddenly stopped, then tapped on a prominent tombstone in front of the curled hill. Riku wondered if Jack was losing his mind when the hill suddenly began to uncurl and created a long, thin bridge to what he noticed was the other side. He wondered why Jack had to do that, before realizing that there was a large wall all the way where the hill was reaching for and the area they were headed for was on op of the wall...or something like that.

" Quickly," Jack said, as they heard a rather strange wind blowing in their direction from where they were trying to cross. The Pumpkin King sniffed the air. "Oh my, a tragedy. Oogie Boogie did return."

" Oh no," Riku groaned. "Not that great, puffy white bafoon."

He called the Dark Keyblade to his side, then followed Jack across the bride the Moonlight Hill created. He was not aware of Zero, Jack's faithful ghost dog, who was tailing them.

They crossed the Bridge with no trouble at all, then found themselves facing a huge drop into a wide, open area. There was no way down except to jump. Riku knew jumping down would literally spell out their deaths but what could they do?

Heartless, they noted, were swarming the area, circling a huge white sack of some odd shape in the middle. It was gradually inflating, as a train of bugs continued to march towards it, filling it up.

" Oh no..." Riku moaned, as a pointy-head with gapping eyes and a huge gaping mouth appeared from the white sack.

" Zero!" Jack called and Zero appeared as if from thin air before his beloved master.

" Zero, go to Sally and Dr. Finkelstein," Jack instructed the adorable ghost dog. "Tell them Oogie Boogie is back and ask them if they have any idea on what to do."

Zero barked cheerfully and promptly vanished. That _really_ unnerved Riku; he wasn't used to a rather gothic world with ghosts, walking skeletons, and humans made of pieces put together.

If it was day, the day was getting worse for Riku, Jack, and the others back at Halloweentown by the second. If it was night, well, it was getting worse anyways, as Heartless of the kind Riku had never seen before materialize alongside the older Heartless types. Strange, bat-like heartless with red hooks on their tails joined the gathering of Wight Knights, Soldiers, Shadows, Search Ghosts, Gargoyles, and huge bulky Heartless Riku had never seen before.

"HookWings?" Jack muttered. "This is going to be interesting."

Riku gave some practice swings of the Dark Keyblade in his right hand. Whatever they were called, they were the enemy and that was what Riku was concerned with.

" Arf!" Zero suddenly materialized before Jack, an envelope in his mouth.

_Kinda reminds me of Pluto..._Riku thought, remembering the yellow dog that ran off with the envelope King Mickey gave him before they parted ways.

" Thanks, Zero!" Jack exclaimed and retrieved the envelope.

I can't believe Dr. Finkelstein and Sally had to time to write something... 

"...Dr. Finkelstein is going to send everyone to Traverse Town!" Jack exclaimed as he read through the letter inside the envelope. " Riku, we've gotta stop Oogie Boogie!"

" We what?" Riku whirled on the Pumpkin King. "We're going to do what?"

" Stop Oogie Boogie," Jack somehow set the letter on fire and chucked it into the scenario before them. " Let's alert them of us, shall we?"

" Too late to make a decision about it," Riku quipped as he sensed the tiny flare come down and surprise the Heartless." And Oogie Boogie looks ready to fight."

He pointed at the sack of something in the middle of the group of Heartless.

" Ha, ha, ha, what's this? Jack Skellington coming to fight me again? And with a child, no less?" Oogie Boogie mocked the two from his position down on ground zero.

Riku twitched. "As soon as I get there, I'm gonna chop his head off clean-"

" Take it easy," Jack stuck a bony arm out in front of Riku before the teenager could continue to move forward. "First...we have to get down there."

Riku, who was about to curse Jack out of the way, hit himself on the forehead. Mentally, that is. He had forgotten where they were.

" Psst, Zero!" Jack called to his dog. "Find a way down-no wait, never mind about that. Tell the others to get ready; I think Oogie Boogie is starting to gather an army."

" Arf!" Zero replied and promptly vanished.

" Riku, follow me," Jack said, and marched back across the bridge, heading for a certain well of greenish water back in the heart of Halloweentown.

"...Oogie Boogie strikes again! Again!" the Mayor was wailing into his arms.

They were at the Graveyard, looking at a rather ancient map of Halloweentown. Tarzan and Dr. Finkelstein discussed the placement of the ones who could fight while Sally and the Mayor input ideas of their own and Pooh wandered off a little way to watch some harmless White Mushrooms.

Then Zero appeared onto the scene with an envelope in his mouth. Tarzan took it, opened it, skimmed through what he considered gibberish, and handed it over to Dr. Finkelstein. Dr. Finkelstein read it, grew extremely grim, and passed it on to Sally and the Mayor. Sally turned extremely quiet upon reading it and the Mayor...well, he was throwing a fit.

" Pooh, help me gather up the people," Dr. Finkelstein shifted his wheelchair towards the town center. " We're taking them to Traverse Town. Now!"

Pooh scampered after Dr. Finkelstein, nearly tripped over his own feet, regained his balance, and kept going.

" We can't have all those dispersed to concentrate on defeating Oogie Boogie; that'll leave us totally defenseless in other areas," Sally explained to Mayor.

" I must go," Tarzan said. "Must help Riku and Jack Skellington."

Sally nodded. "Yes, those two will need help. Despite all their abilities, they cannot defeat Oogie Boogie alone. I know about gummi ships. I will look to yours."

Tarzan nodded, then swiftly climbed over the fencing of the Graveyard and promptly vanished.

" Mayor?" Sally turned to the nervous man. "You must go with the people to Traverse Town. Leon and Cloud cannot handle everyone alone, in addition to the other refuges that are starting to poor from Neverland."

The Mayor nodded, mumbling all the while like he was going mad, and scampered off. Sally sighed and looked down gloomily at the map, tracing her fingers along the pitiful defense lines they had managed to pull up.

" What can we do?" Sally sighed. " Eldest pulled a surprise on us; what can we do now?"

" This is the best way to get somewhere ever," Riku told Jack as soon as they materialized in the green river at ground zero, out of sight of the masses of Heartless and Oogie Boogie. "But how do we jump them and not get overwhelmed?"

Jack started to think. "Hm...you know, I actually don't know."

Riku groaned. Then he grew alert, as the sound of silent splashing reached his ultra-sensitive ears.

How did Tarzan find his way here? 

" Tarzan, what about the others?" Riku hissed as Tarzan slunk into view.

" Dr. Finkelstein, Sally, the Mayor, and Pooh are getting people to Traverse Town," Tarzan explained. "I come to help fight."

" We need all the help we're gonna get," Riku agreed as Jack turned to them and began to tell them what they needed to do.

Hercules froze. Because he was walking behind Kairi and Selphie, they did not notice until they heard him call out, "Wait! I can feel something!"

" What?" they turned to him, utterly confused. "Feel what?"

" I can feel something," Hercules repeated. "Something strange, something not quite right..."

Selphie looked around them warily, trying to see through the gray mist, while Kairi clutched the box with the piece of the Other Report tightly in her arms.

A shadow of a tall, thin figure glided slowly towards them from the mist. They all froze and Hercules slowly moved his hand toward his sword, which was sheathed at that moment in time.

"...Hercules, I have some strange news for you," a very familiar voice whispered as the shadows drew near.

It was Oracle Kenaii. Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules sighed in relief.

" Hercules, I have some strange news for you," he repeated solemnly, looking to all three of them with grave eyes. "Your destiny has taken a different path. It may make it more difficult for them-" he gestured to Kairi and Selphie "-to find all the pieces of the Other Report but it will most certainly help the Keyblade Master in his quest to find the door of light."

" Sora?" Kairi perked up and was suddenly alert. "What about Sora?"

" Your world has been resurrected, Hercules," Oracle Kenaii seemed to ignore Kairi. "It was a most unexpected move, I might. Most unexpected; caught us all by surprise-"

" All?" Selphie interrupted. "What do you mean by 'us all'? Don't tell me there's more of you!"

" We Oracles are all dead but all wise," Oracle Kenaii flashed a ghost of a grin, then turned serious again. " Hercules, Ancient Greece has been restored. Thebes and Underworld are already in place, much to the chagrin of Hades. And Coliseum...well, that's a long story. The Heartless intended to destroy it and nearly did, if it weren't for the fact that he stepped in and send all 'particles' to where Ancient Greece was forming."

" So now Coliseum is there near Mount Olympus?" Hercules demanded. "Amazing!"

Kairi and Selphie stared at them, confused. "What are you talking about? What's Ancient Greece?"

" Ancient Greece is-or was- my home," Hercules explained. "Three years ago, Heartless invaded Ancient Greece, intending to destroy my world. Phil, my trainer, and I were separated from Pegasus, my flying horse, and this really beautiful girl named Meg..."

" Stop daydreaming, lover boy," Oracle Kenaii snapped rather good-naturedly. "Well, one of the pieces, Coliseum, hurtled into Old Universe along with Phil and Hercules. That's where they remained for some time, until now."

" Wait a minute..." Hercules said. " Are you telling me...are you telling me I have to go back there?"

Oracle Kenaii nodded ever so slowly. "We thought it was impossible but he knows more than we expect. We can get you out of In-Between, although it will be only you who can get out."

" What? Why?" Selphie yelped.

" Without me, my world is dead, a ghost," Hercules explained sadly. "I don't know how to explain it but for some reason, some worlds can't survive without some important person existing there. For instance, Halloweentown can't exactly survive without Jack Skellington being there nor than Neverland survive without Peter Pan being there. If I'm not there, Ancient Greece won't be complete; somehow I carry something that completes the heart and soul of that world. It really doesn't make sense to me but that's how it turned out."

" And if Ancient Greece is coming back..." Kairi drifted off. She knew.

" I have to go," Hercules nodded. " But I have absolutely no idea how to get out of here."

" That is our secret," Oracle Kenaii replied calmly. "What I don't understand, though, is that only Hercules can be brought back. I believe that the laws of the universe twist in such ways that those who are needed to complete the hearts and souls of worlds can be taken anywhere but those who aren't needed...well, aren't needed."

" So we're stuck here?" Selphie asked, in a pitiful voice. "Alone?"

" Hey, I'm here!" Kairi shot back. " Don't worry, Selphie, we can do this."

Besides, this time I will fight...however I do it...I promised Sora I would... 

Oracle Kenaii nodded thankfully. "Thank you. Thank you for understanding the importance of this. No doubt the fact you are able to accept changes over time would help you in the future. The _far_ future."

His emphasis on the last sentence put shivers in Kairi. Was he predicting the future or something?

" Things are as they are," Oracle Kenaii was saying as he gradually drifted away, with Hercules following him. "You will meet another on your quest who will help you. Immensely or merely be there, he will help you. You two know him- or of him, I do not know- but he is of incredible importance. That is what is important. The Other Report, Kairi, must be found at all costs. There are many things in the Other Report that can be shocking to us all, though I do not know. I prefer it to be surprising, for I just hate being a know-it-all sometimes."

Selphie could not resist a giggle.

" Laugh all you want, child, I won't stop you," Oracle Kenaii's voice seemed to fade. "In the future, laughter would be rare, so laugh as you wish now. They have told you of the two Other Reports, yes?"

Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules assumed he was talking about the Doorknob and the Cheshire Cat and nodded.

" Good to know," Oracle Kenaii said cheerfully. "That Other Report is so well hidden, its almost impossible for a normal being to find it. Even I can't find it. Only someone very close to its writer can find it."

_Ansem was the writer of all three Reports._

" We shall see who will find it, shall we?" Oracle Kenaii beckoned Hercules even deeper into the mist. " Kairi and Selphie, you must go to Deep Jungle and Agrabah. From there, take Monstro to the next world. A surprise lies in wait for you two; don't miss it."

" Bye"! Hercules waved to them. "If I see Sora, I'll tell him you guys said hi!"

" Oh!" Kairi almost forgot about that. "Hercules, tell him not to give up, okay? Please don't forget!"

" But Sora never gives up!" Hercules was startled by her urgent request.

" He mustn't," Kairi answered. " He can't! Just tell him never to give up. That's all I ask."

" Tell him I said hi and ask him if he's seen a paupu fruit!" Selphie said cheerfully.

Kairi rolled her eyes. Hercules smiled, nodded to them, and disappeared into the mists of In-Between after Oracle Kenaii.

" Oh, and before I forget!" the oracle's voice whispered back to them. "Just follow the road you're on. There is nothing to fear; you are guarded, well protected, and there's nothing to worry about. Except...find the Other Report and do as it says before the feathers fall...oh no-"

" Feathers? Fall?" Selphie echoed. " What the-?"

Kairi was confused. Why did Oracle Kenaii stop talking abruptly?

Selphie looked nervously down the faint road they were on. Kairi followed her face and saw...gray mist. That was all they saw. Gray mist everywhere.

Selphie heaved a sigh. "Suddenly I miss Hercules. Even though he acted like some sort of a Superman sometimes, I miss him."

Kairi nodded. His sunny disposition cheered them up. But now he was gone, back to his home, back to await and help Sora in any way possible.

And I hope he gives Sora my message...Sora, never give up, never! 

"Who do you think we're gonna meet later on?" Selphie asked as they started again down the road.

Kairi shrugged. "I don't know. But do you think we'd know that person? Oracle Kenaii said 'him'. You think it's a guy we know?"

" Maybe," Selphie mused.

For the next twenty minutes, they were in silence, each musing over nothing, taking care to keep to the path. Kairi's thoughts went to the piece of the Report in the box.

_Nobodies...why are the Nobodies here at all, like the Heartless? What really is their purpose in life? Is it that all they do is take souls, nothing more, nothing less? _

Kairi sighed and kept walking, until she became aware of the fact that they were headed for what seemed to be a jungle of some sort. _Deep Jungle..._

The trees soared before them suddenly, as though some invisible barrier kept them from spreading out further. The ground seemed almost natural, a mixture of dirt, grass-like plants, and decaying leaves. If there were a sun, no doubt the jungle would look wonderful. But everything was shrouded in a cold, misty gray that made the world seem dead, completely devoid of life.

" Is this Deep Jungle?" Selphie whispered to Kairi as they cautiously entered the jungle, prone to jump at any sudden sound. The jungle, with its dense canopy and its ability to hinder people from seeing deep into the heart of the jungle, closed in on the two, gripping them in long dark claws and driving fear into them.

" This is creepy," Selphie whispered to Kairi, who nodded in earnest agreement. "What can we find from here, anyways?"

Kairi shrugged, unsure herself.

_Deep into the heart of the wild...they await to help the ones who are brave...puzzle box be found...in clever shade of jade..._

" 'Deep into the heart of the wild'..." Kairi whispered as she looked at their surroundings. The place looked very wild indeed. Very wild.

" That second line went 'they await to help the ones who are brave', right?" Selphie concentrated on remembering a bit from the prophecy. "Who'd be waiting for us here, Kairi? Who'd actually stay in this creepy place?"

" Are we brave?" Kairi countered. " After all, that's what the line says, right?"

Selphie's face fell. "Are you saying we're chicken-"

" No, no, no!" Kairi replied hastily. "I meant-"

During the conversation, Kairi walked backwards in order to face Selphie properly. That was obviously not the smartest thing in the world but what can you say? And what do you expect?

Her foot got caught in a snag and Kairi, with a yelp, tumbled. The Queen of Heart's box went flying, Selphie yelled and made a grab for both Kairi and the box, and Kairi suddenly found herself...falling. She found herself falling amidst canopies, long vines, and twisting tree trunks, down to what was known as the Hippo's Lagoon.

Kairi considered screaming.

"Well, Terk..." Jane sighed as she sat dejectedly in front of one of the Camp tents, "what can I say? Its just us, its just us..."

The young Englishwoman was talking to a gloomy young dark gorilla, who sat before her and played with her toes.

" I'm just glad no Heartless are here," Terk answered truthfully. "The one good thing out of the whole mess of disaster."

" Everyone is gone, Terk, everyone," Jane said. "What can we do?"

" Besides guarding that green box nobody can open?" Terk added. "I don't know."

" The jade box," Jane pulled out the small, intricately carved jade box from her side and set it on her lap. She thought it was a jade box carved in China, except the designs had nothing to do with China. The designs were merely of stars, wings, feathers, crowns, and on the cover was a design of three circles, all touching each other in an odd way. Terk thought it looked like the head of a mouse.

" What's in it anyways?" Terk grumbled as Jane lifted the box and gently shook it next to her ear.

All she heard was a strange rustling, like paper rubbing against paper.

" Why did that old man ask us to guard that box until we knew when the time was right to hand it over anyways?" Terk continued to grumble. "It doesn't make sense. What's so special about it?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know, Terk. I don't think anybody else is here, except the two of us."

She surveyed the misty gray Camp grounds. All she saw was a mess of crates, tarp, poles, and supplies, all seemingly made worse by the gray shroud.

The sudden, brief scream jolted the two to their feet. They looked around each other fearfully, their hearts beating quickly, completely taken by surprise.

" What was that?" Jane asked breathlessly.

" Um...somebody screaming?" Terk offered a simple explanation.

Then they heard someone screaming as well. The scream was faint but it was yelling a word, a word that they could not distinguish.

" It's coming from the Hippo's Lagoon," Terk immediately said.

Jane grabbed a loaded rifle from her side and set the jade box down on the crate she was sitting on.

" Let's go check it out."


	25. Split

Author's Note: First a big apology: I am so sorry for updating behind schedule. Some events took place that day and well, I had no access to my computer whatsoever. Secondly, I will be leaving for Korea for two weeks or so and well, I will consider putting up two more chapters tomorrow a.k.a. Tuesday. Thirdly, I am still working on Riku and Kairi's sides of the story and boy, its tough but don't worry, it should be getting better, hopefully that is. As for now, yes, we are finally back to Sora and Aozora so enjoy!   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 25: Split 

Aozora sat silently on a couch in the sitting room of Yuna, Rikku, and Paine's apartment. He was silent, staring at his shoes, ignoring everybody else. His shimmering bronze eyes were grave, his expression set and grim. People immediately stayed away from him and Aozora preferred to keep it that way.

He had decided not to tell anyone the truth because if they knew, chaos would most certainly reign. He had guessed what type of poison had been used, from the moment he noticed how dangerously ill Sora appeared to be. He just didn't know how bad it was until they had reached the place Cid's daughter and her two companions were staying.

_He nearly died_, Aozora told himself. _He damn nearly died. I don't know what sort of connections Orion has but they certainly know how to play the game. I'm never gonna forgive that guy for it, never!_

Aozora had used the 'lumara ni' spell to heal Sora but nearly killed himself in the process. That he also kept confidential. No need to have people panicking over too many things at the same time all at once.

_Things are going the way they shouldn't be_, he thought. _The both of us were way too close to death today. This is getting dangerous. Being a Guardian is becoming a hard job indeed. Never expected so many death 'threats' before._

Goofy stuck his head out from a door and said, "Der...Aozora, you sure you don't' want something to eat?"

Aozora jerked and looked up. "Uh...no. No, I'm fine."

" Are you sure?" Goofy was rather concerned.

Aozora shot him a steely gaze and continued to brood while Goofy quickly backed off.

_Things are in motion that shouldn't be happening. How can it be?_ Aozora thought. _This isn't right. Already, everything's going like they never should've been before. Who's the force behind all this evil? Who could it be to have so much power? I don't understand..._

He looked up, as Yuna came into the sitting room and sat heavily on the couch in front of him. She had a tired look on her face, tired and lonely.

" Hey, are you okay?" she still asked him.

Aozora shrugged.

Yuna gave him an odd look. With a sigh, she stood up and strode away in a direction he didn't care to notice. He heard the door open and close and he knew she had left the building.

Ashita and Yuri had gone back to the clock tower, where they were going to figure out what to do with the extra room they had, now that Orion had left. They were traumatized out of their wits, Aozora knew, and he didn't have the courage to gently wipe their minds of everything they saw and knew and send them onward to another life, free of fear.

Then again, he didn't even have their permission. And he had forgotten he was not a member of the Society anymore.

_Only members of the Society have an indefinite permission to erase beings of memory...those who leave the Society are branded forever and killed...so no secrets would be left...branded...my scar..._

Aozora looked around himself warily, before placing his hand over where his heart was slowly beating. He didn't need to see for himself what was there; the mark was etched in his mind.

_A star, with three diamonds on each point, a pentacle for the five moral laws of the Society...faith, loyalty, courage, strength, and soul...one who leaves the Society is devoid of them all and is branded forever before killed...but I wasn't devoid of them when I left...how could they mark me this way?_

The star was a beautiful and sad mark, a cruel irony to what one suffers in the hands of the members of the Society when one abandons it. But he didn't suffer, he didn't die; he had managed to evade them all and flee, something that had never happened before in the history of the Society.

And he is marked with a scar, too, a scar for all time, all life... 

There was a knife mark on Sora's neck, which Ashita and Yuri said was made by Orion. It had not erased like the gash on the side and the knife wound on his left arm. It was there, faint at times, but strongly visible at other times. It was a sad mark, a line; it was strangely beautiful, beautiful and sad and cruel at the same time.

_I wonder if he knows about it...what will he do when he finds out he is marked for all life?_

Aozora sighed and closed his eyes, drowning his thoughts in darkness, no longer in touch with all his senses, which happened to be more than five.

Sora stared at the mirror on the wall next to the bed he was laying on. His hand continouosly, unconsciously, touched his neck, his fingers brushing against the long, thin, slightly dark line that went its crooked way across his windpipe. He now knew what Orion could-and would- do when pushed to the extreme.

_Cid said if it was only a little deeper, just a little less than a centimeter-whatever that is- deeper, I would've died right there and then. I wouldn't be able to find King Mickey or Riku...or Kairi...what would she say to this? What would she say to this mark on my neck?_

He could barely remember anything other than that there were hot white flashes of pain in a sea of darkness. Then it really did become a sea of darkness, a restless, endless dark sea that foamed and frothed as it was pushed back and forth by a turbulent wind. The sky was dark, clouded over, and furiously gray. He had found himself, in his fourteen-year-old body, flying across the waters on his back, flowing with the wind. He didn't know why; he didn't even seem to care to wonder why. He was one with the wind flowing over the endless sea, then the gears in his mind had started to churn, as he began to recognize where he was.

_This is what happens to the world if I fail...only water, no land...no birds, no life...just the ocean and the wind and the sky...and darkness everywhere..._

He closed his eyes to think, then opened them...and found himself staring in horror at the scenes of war before him. He was no longer floating above the oceans, he was now a spectator of a gruesome battle, a battle between beings, beings that looked faintly familiar...and the Heartless and Nobodies, swarmed and united, a wave of darkness eroding at its resisters. In the midst of it all was a fury of feathers and fire, a duel of white and dark, heaven and hell. Sora squinted to see what was causing white feathers and white fire to fly, and was astonished by what he saw.

The wings came from a majestic white wolf, armored in gold and silver, with massive white wings from its back. The fire was flying from a grim reddish fox, ablaze with hell-like fire, a vicious fury. The white wolf was holy and beautiful; the reddish fox was demonic and equally wondrous.

"What-what are they?" Sora found himself whispering out loud.

_What you saw before was what will happen when you fail and what you see before your eyes is what may happen in the future...whether or not you fall or fail will determine the future..._

Sora was stunned for he knew the voice. Then he began to understand what the voice was saying.

If the fate of the universe went two ways, two separate roads, then were those two choices the empty sea and the vicious war?

_You are correct, young Keyblade Master. The future of the universe goes two ways. Fall and nothing remains but the sea, the wind, and the sky. Fail and the universe will rage in a war._

Sora was now horrified beyond his wits. If he falls, everything goes to ruin. If he fails, everything and everyone suffers from war.

"Impossible..." Sora managed to choke out.

_Is this the answer you've been looking for?_

"No!" Sora shouted. "That's not what I'm looking for-"

_Can YOU change the future then, young Keyblade Master? _The voice was harsh now. _What can you do to change the infallible?_

Sora bit his lip, as he watched the forces of light fade against the uncoming tide of darkness. "Then what do you mean by falling or failing? What is the difference? Who said I was going to fall or fail? Can't I do something against it?"

There was no answer. Sora began to panic.

"Well, why don't you answer? Who say's I'm going to die? I have to find the door of light, don't you think so? So what the hell are you talking about? What are you-"

He found himself facing images of two people. It so stunned him he nearly cried out in shock. But that cry broke down into tears, as he saw faces he had not seen in a year.

Riku was blindfolded, wearing a coat nearly identical to the one Aozora wore almost all the time. His silvery hair was longer, too, and he was holding the Dark Keyblade. He was currently looking down at something from a height, in a place that seemed strangely familiar...

_But I saw the Dark Keyblade disappear. I know I did!_

Kairi looked beautiful as always, her red hair longer, her stance bolder, as she went down a road in a misty gray world. She was taller and looked older, as Riku did. They both had grown older, like he had.

_Time flies by...how will we all look like when we see each other again? Will it be years, will it be forever? When will we meet again?_

Tears flowed down his face, as he reached out a hand to his two friends, his two best friends. The tears were hot and very real-

He had woken up them, finding himself staring at the faces of Donald, Goofy, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, and Cid. They looked like they had gotten gifts of great extravagance; they were so happy that he was okay that it nearly frightened him to death. He had found himself in the same bed he woke up in weeks ago after a disastrous run-in with Aozora, in the same place where he had come to learn something about some of his friends from the childhood days of Destiny Islands, the days that seemed so far away...

Sora heaved a sigh and sat up straighter. His hand drifted down from his neck to where his two necklaces were supposed to be, which were of a crown and a star-shaped charm of shells. His hand still met empty air.

Sora looked down at himself, glad that he was still alive.

He dozed on the couch, half-asleep, half-awake, unaware of time, when the door banged open and Yuna ran into the apartment. Aozora jumped up and tumbled off the couch, landing in a very uncomfortable heap that made the healing wound on his side sting.

" Ashita...Ashita and Yuri...Ashita and Yuri..." Yuna was gasping for air, trying to catch her breath. Aozora jumped up from his awkward position and followed Yuna to the kitchen, where everybody else was gathered...except Sora.

"What? What about Ashita and Yuri?" Aozora demanded as he found a spot to stand in the kitchen.

"...they're being held hostages!" Yuna exclaimed. "Someone barged in and took them prisoners at the clocktower."

"Yunnie, are you serious?" Rikku demanded.

"By who?" Paine asked calmly as she finished polishing her huge sword.

"That's the problem," Yuna replied hurriedly. "Some mysterious guy in a coat like Aozora's-"

"The Society? That's crazy," Aozora snapped. "How can that be? Why would the Society want to take those two prisoner?"

Everyone gave him a hopeless shrug. Aozora groaned and moved for the door. "We have to go-"

"What's going on?" Sora demanded as he barged in through the same door Aozora was going out of. They crashed into one another, resulting in a universal groan from everybody else.

"Ow..." Sora groaned and rubbed his head while Aozora gave a sigh and moved his hand slowly to the place of impact on his head.

"Ashita and Yuri were taken prisoner by somebody from this Society that Aozora knows of at the clocktower," Cid said gruffly. "Care to join in the rescue mission?"

Sora hesitated before answering. They hadn't gotten along very well ever since Sherwood Forest but he had a sense of right and wrong and he knew helping Aozora was doing the right thing...if Aozora was aware of it at all.

"I'm in," Sora said. " Donald? Goofy? What about you guys?"

Donald still had the gruff 'no way in Hades' hell' look on his face but Goofy gave an immediate nod and tightened the straps of the shield on his arm.

"Hey, can we join-" Rikku began to ask.

"Store's still a big mess, Rikku," Paine interrupted. "And we gotta set up more protections, too, remember?"

Rikku groaned. Yuna smiled, then said, "Good luck, you guys. Hope to see you soon."

Sora nodded. The three women left the kitchen, leaving Cid to turn on them and say, "Listen, last night I was in contact with Leon and Cloud over at Traverse Town-"

"What did they say?" Sora quickly interrupted. Cid threw him a rather disgusted look, then continued.

"They said Coliseum vanished," Cid said slowly. "But its reappeared in New Universe. As part of its original world, Ancient Greece."

"Ancient Greece?" Aozora was startled. "I thought it was destroyed by the-"

He stopped himself, leaving Donald to give him an extremely suspicious glare.

"It was destroyed," Cid affirmed. "However, a certain aquintance of ours managed to resurrect it. Don't ask me for any details; I'm telling you all I know which is rather similar to crap from a chocobo."

Sora was about to ask what a chocobo was but Aozora elbowed him to shut him up. Sora gave him an angry look but kept quiet.

"Sora, you have to go to Ancient Greece," Cid said quietly, urgently. "You have to go. You cannot ignore this world; its importance is greater than any one of us could actually ever think. No joke, you have to go."

"As soon as possible, I'm guessing," Aozora said sternly. "But the both of us aren't healed long enough to handle the world."

"And yet you two are gonna take your friends along and try to rescue Ashita and Yuri?" Cid cocked an eyebrow at this.

Aozora twitched. "A world and a rescue mission are two different things. You know that, I'm betting. I know about the Society; that will give us the upper hand. However, saving a world from the Heartless and the Nobodies is a harder task than one would ever think. I think we're strong enough to save Ashita and Yuri but not strong enough to take on a world, especially one like Ancient Greece."

He said the name of the world haltingly, as though he was reluctant to remember anything remotely similar to the two words that made up the name of the world.

"You have to go there pretty much immediately," Cid retorted. "Now go. Save Ashita and Yuri, then go to Ancient Greece. Go."

He literally marched away from the kitchen, leaving behind some very surprised people.

"He sure doesn't act like this," Aozora mused, then abruptly turned and headed for the door down the hall. "Let's go; we've got not even half a moment to lose."

"However long that is," Sora muttered under his breath as they rushed out of the apartment.

He grinned. Everything was working with incredible finesse. He wanted to laugh.

_The holograms worked,_ he thought with amusement as he looked out onto Twilight Town from his high perch on the clocktower. _Incredible. The finest in technology, I believe. I can't believe how well they could deceive people._

He had played out a holographic image of him terrorizing people all around the clocktower, resulting in complete desertion of the area. He had also driven out the residents of the clocktower with that method, then proceeded to play another hologram of him taking the two residents captive. He timed it carefully so that one of the allies of the Keyblade Master and the Guardian would come upon the imagery and alert the two important beings.

_And now, all I must do is wait for them...wait for them and strike at the right time...and the rift will become an involuntary split that will become real and visible..._

He smiled a demonic grin and scanned the area around the clocktower, like a raptor looking down upon the world from his place on top of the world, keeping an eye out for unsuspecting prey.

_Two blades vs. two blades...I am so going to enjoy this..._

They ran the equivalent of two miles without realizing it; their thoughts went to the clocktower and Ashita and Yuri, not how long can they run without stopping. Then they found themselves at the foot of the clocktower, which suddenly looked ominous. It was silent, very silent.

The silence was deafening.

They looked at each other. What would happen once they open the door?

"I'm going first," Aozora didn't take a minute to debate the decision and strode for the door. Sora, who preferred being the first in everything, fumed at this, though he knew he was just being foolish.

Goofy moved behind Donald and, with his shield up, looked around the deserted area around the clocktower warily. Even the trains were silent that day.

Aozora slowly opened the door, revealing nothing but a swirling set of stairs that led up towards the top. There was no sign of disturbance; that confused Aozora. Where Ashita and Yuri attacked while they were sleeping? No, that was impossible; Yuna had seen them being taken hostage, of course he didn't see them.

"This is strange," Donald quacked softly, then accidentally kicked a rusted nail lying around uselessly on the bottom floor. It's sharp, metallic sound rang as it roiled off into the dark. Everyone froze, trembling, and they turned as one to glare at Donald, who gave them a rather sheepish grin. "Sorry."

Sora sighed, then started for the stairs, only to be cut off by Aozora. His blond look-a-like gave him a rather rude glare, then went up the stairs first.

Rather than letting out an angry outburst, Sora fumed silently, becoming all the more angry by Aozora's course of actions. Whether or not Aozora went in front to protect Sora he didn't know but he was certainly irritated by the teenager's attitude.

It would not be long before Sora came to understand why it was actually a better idea to have Aozora go in front. As the four people went up the staircase, Aozora's hands kept flexing and light continued to glow from his hands. Sora knew he was ready to pull out his keyblades at a moment's notice and readied his keyblade as well.

They had passed two floors by then. Goofy kept stalling to see what the floors were for but, while Aozora continued to march on at an unforgiving pace, Donald dragged the overly curious knight along.

It was at the third floor but Aozora came to a sudden stop. Sora, who had actually started to daydream about Destiny Islands while trying to keep up with the torrid pace, nearly ran into him. Donald did succeed in running into him but Goofy somehow avoided the mishap.

"What is it?" the question formed on Sora's tongue but Aozora quickly interrupted him with a hiss and, "There's someone in the main control room."

"The what room?" Sora was confused. He was a technology ignoramus, remember that. The most technological advances he probably knew in the first fourteen years in his life were gummi ships and the elevators in Hollow Bastion, among other things.

"The main control room," Aozora said in a low tone, implicating the serious danger of what they were doing. "That's where the lights, the clock faces, and the bells of the clocktower are controlled."

"Der...you think someone's in there?" Goofy asked.

Aozora nodded. "Someone's in there, I can feel it."

"Just one person?" Donald asked suspiciously.

"You guys go on ahead; see if Ashita and Yuri are up there," Aozora told them. "I'm checking the main control room. If there's any trouble, give a yell or something. Who knows what might happen."

Sora gave the briefest of nods, then watched as Aozora opened the door into the main control room. He got a glimpse of the room, a huge dark room with blinking lights, before the door closed. Sora then continued on his way up, suddenly nervous, wondering what could possibly be happening in the main control room at that moment in time.

The flight of stairs went upward, not seeming to stop. Sora was getting exhausted and a hatred began to grow in him against all staircases that never seemed to end. Donald and Goofy were slacking off as well, overcome by the stairs. They kept moving, though, until they had reached a door. It was wide open, strangely enough. They knew from a previous visit that this was probably where Ashita and Yuri stayed; the last time they were here, they probably did get past the main control room but didn't go up far enough.

"This must be where Ashita and Yuri are staying," Sora told Donald and Goofy as he stepped into a maze of rooms and hallways, with areas that opened up to the bird's eye view of Twilight Town.

Sora inched to the edge, where he leaned against a column and looked down at the world. Donald and Goofy set about investigating the top floor. Sora didn't realize the column he was leaning against was the one Aozora was sleeping against when the look-a-like's journey began but he did know one thing and one thing only: there was no struggle here. There were no telltale signs of struggle between Ashita and Yuri and the stranger that Yuna said took the two hostages.

"Sora?" Goofy said hesitantly. " There's a problem."

"No struggle," Donald finished the sentence. "There was no struggle here. There was no sign of struggle down there and there's no sign of struggle up here either."

"Nobody was around when we came near," Sora countered slowly. "There were no eyewitnesses."

"The clocktower is literally untouched," Goofy offered. "Nothing was thrown, nothing was shattered, no blood, nothing. I don't think they were taken hostages."

"Besides," Donald added, " they're not here. Ashita and Yuri are not here."

Sora mused for a moment. _If they were not here, then where were they..._

"The main control room," he heard himself say. "We need to check the main control room."

"Oh yeah!" Goofy agreed. "What are we waiting for?"

He began to stomp down the stairs.

"Goofy!" Sora and Donald both yelped. "Not so loud!"

Goofy froze. Then he said, with a sheepish grin, "Woops, sorry!"

He proceeded to tiptoe down the stairs. Literally.

"Come on," Sora followed Goofy. Donald carefully closed the door behind them, not realizing that it would actually be months before anybody came to the top floor again.

They went down the flight of stairs and Sora literally hugged the rail, suddenly realizing how high they were off the ground. He proceeded to continue downstairs, fighting the temptation to look down. Donald walked with his beak up in the air and Goofy just lumbered along on his toes, trying to be as silent as possible.

Because they were so busy being themselves, they almost missed the main control room. But Sora stopped in time and they found themselves in front of the semi-circle doors, standing there, wondering whether or not they would dare go in.

"Should we go in?" Sora asked the others. They heard nothing from the inside.

Goofy shook his head; Donald nodded.

Sora made a quick decision, weighing the pros and cons, then opened the doors.

He did not expect to see a certain someone he had met before maybe half a year ago.

_Nobody's here_, Aozora thought as he slowly inched into the main control room. He looked around himself warily, peering at the shadows created by the blinking lights and control panels. He ever so slowly moved to the center of the main control room, which was enormously empty, compared to the lights and control panels riddling the walls. _What's going on-_

"Well, well, well," a cold, rather cruel voice hissed as a figure in a long black coat and hood suddenly strode into view from the shadows. "The Guardian himself at last. About time, too."

Aozora nearly yelped, jumping back in the process. "Who-who the hell are you? What are you doing here? What have you done to my friends?"

_Why and where have I heard his voice before?_

"What friends?" the being asked in dark amusement. "I don't know what you're talking about. Oh wait, _which_ friends are you talking about?"

_The guy's teasing me_, Aozora thought. _Wait a minute...something funny's going on here...if he doesn't know what I'm talking about, then where's Ashita and Yuri-_

"You used holograms, didn't you?" Aozora demanded angrily.

The being smirked rather noisily. " Took you a while to catch on, Guardian. How long has it been, three years? Quite a long time since you've escaped us. I wonder, did you tell the Keyblade Master and his two friends about your scar? Or how about how you lent your hand in the destruction of Ancient Greece?"

By then, the being had removed his hood, revealing a rather handsome face, with fierce emerald eyes, fiery red hair, and marks on his cheek.

"Axel..." Aozora hissed.

Axel grinned. "Surprise. Thought you'd never get rid of me? Guess again."

Aozora bristled.

"I hear Cid wants you and the Keyblade Master to go to Ancient Greece as soon as possible," Axel said casually, beginning to pace a bit. "Seems like he wants you two to stop Hades from destroying Ancient Greece again."

"Hades is going to destroy Ancient Greece?" Aozora demanded.

"The only sound way to defeat Hercules," Axel answered. "Of course, he could always copy your tricks and detonate Ancient Greece again, but this time adding a bit of that charm called 'god'."

"You detonated Ancient Greece?" a voice asked quietly from behind Aozora. "You destroyed the world of one of my friends? You?"

It was Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Get out," Aozora bristled. " No time to explain; Ashita and Yuri aren't here and you guys need to-"

"Stop Hades from destroying the world like _you_ did, yes we heard it all," Sora said in an extremely steely voice. "Axel, how nice to meet you."

"You two what?" Aozora turned on Axel.

"Shall I kill you this time?" Axel snarled, his eyes glimmering like embers. "Or shall I tell you all you might need to know-"

"I will not let you meet with Sora!" Aozora snapped angrily. "Get out of here, now! Get to Ancient Greece. Save that world! GET OUT!"

The door smashed shut behind them. It was a miracle the door did not break.

"Are you confused?" Axel said in a jeering voice as he stretched out his right arm.

"Why should I?" Aozora snarled as his right hand glowed in its purplish darkness and his left shimmered in a pure light. The Oblivion and the Starlight flashed into his hands and he tensed himself into his fighting stance.

"You may never know," Axel grinned and fire exploded all around them.

"Axel...master of fire," Aozora snarled as fire spread around them in a circle.

Axel stretched his arms out and opened his hands. Wheels of fire spun and sparks flew as two extremely lethal spiky wheels materialized in the person's hands.

"Fire and Wind Wheels, your favorite choice of weapons," Aozora growled under his breath, knowing that Axel cannot hear him over the roar of flames. "Nice."

"Surprise," Axel grinned. "Two vs. two. Ready?"

Aozora briefly considered casting Aeroga. He didn't get a chance.


	26. Top of the Mountain

Author's Note: Three chapters in one week. A summer gift of sorts, depending on where you're located in this world. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next one that's coming up right after this.   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 26: Top of the Mountain 

Goofy had never been silent for so long. Donald stared at the captain oddly; Goofy was very rarely quiet. He was well known for not being quiet-otherwise known as noise, clumsy, and goofy- for even five minutes. But here he was now, silent for nearly an hour in the gummi ship. Donald wondered whether or not he should be worried.

Donald looked to Sora, who was manning the gummi ship with a viciousness the wizard had never, _ever_ seen before. He seemed to have abandoned his antics-which Donald was actually thankful for-and had taken up what seemed to Donald was suicide.

_Must be because of Aozora_, Donald concluded. He had seen how Sora reacted to the stunning information of Aozora actually playing a major part in the destruction of Ancient Greece. Well, both Goofy and he were shocked as well but Sora seemed to be badly hit by this sudden piece of info. The way he stomped out of the clocktower and sulked through the whole train ride to the gummi garage was frightening but the way he manned the gummi ship out of Twilight Town and towards where Ancient Greece was supposed to be nearly killed Goofy and him.

In fact, it was so frightening Donald didn't even want to think about it.

Right now, he could feel hot, angry energy coming from Sora; he didn't think Sora could hold anger like that for so long. What had happened that changed Sora? Donald sure didn't remember seeing Sora change in any way for the last year and several weeks. How strange.

_There were so many things that have happened over the last few years, decades, centuries even,_ he thought. _The stakes are escalating; with every move we make, the pros and cons have a greater effect on the fate of the universe. Why did we have to involve ourselves in this whole mess thirteen years ago?!_

He reminisced on the past. He had read archives of the universe's past, filled with warfare, and he was a witness to a branch of that terrible warfare, lent a helping hand in jeopardizing the hopes of both the light and dark, and was now witness to the rising forces of dark and light. Donald Duck was in a gummi ship with the one person spearheading the attack against the dark, the one person who carried a promise for everyone. But that certain person was in a horrendous rage and Donald had a bad feeling he would actually kill if something added to the anger. He wondered whether or not he was lucky at all.

Hercules watched the blue skies, searching for something that seemed not to be there. His father, Almighty Zeus, had already told him that Phil was on his way and, finally, he'll be reunited with Pegasus and Meg, both whom he was separated from during the destruction of Ancient Greece about three years ago.

About three years ago... 

_The world was burning, burning, flames rising up high, licking the sky. Heat waves roared upwards, forcing Hercules back from the wall of hellfire that separated him from Meg and an injured Pegasus. People screamed and ran all around him, trying to escape what seemed to be impending doom. Phil was shouting up at him, yelling something rather unintelligent. Hercules ignored him, gritting his teeth with rage when he realized there was no way he could reach Meg and Pegasus._

" _Meg!" he yelled over the roaring fire, unsure of whether or not she could hear him in the deafening inferno. "Meg, get out of here! Find somewhere safe! Phil and I'll find a way to get out of here."_

_Meg was shouting something else as well but the walls of flame sudden rose up higher. Then Phil tapped him on the leg. Hercules looked down to the satyr, who pointed frantically at a being, a being in a long, dark coat and hood, one of the strange people who had come to his home in Ancient Greece and were currently setting the whole world on fire._

_He saw hints of blond hair sticking out from the hood, a glimmer of bronze eyes that shimmered unnaturally, with high intensity in the flames. The person was smaller, shorter, thinner than the rest of the mysterious group but had a strange, intangible essence._

_Phil was saying something. "This was the guy who started the whole flamin' fire!"_

_Hercules gaped at the being, who stared back at him with sad, solemn eyes. The tawny eyes were lonely, wrought with many tragedies, regretting everything the owner of the bronze eyes had done. Then, as the flames reached higher, the light from the fire revealed the face of the one Phil said had started the whole fire._

_He was only a child. On the verge of a teenager, yes, but he was still a child. A pale face, with shimmering bronze eyes and blond hair falling across the right side of his face, the child was biting his lip, and a stream of red liquid was dribbling down his chin. He had a look of horror on his face._

" _He's only a kid?!" Phil was stunned. "A kid set the whole world on fire?!"_

_Hercules didn't wait any longer. He yelled, "Who in Hades' hell are you?"_

_The kid backed away nervously, and shadow covered his face again. The eyes still shone, with a light of fear._

" _Tell me, kid, did you set the fire?" Hercules demanded. "Did you? Did you?!"_

_The eyes spoke all._

_Hercules reached for his sword but Phil stopped him. "Hercules, he's just a kid!"_

_When Hercules turned on him, Phil added, "Look, I'm sure he's the one who set the whole world on fire but look at him; he's just a kid! If you wanna take out your anger on the big guys, go ahead, but I'm not letting you slaughter a kid in the name of Zeus!"_

_Hercules was grim when he turned back to the kid. But he was gone._

_Then, cracks appeared on the ground, forcing their way through stone and earth. Fissures formed and steam spurted into the world. Phil yelled, "Hercules, we've gotta get outta here!"_

" _But Pegasus and Meg!" Hercules protested and gestured. The wall of fire was dying._

" _We've no time!" Phil snapped. " We gotta get out of here; just pray to your dad for their safety!"_

_And so, on their long trek to the Coliseum, Hercules begged his father to protect Pegasus and Meg. And as Coliseum detached itself from Ancient Greece, as the world detonated before his very eyes, he prayed fervently that perhaps Meg and Pegasus were still safe, that they had reached the train track that would lead them away to safety. Hopefully._

_For two years, Hercules and Phil kept the Coliseum from crumbling, as they interacted with others from neighboring worlds. They became especially good friends with Leon, Cloud, and Yuffie, who came regularly to train and to have mock duels with Hercules. It would be from them that Hercules would learn about the universe and its struggle._

_Every night he prayed that Meg and Pegasus were safe. Nearly every day, a pair of tragedy-ridden bronze eyes haunted him, shimmering back at him from the distant parts of his mind. The eyes seemed to regret everything but Hercules hated the eyes, hated them with passion. The one who had those eyes had destroyed his home and the ones he loved were not with him, were separated from him because of that kid. _

_When Sora, Donald, and Goofy came, it took both Hercules and Phil a while to get used to the Keyblade wielder. What really shook them was the fact Sora bore a remarkable resemblance to the child who destroyed the world. Well, they couldn't exactly credit the child with that but they knew that his setting Thebes on fire-and the rest of the world in the process-started a chain of events that led to its destruction._

And where were Sora, Donald, and Goofy now? It's been a year since they had last seen each other; now Sora, Donald, and Goofy were coming as well. Cid had made a personal visit to Ancient Greece, to oversee the rebuilding of Thebes, which happened to be done with remarkable speed, and he was the one who told Hercules that Meg and Pegasus were safe, as was Phil, and that they were headed his way.

"Then there's Kairi and Selphie..." Hercules mused. How in Hades' hell was he going to tell Sora about everything?

" Well, first thing's first," Hercules noted to himself as he spotted a small, very familiar figure head up the steep path on Mount Olympus to where Coliseum was. " Well, never mind. That's the second-no, third thing. This time, its first thing's first. Greet Phil."

And Hercules shoved the doors of Coliseum open and ran down the path to greet his trainer and friend, who looked not only disheveled, but grumpy as well.

Just like usual.

Phil had just told Hercules that Meg and Pegasus were fine, safe as can be and headed for Ancient Greece after stopping by Traverse Town, when the doors of Coliseum swung open with tremendous force, causing the doors to bang against their hinges. The godlike warrior and the grumpy satyr jumped and turned to the doors. Then Hercules smiled.

The furious look on Sora's face quickly erased as he saw one of his friends for the first time in a year. His sullen blue eyes brightened and a grin exposed itself on his face.

" Hercules, long time, no see," he said as they clasped hands in a gesture of strong friendship. "How have you been?"

" Very good, actually," Hercules admitted, then caught a look Phil had given him. "I was just kidding about that; actually, it's a long story. Glad to see you're okay-"

" Kid, you around when we reopen Coliseum?" Phil fired.

Sora stood straight up, puffed up his chest, and said, "Just tell me when you're ready Phil."

The satyr grinned and flashed him a thumbs up.

" Heya Phil!" Goofy greeted earnestly, while Donald looked around Coliseum. He spent a rather long time looking out on Ancient Greece, on the city Coliseum was located nearby.

" Thebes is up and thriving, I see," Donald noted with a nod. "Cid came by, didn't he?"

" Got everything fixed up, just like the old times," Hercules reported, then twitched ever so slightly, as a pair of bronze eyes flashed in his mind.

Sora caught him twitching and demanded, "What's wrong, Hercules?"

" Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing really," Hercules replied hastily, then spotted something rather odd about Sora. Well, several things actually.

" Since when did you start wearing black?" Phil asked, before Hercules could ask him the same question.

Sora shrugged. "It looked nice so I bought the clothes; I couldn't go around wearing practically the same thing every day, could I?"

" And your necklace?" Phil continued.

Sora's face fell. "I don't know. After-after this disastrous run-in with Ao-with an acquaintance of mine, I lost it."

Phil raised an eyebrow at this but didn't push it.

" Sora," Hercules said slowly, eyeing the teenager's neck. "Where did you get that scar on your neck?"

" Long story, huyuk," Goofy answered. "A really long story."

" I don't want to talk about it either," Sora added rather harshly.

Hercules was puzzled by this odd behavior but decided to digress into something else just as important. "I was with Kairi and Selphie, Sora, in In-Between."

Sora jerked and his face quickly paled. He turned on Hercules and demanded, "What? Are they okay? Is Kairi okay? Where are they? What happened? Hercules, tell me everything!"

" Calm down," Hercules replied quickly. "Calm down a bit and I'll tell you everything. See, back in Old Universe..."

Aozora staggered out of the clocktower, grimacing with every step he took. Going down the stairs in the clocktower was, he thought, exactly like walking through hellfire barefooted and naked.

Axel managed to escape, leaving only behind a promise: We will meet again exactly when hope fails.

Aozora didn't know what he meant but he didn't like the words at all. _Exactly when hope fails? What in hell does that mean?_

He stumbled and swore as he caught himself; the gashes all over him burned angrily. The half-healed slash on his right side had re-opened and the blood flow had only recently begun to slow. He was in a worse condition than the day before.

_Damn it all_, he swore. _Can't find Ashita and Yuri anywhere, I'm not where Sora is, I don't know where in hell Ancient Greece is now, Axel's put himself squarely in the picture, and these cuts are killing me!_

He ignored the looks people gave him as he staggered onward for the train station. He was used to the looks; the looks were no different from the ones fired at him because of his bronze eyes. Walking around with eyes of metal was strange indeed; staggering about with metallic eyes _and_ blood-soaked clothing was a different story altogether. That was altogether accented by the trail of blood he left behind. People steered clear of the bloody trail and at that moment in time, Aozora could easily be compared to Moses; they both made paths through seas of whatever. Moses, in this case, went through water; Aozora was going through people.

When he reached the train station, however, he was aghast. There was a huge delay and he decided to find out why. A person who ignored his bloodied state told him that not too long ago, a strange man with red hair entered a train. Then the train silently detonated.

_Silently?!_ Aozora thought. _How the hell does a train explode silently?_

"...and the train tracks were suddenly twisted all out of shape and everything," the stranger continued to say. "They're trying to fix everything up right now. In a day or two everything will be patched up and we can travel between worlds again."

Aozora was devastated as he staggered off to a remote corner of the train station, to fish around his pockets for an Elixir to use on himself. _A day or two? I don't have a day or two; I gotta guard the Keyblade Master now, as in RIGHT NOW!_

Then he remembered Sora's recent change of attitude and wondered if being away from him for a day or two would relieve him of stress that had been accumulating on his shoulders. Maybe he should go find Ashita and Yuri or go back to Cid, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.

" Well, might as well heal myself first or I'm going to end up going nowhere," he told himself as he began to uncork the Elixir.

Someone in a long black coat and hood flashed by frantically, startling Aozora because he knew where the coat came from.

Not even ten seconds later, the Nobodies and Heartless struck the train station.

Sora was silent as he, Donald, and Goofy followed Hercules and Phil down to Thebes. He was shocked and elated at the same time when he learned that Hercules had met up with Kairi and Selphie but he was rather disturbed by where they met and what they had gone through.

" Other Report?" Donald squalled furiously. "But she promised! Was the time even right to give up that piece of paper?"

" What do you know about the Other Report?" Hercules turned on the wizard.

" Huyuk, it's a long story," Goofy said cheerily. "Wanna hear it?"

Donald clobbered him on the head with the staff and Goofy stayed silent.

" This isn't the first time Donald shut up Goofy," Sora explained to a stunned Hercules. "It's not unusual."

" What _I_ think's unusual is In-Between," Phil growled out. "Why in Hades' hell did you end up there anyways?"

" You can always ask Father," Hercules suggested with a grin.

" No thanks, I've had enough consulting with your father," Phil snapped back and was promptly rewarded with a zap from a thunderbolt.

" See what I mean?" Phil coughed out.

Sora was stunned when he learned that In-Between was something like the source of the Nobodies in the Universe. Hercules said that this shade named Oracle Kenaii had told him that to stop the flow of Nobodies requires a door to be closed, like how Sora and King Mickey temporarily stopped the flow of Heartless by closing-rather incorrectly- Kingdom Hearts.

"...but Oracle Kenaii, while we were headed for New Universe," Hercules was saying, "started swearing to himself. Rich words he used, too, Phil, like what the sailors down at the port say when something messes up. He was muttering to himself about whether or not the door was supposed to be closed or open and what was the purpose of the door Kairi and Selphie were supposed to find. That left me worried, very worried indeed."

" So if the door was somehow supposed to be open and Kairi and Selphie ended up closing or something," Phil had suggested, "then we're screwed and vice versa? By the gods almighty, this is crazy."

" You've said it," Donald agreed.

They were now headed for Thebes, to find a temple dedicated to Hercules' father, Zeus. There, Phil told Hercules, they would meet up with Meg and Pegasus again. Well, again for Hercules and for the first time for Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

" By the way, Hercules," Sora began as they entered the noisy streets of Thebes, "what happened to Ancient Greece for all this to happen?"

He gestured to all the rebuilding and the strange 'newness' of the world.

Hercules and Phil gave each other a grave look and they nodded.

" Three years ago, a fire was suddenly lit in a stable near where I was looking for repair equipment for Hercules' armor," Phil began. "Just before the fire went berserk, I saw the guilty guy run out. I tried to give chase the but the fire was the first priority."

" He found me, Pegasus, and Meg while the fire was getting stronger," Hercules continued. "We were trying to find our way to the port, to join the others and make our way to the train station to the far west, when fire spurted right at us and split us. Phil and me were on one side and Meg and Pegasus were on the other. Pegasus- oh sorry, he's my flying horse-couldn't fly over the flames because the heat waves were horrifying and the wall of fire was getting huge. So Meg and Pegasus left to safety while Phil and I tried to find our way out so we can eventually catch up to them. Right there and then, as we were heading out, we saw the guy who started the fire."

" Shocking, too," Phil added, "when we saw who the guy was. He was just a kid, a kid of all people and ages! A kid set fire to Thebes and ended up starting a chain of reactions that led to Ancient Greece exploding! Those cracks on the ground were somehow triggered by that crazy fire, I'm sure of it!"

" He seemed to be part of this group of people in long black coats and hoods pulled over their heads," Hercules continued. "He seemed to be in league with them, since he was dressed the same way-"

" He was the strangest kid on Earth!" Phil railed out right there and then. "Blond hair, really pale, and with those bloomin' bronze eyes! I mean, seriously, how can a person, let alone a kid, have _bronze_ eyes! Think about it!"

Sora, who was about to make a comment on the people with the coats, froze up in his tracks. So did Donald and Goofy. It took Hercules and Phil ten steps before they realized they were alone.

"Bronze eyes?" Donald echoed, then looked to Sora and Goofy. "Sounds familiar?"

Goofy nodded in definite agreement; Sora's eyes, though, glimmered with a strange hatred.

"You know the guy?" Phil was stupefied.

"It's a long story," Donald said.

"And we don't even know if he is the one," Goofy added airily.

"Axel said he was the one who detonated Ancient Greece," Sora said in a voice carefully controlled. "Remember? He said so and _he_ didn't do or say anything to stop Axel from continuously accusing him."

"Who's _he_?" Hercules asked curiously.

"Aozora," Sora spat out.

"They were friends in better days," Goofy added quietly, "but something's happened and they've been far apart since then. Aozora was supposed to guard Sora but, well, he's not here right now so we're disobeying...King Mickey's orders...."

Donald was horrified out of his wits and began to squall and throw a fit. Goofy sighed, then explained that Donald was a fanatic when it came to following King Mickey's orders; 'finding someone with the key' was a rather vague order and easy to follow but this order, about finding the guardian of Sora, well, that was a problem.

"This is a very bad mess we're all in," Phil acknowledged as soon as Goofy shut Donald up. "A very bad mess indeed. What you say, Hercules?"

"Why would Aozora be helping you if he was the one who started the chain reaction that destroyed my world?" Hercules said slowly. "I mean, is he still in league with those guys in coats and all?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other uncertainly. "It's a long story."

"Never mind, skip that question," Hercules waved that aside. "Does he seem connected to them in any sort of way?"

Sora refused to answer but Donald said, "He knew some stuff he learned from them but he used it for good; if it weren't for him, Sora could've died on us and-"

"Shut up, I don't want to think about it," Sora interrupted him, immediately ending any further discussion regarding Aozora.

_I don't get it_, Hercules mused in confusion. _Why does Sora hate him so much? What is his reason for this hatred? What had this Aozora done to make him so mad? I think I've forgiven him already but Sora...I just don't understand_.

"Does anybody besides me have a feeling in their spines that something's 'bout to happen?" Phil demanded as they resumed walking into a thriving Thebes. "I mean, something bad, _really_ bad."

Sora was tightlipped, silent, but his eyes glittered with agreement. _Yes, something is bound to happen..._

If there was one thing Eucletes would never expect to see, it would be Hercules. Two years ago, Ancient Greece vanished and he had not seen the great hero, the great defender of Thebes, since then. The merchant had always admired the golden warrior and he was saddened when nobody knew where Hercules had gone. The oracles of Delphi could not see if he was somehow in Underworld and nobody had any idea whatsoever on where he could possibly be.

"Pots! Pans! Fine plates from the Orient! Silk! Fruits and vegetables! Knives even, and daggers!" Eucletes bugled from his stall near the Temple of Zeus, the center of Thebes. "Everything you need is here, folks! And at a bargain price, too!"

"Bargain price, nothin'!" an old farmer hobbling by shouted. "Didn't ye hear? He's come back fer sure!"

"Who's back, sir?" Eucletes was confused. The man of thirty years with the dark curly hair and blue eyes was utterly confused.

"Why, Hercules, 'course!" the farmer barked back and continued his way up a road that led to Coliseum.

Eucletes, who had been in the motion of depositing imported silverware on his display table, dropped whatever he was holding, pulled on his traveling cape, locked up his stall, and made for where the old man –and apparently everybody else- had gone to.

As a safety precaution, he snatched out his best dagger from his stock and tucked it into his belt.

Then he headed up the road in the direction of Coliseum, unaware of the shadowy figures lying in wait on the far side of the marketplace where he and other merchants were selling their wares. The candles on one of them flickered and they all grinned.

"Hercules has a pretty strong following," Sora finally spoke.

"All part of being famous," Phil answered. "And I helped him."

"Yes you did," Hercules grinned. "All this fame, Sora, just look at it."

Sora surveyed the throngs of people surrounding them. Many cast either suspicious or envious looks at Donald, Goofy, and him. _Probably because we know him more than they do, _he thought. _I mean, you have to know the person really well to be able to walk next to him without a problem, right?_

"What's so great about fame?" Sora wondered out loud.

Donald, with a snort, said, "Nothing. Some like fame, some adore fame, and some hate fame with passion. I, for one, don't care about fame. Fame gets to your head and you mess up your whole life. It's not beautiful."

"If fame gets to your head, kid," Phil added, "you get a boot in your nice arse out the door and you're never seein' my face again! Period!"

Sora was surprised. _Was fame bad?_

"Fame is fame," Goofy answered simplistically and fell silent, as though to keep the answer at that.

"It depends on how you perceive and use fame," Hercules piled on that confusing statement. "I used to have fame pouring into my head and that made me turn out bad. Not anymore."

Sora nodded, finally understanding. _Will that happen to me? Will I get famous if I get rid of the Heartless and the Nobodies forever? What would it be like, to have people follow me everywhere? What good can that do for me? What can it do for everyone in general?_

He suddenly noticed someone watching them. The person was dressed in dark colors, covered from head to toe. This person did not want attention directed to itself but the person's odd set of clothing were already luring in many looks.

Sora stared at the person. Why did he look so familiar-

He saw the whip in the right hand crackle blue, for the briefest moment, before it vanished. Sora had seen a whip crackle that way only once before, and that was back at China. In the hand of an Unknown Aozora called Domitan.

_And if an Unknown is here, then Heartless or Nobodies or both are here_, Sora thought rapidly as he kept his eyes trained on who he believed was Domitan. _And if they're here, then Ancient Greece is in deep trouble_.

"Uh...Sora?" Goofy poked him on the arm. "You're falling behind."

"Wha?" Sora shook his head, saw the others were meters ahead, and ran to catch up to them.

His side suddenly began to hurt, sending out signals of pain, and he had to slow. He thought the wounds were gone by now...but the pain in his right side came from only one possible place: the gash he had received days back in a near-fatal clash with Heartless.

"Hey Sora," Hercules turned to him. "You okay-"

A scream shattered the air and the bright, sunny day was no longer bright and sunny.

Flame flew up into the sky as people screamed and stampeded away from the source of the first scream. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other and, with Sora also looking to Hercules, they pulled out their weapons.

"Heartless," Sora told Hercules simply, and surged into the moving crowd in search of the first scream.


	27. Dreams Underground

Author's Note: Here's the last chapter that will be updated this week. Do not expect any more updates for the following 2-3 weeks, just to let you know. Thank you for your support and enjoy the rest of your summer. Enjoy!   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 27: Dreams Underground 

" Heartless?" Hercules was nearly speechless with shock at this sudden bit of information. " Heartless here already? How can that be?"

" Spectral Mages!" Goofy yelped as they spotted candle-carrying creatures speeding about here and there, sending streams of fire at all the people that had gathered to greet Hercules.

" Oh no..." Sora groaned, then cast Aeroga on himself, before charging at the Spectral Mages.

" Phil, cover us," Hercules told the satyr, yanked out his sword, and ran after Sora.

" Cover? Cover?!" Phil barked after them. "Me covering you guys? And with what?!"

A young man, dressed as a merchant, then rushed to his side. He pulled out a rather large and deadly looking dagger from under his cape and handed it to Phil, saying, "Here, sir, take this."

" Thanks, kid," Phil answered, snatched the dagger, and, wielding it like a sword, ran after Hercules.

" I'll cover," Goofy said cheerfully, then charged at a Rabid, a dog-like Heartless, which was about to attack the young merchant. "You best be getting out of here, this place is dangerous for sure."

" Thank you," the man said. "How can I repay you-oh, I know!"

The young man ran off, following the stampeding crowd, while Goofy spun at two Rabids and threw them into the air. Donald aimed carefully, yelled out, "Firaga!" and destroyed the two Heartless.

" What are those bat creatures?" Hercules asked, pointing to bat-like creatures with huge red hooks on their tails.

" We've met them before, Donald, remember?" Goofy yelped as he smashed a Spectral Mage into the ground. "Back at that night, maybe thirteen years ago-"

" HookWings," Donald confirmed and interrupted at the same time. "Blizzaga!"

A shot of icy magic downed one HookWing but the others kept coming.

" Hercules!" Phil shrilled out from somewhere a bit far away. "Hercules, we've got a problem!"

His high, shrill voice managed to rise over the mayhem the Heartless and the people were creating.

" Phil, what's it?" Hercules yelled back as he fought his way through an emerging swarm of Shadows. Sora flanked him, eventually cutting his own path through the Shadows and right into Soldiers.

" They're comin' from Underworld!" Phil bellowed. "At the Temple of Zeus! Remember that secret doorway I told you never to even think about?"

" Yes," Hercules answered as he reached the satyr, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy not far behind.

" That leads to Underworld," Phil explained quickly as Heartless began to swarm in from the Temple of Zeus. "We have to go there and stop the Heartless."

" Hades is up to something, that's for sure," Sora stated. "Problem is, is there any other way to get there?"

" I know of another passageway, sir," the same young merchant offered as he approached them, carrying a sack of something and a strange mechanism. The mechanism seemed to be some sort of a hose and nozzle attached to a tank of some sort.

" What in heavens is that?" Phil barked.

" A fire hose, sir," the young man answered. "Traded for it from the Orient. It does wonders."

With that, he skillfully uncoiled the hose, twisted the nozzle into place, and turned on something on the tank.

To everyone's astonishment, fire roared out of the nozzle and onto the incoming Heartless. The wall of fire immediately stopped the Heartless' advance.

" Kid, you're good," Phil breathed. "What's your name?"

" What?" nobody could hear well over the roar of flames.

" Name!" Phil barked out.

" Eucletes, sir!" the merchant yelled back.

" Well, Eucletes," Hercules said, " can you take us to Hades' dreaded Underworld?"

Eucletes had a grin on his face, something out of place for a person who should know the devilry of the place. "Sir, you have no idea how many times I've visited the place."

He gestured to Phil's dagger. "The metal comes from what I discovered in Hades' Underworld. That dagger is the closest you can get to invincibility."

" You're good," Sora commented. " Real good. Hades isn't the easiest to get along with."

" Don't you worry, sir," Eucletes replied as he switched off the fire hose. He then quickly gestured to a couple of teenage boys who were watching his mechanism with awe.

They came rushing and he asked them urgently, "Can you use this and keep those monsters from attacking?"

It seemed they knew each other really well. The teenage boys nodded eagerly and he let them have it.

" The gateway is at the foot of Mount Olympus," he said as he shifted to towards the road that led out of Thebes. "But exactly _where_ it is around Mount Olympus very few know. Nessus was one, until Hercules mashed him up."

Hercules said in a sheepish manner, "He was assaulting Meg; what else was I to do?"

" No comment," Sora replied immediately. "Eucletes, just take us there, will you?"

The merchant nodded, then handed over the sack he was carrying. "I brought some Elixirs, just in case you guys need some."

" Gee, Eucletes, thanks," Sora said as he took the sack. "You've just saved us a ton of munny."

" I help those who deserve it," Eucletes answered. "This way now. We must hurry."

He ran down the road that ran parallel to Mount Olympus, to its left. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Hercules, and Phil didn't waste any time and ran after him, while the teenage boys that Eucletes instructed to use the fire hose sprayed fire on the Heartless that tried to follow.

Aozora sighed as he slid down the wall he was leaning against and sat on the floor of the inside of the train station. If there was any way to define disaster with visual images, he knew of a situation that could do it.

The casualties were light, but they were still casualties. People had died fighting off the Heartless and Nobodies. Nobody was prepared to be hit by the Heartless and Nobodies and only Aozora could somehow connect the train explosion with this attack on the train station.

" Twilight Town is no longer safe," Aozora had told Cid, who had arrived with Yuna, Rikku, and Paine to fight off the enemies. "I knew this place would not be untouchable but how vulnerable this world is, I still need to find out. Cid, Twilight Town is a very important world; we cannot let it go."

Cid nodded, then turned to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. "You know what to do."

With a confused Aozora looking on, the three women vanished.

" They're going to search out and destroy any Heartless and Nobodies," Cid explained. "We're going to clear out Twilight Town of them and build up defenses. It will be much harder for them to get in."

" You'd better hope the defenses will stop them," Aozora said. "We don't know much about Orion or that homeless guy who seems to be in league with the same evil Orion is working for."

It was hard for him to say that name. He seemed to be a good person but his strange loyalty had made him split. Why was he so faithful to Ansem, Aozora didn't know and he doubt he'd find out anytime soon.

" Don't you worry, Aozora," Cid told him reassuringly. "Now rest up; my cousin's sending over a gummi ship for you to pilot to Ancient Greece. I don't know why you guys ended up split but we can't afford that. You have to stick with Sora at _all_ times, Aozora, do you understand?"

" We've got just one problem," Aozora countered bitterly. "The rift. It's not easy defending someone who hates being guarded and he's not easy to be around with anymore period."

" You just have to solve that, won't you?" Cid shot back. "You've no choice, Aozora. Sally- you know who she is- predicts something terrible will happen if you two stay split for too long. We have to keep you two together."

Aozora groaned inwardly, sighed outwardly, and nodded reluctantly at the same time. He knew. It was inevitable and he had to stop it. An impossible task for sure but many things were impossible. And what seemed impossible always turned out to be possible.

" You have to rest, Aozora," Cid practically ordered him. " After what you've gone through in the last few days, it's a wonder you didn't drop dead. Go to the apartment and take a break. You'll be thankful you heeded my advice."

Aozora nodded and yawned. Cid was right. He was tired, dead tired. His bones and muscles ached and his head was feeling fuzzy. He doubt that even if he tried, he's never be able to think straight enough to even run up stairs.

He sighed and got up from his position against the train station's wall and staggered out under the twilit sky that engulfed the world.

" Sora, what have I done for all this to happen?" he asked to the sky, then continued his way down towards the apartment.

" You do know about Cerberus, right?" Phil broke the unsettling silence that fell upon the people and their guide. "Three headed dog? Big sharp fangs, huge mutt who likes human flesh?"

" That's after you get past Charon," Eucletes said calmly. "You have to get him to take you across the River Styx and onward past Cerberus. But I bet you guys faced Cerberus before, am I correct?"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Hercules all groaned. "Don't remind me."

" He's not bad if you give him a biscuit," Eucletes let out the secret. "Fact is, if one head gets the treat, the other two heads can't bear to watch that one head eat up the treat and would fight it. The head, in turn, would attack the other two and they would end up fighting over the biscuit and they would never notice anyone passing by them until the biscuit falls into the River Styx, thanks largely to their bickering. Fact is, every biscuit I've ever given to them had always fallen into the waters and the three heads never learned their lesson. It's amusing yet sad at the same time to watch them fight over something so petty as a biscuit. Then again, I have no idea what Hades does to keep them fed."

" I bet he feeds them whatever humans try to get into Underworld," Sora said darkly.

" Few have been able to get through and back," Hercules countered. "I, for one, got past Cerberus. Orpheus did, too. Theseus and his friend got past Cerberus as well but they never got past Hades."

" Getting past Hades," Eucletes was very solemn, "is an entirely different story."

" I should imagine," Sora said sarcastically.

" The last time I was at Underworld, to find some raw metals, Charon got bit by the gossip bug-"

" A gossip bug?" Goofy asked curiously. "What's it look like?"

Donald elbowed him and hissed, "It's a way of saying the guy was gossiping."

" Oh," Goofy answered but he still didn't seem to understand.

" And?" Phil asked impatiently as he hopped over a rock that stood in his path.

" Chiron told me Hades was up to something really dangerous," Eucletes explained as they squirmed their way through dense underbrush. "Something about summoning a dream-"

" A what?" Hercules asked.

" A what?!" Phil blasted. "He was summoning a what?!"

" How do you summon a dream?" Sora wondered.

" That's plain crazy," Donald said. "The art of summoning a dream's been lost for centuries!"

" Huyuk, that's right!" Goofy agreed as he swiped away at low-hanging branches.

" Tell that to Hades," Eucletes answered staunchly. "I heard he knew he was able to, since a dream had already been summoned days ago. So he's been trying to summon a powerful dream, one from this world called Sp-"

" I don't get it," Sora interrupted again. "What do you mean by a dream?"

" A dream is something like a ghost," Phil snapped back an explanation. "But they're not really ghosts; they seem real in every way except that they're dead. You usually see them as they were when they died but I've heard of a case in which a dream lived in the universe for years, seeming to age as a normal human does, but he was an invincible fighter. Eventually he faded away, as many dreams do."

" But why would Hades want to summon a dream?" Hercules wondered.

Sora wondered as well. Why _would_ Hades want to summon a dream? Unless..."...but he was an invincible fighter..."

" Phil?" Sora asked slowly. "Do dreams die?"

" Which sort of dreams?" Phil demanded.

" The ghost-like people dreams," Sora answered. "Do they ever die?"

" They're already dead, kid," Phil snapped back. "They die only once; after that, they don't' die again."

Sora's heart seemed to drop to his stomach. He knew enough of Hades to know the god would do anything to stop Sora from reaching the door of light. Hades hated Hercules as well, and the Keyblade Master had a bad feeling Hades would do anything to rid the universe of both of them.

" I think he's aware of our coming," Sora said aloud. "Isn't he?"

" He might have conversed with the Fates, yes," Hercules agreed. "They may have told him that we were coming."

" That's a bad thing then," Sora began to draw a conclusion. "He hates the both of us, he probably knows that we are coming, Eucletes says Hades might be trying to summon a dream, and Phil says they're invincible, since they died only once. Now, what does that tell us?"

An unsettling silence fell upon them. The landscape, slowly digressing from a forest with vicious underbrush into more open land, was silent, devoid of life.

" Oh no..." Phil groaned. "Don't tell me: what you're saying, kid, is that Hades is trying to summon a dream to fight us and kill us all, ain't that right?"

" Makes perfect sense to me," Goofy exclaimed.

" That's not a good thing, Goofy," Donald reprimanded. "That is actually a very bad thing."

"...and I'm telling you now, right now, that if you don't' fight for me, I will send you back to wherever in my hell you came from!" Hades ranted, the flames on his head roaring violently in shades of red. "Do you want to go back there or would you rather stay here?"

" I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you," the young man before the god of the Underworld answered calmly. This veteran of many battles stood in a long dark red coat, with one sleeve empty; his left arm was tucked in underneath the coat and hung out. He wielded a huge sword made of tempered steel and he carried that sword behind his head. His hair was dark brown-gray and his face was set and grim.

" What the hell does that mean?!" Hades roared.

" It means it was my fate to be summoned by you but it may not be my fate to fight for you," the man explained unhurriedly. He was not bothered by the god's volatile temper.

" You will fight for me," Hades snarled at him, his teeth gnashing in rage. "I summoned you for the purpose of fighting-and destroying- this certain idiot I know of, and this certain brat who's with him right now-"

" I know who they are," the young man answered. "They are destined for great things, yes. I will not fight for you."

" What?!" Hades, who had begun to calm down, roared again. "I had you summoned to kill the Keyblade Master! Do as I say!"

" Summoning a dream does not necessarily mean the summoner can control it," the man replied simply as he turned away. "Dreams have a will of their own, Hades; you should have realized it by now when that young man first appeared before you."

" Don't' remind me," Hades snarled. "If it weren't for the stupid Fates, he'd still be here!"

" And the fate of the universe would have taken a turn for the worse," raspy voices chimed in a strange unison. Hades froze, his face twisted in a look of anger and horror.

Three hunched figures in dark cloaks, with stringy hair hanging from their hoods, filed into the room where Hades and the dream he summoned were arguing. They juggled a round, white object amongst themselves, fighting for it, but they still managed to talk normally.

" Hades, we took him away because he had to go somewhere else," one of them spoke.

" Two places, actually," another input. "To that one world and to In-Between-"

" I know, I know!" Hades interrupted impatiently. "But why? What makes the universe so important to you?"

" The universe is our lifeline," the more dominant of the three spoke. "If the universe dies, so will we-"

" And I would be able to breathe more easily," Hades muttered under his breath.

" – destroying the universe, Hades," the Fate continued to speak, "will destroy _everything_. In-Between cannot survive without its connections to the universe and neither will your Underworld. Try as you might but you can never dethrone your brother. Destroying the universe will not dethrone him; by the time he is dethroned, you will be as well, and so will everyone and everything vanish into that endless sea I'm sure you've been told about."

" I hate Eldest," Hades growled. "I _hate_ that man! Him and Sally; I hate them both!"

" Yet you must listen to them if you want all you hold dear to stay alive," the Fates chimed.

" What do I hold dear, huh?" Hades demanded. "What do I _love_?"

" Underworld, for one," the plumpest of the Fates spoke up.

" And your desire for dominance," the second of the Fates added.

" And your very life," the most dominant of the Fates finished.

" I'm a _god_," Hades reminded them.

" God or no god, we all will eventually vanish, wither away into history," the Fates answered sharply. "That is why we took the boy away to Spira and In-Between; he will help save the universe."

" And him?" Hades jabbed a thumb back at the dream.

" We had fun with your destiny," the plumpest chuckled. "We teased with your golden lifeline so you can summon him. Did all of us some good."

" How the hell can he help us all?" Hades fumed. They messed with his future? To _hell_ with them!

" That is for me and me alone to decide, am I right?" the dream asked of the Fates. They nodded with pride, like a mother hen does of her chicks.

" Yes, Auron, you and you alone will decide when the time comes," the Fates agreed. "But now, let us see as the son of Zeus and the Keyblade Master approaches Underworld. Shall we greet them?"

" Should we say anything to the Keyblade Master?" the plumpest asked as they drifted away.

" Nothing that will give him an idea about the future," the tallest and the leader of them answered. " He must be ignorant of his own future for his future, and ours, to happen."

" But what of his past?" the middle one demanded worriedly. "Shall we drop him hints or make him spend a lifetime searching out his parentage, his _heritage_?"

" All in a good time, sister," the tallest answered. "Of course we should drop him some hints; nothing can happen if we don't _say_ something, aren't I right..."

The voices drifted away while a trembling Hades turned to the dream, the man the Fates called Auron. The god was trembling with white-hot rage.

" So," he said in a cold voice. " So, Tidus slips away from my fingers, you are summoned by _me_ to help _them_, and I just sit around doing nothing."

" I think I shall take my leave," Auron said calmly and began to stride away.

" What can be worse than this?" Hades raged.

" Meg and Pegasus are coming," Auron said, with a faint trace of a smile on his face. "Does that help?"

" Curse the Hearts and Souls!" Hades raved. "Imagine the chaos I could put on the universe if Hercules didn't save her!"

" I can only imagine," Auron answered, a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "I believe Charon will be having trouble with them."

" He'd better not take them across the damn river," Hades said darkly, as the flames on his head began to grow red again.

" We'll see," Auron said with a rather dark grin and vanished before Hades could start raving at the dream again.

" I will _kill_ Hercules and that blasted Sora before they can get out of there!" Hades swore to himself. "That is, _if_ they can get in here."

" This way," Eucletes gestured to a rather dark enclosure in the stone side of Mount Olympus.

They were now deep in a dark forest and all signs of civilization had been blotched out by the dark branches that threatened to hit them on the face.

" What are those?" Sora whispered, pointing to strange, shimmering forms that were lining up to enter that dark enclosure that seemed more like a passageway into the mountain rather than a large dent in the wall.

" Spirits, ghosts, whatever you call them," Eucletes explained. "They're all dead and they're headed for the Underworld like we are."

" They're dead?" Sora paled ever so slightly. "But there's so many of them."

" Kid, you've ever been exposed to the real world before or did you live in a cage for fourteen years?" Phil snapped. "People die every day and there's nothing you can do about it."

" Oh," Sora felt extremely stupid at the moment; he had not been exposed to death until...well, he never really did see death, did he?

" Come on," Eucletes hissed. "Do you see that?"

A Darkball floated lazily out of the passageway but its glowing yellow eyes continued to look everywhere.

" It's a sentry," Phil analyzed its behavior. "It's on the lookout for anyone who's not a ghost. Tell me, Sora, are Darkballs hard?"

" I love fighting Darkballs," Sora admitted, then took a careful aim at the Darkball.

" You have to be careful about it, Sora," Eucletes warned him. "If you don't' kill it at the first blast, it'll be able to alert others and then we'd have a serious problem."

" Don't worry," Sora answered. " I've got it all under control."

" I hope so," Donald muttered cynically.

Its yellow eyes surveyed the line of souls waiting to be transported across the River Styx by Charon the Boatman to Underworld. Many fingered the golden coins in their hands while some continued to try and pull the gold coins out of their eyes and others fished for the gold coin under their tongues.

All in all, everything was going well. The Darkball was bored.

It had been instructed to stay on the lookout for the infamous Keyblade Master, the murderer of thousands of the Darkball's kin. The enemy, it was instructed, will be coming and if the Darkball spots or even sense his very presence, it must raise the alarm.

The Darkball yawned, its eyes still watching the long line of souls waiting their turn to board Charon's boat.

When the Darkball looked up, it found itself staring at a huge ball of flame zeroing on him. The Heartless did not have even the time to raise the alarm before the fireball burned him into nothing.

" I told you I got it all under control," Sora said with pride as they snuck into the passageway. Goofy was nervous of the souls and stayed as far away from them as possible. Hercules didn't' mind them; after all, he had gone swimming in spirits in order to save Meg's soul.

Donald grumbled back an undistinguishable answer and stomped onward. Eucletes quickly got him to stop making so much noise.

" We don't' want to alert anyone of our coming," the young merchant explained as they entered a huge underground world.

A greenish river separated the land into two and ceiling of the place seemed to go on into infinity. Souls streamed into their side of the river, awaiting their turn to board a large ferry that would take them across the huge river and past a _very_ familiar creature with three heads...

" Cerberus," Hercules and Sora acknowledged as the same instance.

" This place is amazing," Donald squawked.

" Huyuk," Goofy agreed enthusiastically. "And all that Heartless!"

Donald squalled while everyone stared at where Goofy was staring. Heartless seemed to be swarming the other side of the river, watching, existing there like guards.

" This is bad, very bad," Sora groaned as he slowly backed away into shadows, to hide from their sight.

He bumped into something. Something very alive.

A hand clasped over his mouth before he could shout and a serious, stern voice whispered into his ear, "Don't make a sound."

Sora kicked at a rock in retaliation and the sound of the impact alerted the others.

" Who are you?" Hercules demanded as he pulled out his sword.

" Put that sword away!" Eucletes snapped. "Its glare will attract the Heartless!"

" I'm not here to hurt any of you, in case you wanted to know or didn't realize it," the person was saying. "I've been following you for some time and let me tell you; its not going to be easy reaching the source of the Heartless."

" Who are you?" Donald asked, echoing Hercules' unanswered question.

" My name is Auron," the man said as he let Sora go. "I am a dream, summoned by Hades."

" Hades summoned you?" Sora demanded as he turned to look at the person.

The sword should be gleaming but it was dulled. The red coat the man was wearing was darkened. In fact, he was darkened in such a way to blend in with the dark background of what was Underworld.

" He summoned me to do as he bid but he's a fool," Auron answered calmly. "It'll take more than summoning to control a dream. But before we go into any further detailed discussion, first thing's first: you guys have to get across the River Styx to the heart of Underworld."

" There we run into a problem," Sora answered. "How do we get across the River Styx, how do we get past the Heartless and Cerberus, and how are we going to find the source of the Heartless without running into Hades?"

" You cannot avoid Hades," Auron responded. "Eucletes knows how to stop Cerberus but we'll have to resort to something else to avoid the Heartless. Either that or we meet the Heartless head on. As for crossing the River Styx..."

" Charon never lets anyone board the ferry if that person is still alive," Eucletes said uncertainly. " You have to do something in order to get him to get you across and you can never fool him twice with the same thing."

" I happen to be a dream," Auron said. "Quite solid, yes, but I'm still dead. He won't notice anything until he realizes that I don't have money to pay for my fare. You guys stay near while I board the ferry, just in case something might go wrong. And if he refuses to ferry all of us across, into the River Styx he goes."

With that, he strode purposely towards the ferry, with Sora, Donald, Goofy, Hercules, and Phil following a little distance away in the shadows of the world many know as hell.


	28. Not the Only One

Author's Note: Back from vacation and this is the first update of September. Thank you for waiting so patiently, thank you, thank you, thank you. Cheers everyone, and enjoy!   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 28: Not the Only One 

_Why do I have a bad feeling Oogie Boogie isn't the only one returning from the dead?_ Riku wondered to himself as they watched Oogie Boogie's every action.

The bag of bugs seemed to be conversing with all the Heartless there. Riku wondered what it was he was telling them.

" I can't seem to figure out what we should do," Jack was saying to both him and Tarzan. "There's so many Heartless and it's Oogie Boogie, which is a very terrible thing and-"

" We should at least get rid of him," Riku said dejectedly. "Might as well sacrifice Halloweentown for the greater good. At least the Mayor, Dr. Finkelstein, and Sally's getting all the civilians outta here-"

" Duck!" Tarzan hissed and they all went down on their knees. Jack couldn't do that; he'd still be seen so he laid down on the green river, while the other two crouched up against the side of the river. "Heartless looking this way-"

A fireball sailed over their heads and fizzled in the green waters.

" Too late," Riku growled back.

" Come on out!" Oogie Boogie's voice boomed out from behind them. "There's no need to hide, Jack! We've got you cornered and you've nowhere else to run in this world now."

" Why are you back?" Riku found himself shouting as he stood up and faced a massive army of Heartless assembled at the edge of the artificial river they were in. _Holy crud, we're in deep shit now, if we weren't in it already._

He moved his feet about in the green water for a bit of emphasis to his thoughts.

" How many of us are coming back, you should ask, Maleficent's spawn!" Oogie Boogie snapped back. " After all-"

" What did you call me?" Riku asked in a low voice, a voice that trembled with an unspeakable rage.

" Maleficent's spawn, child," Oogie Boogie taunted. "Always under her wing you were, her pet, her pride, and then Ansem came and went and destroyed _everything_ but not anymore! Under the wing of the Society, we who returned are more powerful than before. I'm afraid, child, you're going to die before you can kill us all."

" That means," Tarzan spoke calmly as he stood up as well. "That means we can kill you."

" Go ahead and try," Oogie Boogie was slightly taken by surprise at his appearance. "But first, you have to get through these guys."

He waved his pointy arm at the Heartless around him.

" Oh no," Riku moaned. The only knowledge he had of taking out a group this big was an unstable spell he learned from King Mickey half a year ago and he had never even tried it out.

" Oogie Boogie, who else is coming back?" Jack demanded as he stood up next to Riku. His tall figure was rather imposing and the Heartless pulled back ever so slightly.

" Ah, Jack, how very nice to meet you," Oogie Boogie had a rather dark grin on his ugly face. "Who's coming back? Not only me, I'm sure you know by now."

_I wonder why_, Riku thought sarcastically, knowing Oogie Boogie had already told them that he was not the only one coming back from the 'dead'.

" I'm here, aren't I," Oogie Boogie gestured to himself. "You cannot kill gods for that is a completely different matter. A guy may be chased by a crocodile but that does not spell out his demise. And lamps, well, just be careful which one you rub."

" Holy shit," Riku let loose. He had a very good idea of who was coming back. And that was not good. But-

" Agrabah's been destroyed," Riku turned to Oogie Boogie.

" That means nothing to us," Oogie Boogie answered.

_Which is a very bad thing indeed_, Riku realized. He turned to Oogie Boogie, only to see that he was gone.

" Let's get on with the show, shall we?" Oogie Boogie suggested from a location a little distance away.

And the Heartless swarmed on them.

Dr. Finkelstein, the Mayor, and Pooh were helping the usher the last of the citizens of Halloweentown into Dr. Finkelstein's portal when they heard the last thing they wanted to hear.

Explosions off in the distance, towards Moonlight Hill.

They all looked at each other, with Dr. Finkelstein and the Mayor sharing horrified looks and Pooh being Pooh and being totally confused.

" The war has reached Halloweentown, Mayor," Dr. Finkelstein admitted to the horrorstruck Mayor sadly. " Now it is too late. You have to follow your people to Traverse Town. Leon will take over from there."

The Mayor seemed unable to process what Dr. Finkelstein had just said. His terrified face continued to look towards Moonlight Hill.

" My friends are there," Pooh suddenly seemed to realize. "I must go; I must go and help them."

" How?" Dr. Finkelstein turned to the small bear. "What can you do?"

" If Sally is good at piloting gummi ships, then I will help my friends," Pooh explained in incredibly simplistic terms. "If not, then I will go to them anyways. Friends do not abandon friends."

Dr. Finkelstein and the Mayor looked at each other and nodded, understanding.

" I will await you, Sally, and Jack at Traverse Town," the Mayor sighed dejectedly as he headed for the portal.

" It will depend on whether or not we can survive," Dr. Finkelstein warned as the Mayor stepped into the swirling vortex and vanished like his people.

Pooh dawdled off in search of Sally and the gummi ship. Dr. Finkelstein wheeled himself towards his lab. He had a weapon, a certain weapon that no doubt could be of use to Pooh and Sally.

After all, it was a long lost artifact of the past, a dangerous weapon that was originally set on a gummi ship of old stories and used to wipe out hundreds of minions of the dark.

Riku dodged the fireball the Spectral Mage threw at him, then practically dropped face down on the ground to dodge a ball of ice cast by a Blue Rhapsody. Ten seconds later, he dodged a whirlwind created by an Angel Star and got rid of a Green Requiem in the process with his Dark Keyblade. It surprised him when he got rid of that green Heartless; he didn't realize the Dark Keyblade was actually _effective_ against the Heartless.

What was it in the Dark Keyblade, then, that made it so dangerous against the Heartless?

Jack had cut a huge swath of space all around him, thanks largely to the long reach of his arms, hands, legs, and feet. He was an incredibly adept fighter for his huge and lanky size, and he did particularly well against the Soldiers, Darkballs, and Large Bodies that threw themselves against him.

It was only when Defenders began to materialize in place of the Large Bodies and the Gargoyles took place of the Darkballs that Jack began to have problems. Gargoyles moved about in their own place of origin at least twice as fast as the Darkballs and Defenders were rather frightening, not to mention powerful.

Tarzan was swamped mostly by Shadows but he had the honor of facing not only Shadows but Red Nocturnes, Search Ghosts, Yellow Operas, Wight Knights, and the ultimate nightmare- the Black Fungus.

With Wizards appearing on the scene to cast magic in aid of the Heartless and against Riku, Tarzan, and Jack, the situation was growing steadily worse.

Riku was fuming mad; he got zapped in the arm by a Yellow Opera and a Wight Knight scratched him. The mummy Heartless paid dearly for having such long fingernails; within seconds of scratching the teenager, it no longer existed. Then a Black Fungus approached him and began to release a strange gas. Riku did not risk being there when the cloud of gas touched him; he fled, while the nearby Heartless began to drop dead, with some having seizures before they died.

Riku was extremely thankful he got away from the Black Fungus. He then aimed at the dark creature with his Dark Keyblade and let off some Firaga.

The third fireball to reach the Black Fungus merely bounced off it; Riku noted it was glowing purple. The next two fireballs to touch the Black Fungus also had no affect on it.

" Shit!" Riku swore as the Black Fungus sought him out again, releasing a cloud of gas all the while.

The only thing that made Riku very glad was that the Black Fungus was killing off many of its comrades and, over time, the purplish shield faded away. Riku then quickly assaulted the Black Fungus with Blizzaga and finally destroyed it.

Jack had done well in piling up Heartless 'dead' all around him; they acted as a sort of a melting shield for the pumpkin king. The Heartless seemed fearful of their own dead; they chose to attack him from afar while the corpses were still piled up around him. Jack knew magic; he knew enough to hurt the Heartless even though they had put a considerable distance between themselves and the pumpkin king. Then Tarzan cut a path through them into the clearing the pumpkin king created and began something like a massive slaughter.

And still the Heartless hugely outnumbered them.

" Ho, ho, ho, Jack! Still think you can beat me?" Oogie Boogie laughed at them from a distance away. "Guess again!"

With that he pulled out three purplish black dice and threw them at them.

Riku's sense began to scream madly in his brain and to his horror, three Invisibles made themselves known as they came out of the three dice.

The fight against the sea of Heartless and Oogie Boogie in Halloweentown had become more of a desperate struggle against hell.

Riku was grim as he faced the nightmarish 'generals' of the Heartless. The ends of his blindfold flapping before him and his silver hair blowing into his face, he turned to face the soldiers of Darkness.

The ends of his blindfold flapping before him? There was no wind blowing in Halloweentown and yet there was a breeze now, blowing behind him!_ What the_-

He noticed that everything had become silent, deathly silent. His sense told him everyone was staring at him-no, behind him _and_ above him. Riku followed their lead and threw out feelers in the direction they were staring at.

His feelers made out the form of a gummi ship. A _very _familiar gummi ship with a huge, speed lined device attacked to its nose. And he could sense a furious, blinding energy pulsing within the device.

The device was a weapon. And it was powering up, fast.

" How much higher?" Pooh asked worriedly as he stared at the screen before him and Sally.

The gauge was reading at 106%. The limit was 200%. Pooh definitely wanted it higher.

" It takes a while to charge the weapon," Sally explained calmly. "I suggest, Pooh, that you use the weapons installed into this gummi ship while I handle Dr. Finkelstein's device."

Pooh scratched his head, nodded, and bounded off for that hidden room where the weapon controls lay. Sally watched him go off calmly, then turned to the gauge, which was now running at 124%. Fast, but will it be fast enough?

" Many things will happen that will change the future," she was murmuring to herself as she saw bolts of energy fire from the gummi ship's guns and onto the Heartless below. "And tonight's just the start."

HookWings appeared in the distance, a dark cloud of bat wings and huge red hooks that descended on Riku, Tarzan, and Jack. Riku sensed their arrival and welcomed them with a rich curse.

" More Heartless," Tarzan said in resignation as he hefted his spear in preparation for more fighting. But he didn't really get a chance to.

The bolt of energy fried nearly half the cloud before it even got close to Riku. Riku knew where that life-saving blast of energy came from and he flashed whoever was in the gummi ship a thumbs-up sign.

" Get rid of that gummi ship!" Oogie Boogie shouted at the Heartless and all winged Heartless went flying at the gummi ship.

Riku knew of the only one who could use the weapons on that gummi ship. And, incredible as it seems, that forgetful little bear was quite adept at using very modern weapons. Truth be told, he was a master.

A torpedo of energy launched itself from underneath the gummi ship and punched its way though two Gargoyles and a HookWing before sizzling on a Yellow Opera. A spray of small bits of energy pummeled into the swarm of Red Nocturnes, Blue Rhapsodies, Yellow Operas, and Green Requiems before exploding on a sea of Heartless.

Riku nodded in approval, then aimed at a swarm and cried out, " Graviga!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Riku cursed. Graviga, a powerful spell of darkness, had grown unstable over the months and it was becoming increasingly difficult for even King Mickey to control.

Luckily for Riku, the spell hit only the swarm of spell casting Heartless and not the gummi ship itself. That was how dangerous the Graviga spell was becoming. And he had already told Pooh about not testing out thunder because Thundaga was becoming more volatile as well. When King Mickey used it back in Kingdom Hearts, both of them were nearly fried-

_No, I can't think about Kingdom Hearts! I just can't!_

Pushing the memories of the ordeal out of his mind, Riku focused on his energy and forced it out into his arms and the Dark Keyblade. Then he began to literally slaughter the Heartless all around him. There was desperation now, a need of time that was not there so now there was a call for speed.

_She was floating in a mist of gray-_

No, wait a minute, she _was_ floating in a mist of gray. The mist of gray was In-Between and she was floating on what felt like water.

Kairi jolted and sat upright on the shores of a small lake. She looked around wildly, wondering where she was and what she was doing.

" Selphie?" she called out tentatively. She was in foreign territory and she did not know what was out there. Not that there had been any life since she had started her strange journey with Selphie but still, if the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, the Spades and Hearts, the doorknob, and the Cheshire Cat were still alive, who knew what was alive here, in this dense jungle.

" Selphie?" she called out, her voice a little stronger, as she stood up and water dribbled off of her. She was soaked but she didn't seem to notice that.

Silence answered her. And then she realized she didn't have the small wooden chest the Queen of Hearts gave her. Her heart sank.

_Where could it be?_

"...I'm telling you, there can be no Heartless here," a voice was saying in the distance, "because we haven't _seen_ any Heartless in a while."

" I know that, Terk," a weary woman's voice was saying. "But I'm not taking any chances."

" Just don't point the gun," the voice labeled Terk answered. "Pointing the gun is a threat and we don't want to look like a threat. Yet."

Kairi's heart started to beat madly. _Where they hunters or something? Or where they sent by the Heartless to track her down?_

" If only Tarzan were here-" the woman's voice was saying.

" Tarzan _isn't_ here, Jane, and that's the problem," Terk answered. "He doesn't act like a threat first so don't act like a threat. If whatever was screaming is dangerous, then you can point the gun."

_Tarzan?_ Kairi was sure she heard that name before, while being held by the Heartless. Didn't they speak that name like it was some sort of a curse?

" Hello?" Kairi called out weakly. She cleared her throat and repeated, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

" Sounds like a human to me, Terk," the woman named Jane seemed to be telling Terk.

" What's a human doing here?" Terk was wondering. "Let alone something breathing, for one."

" I don't know-oh!" and the two voices appeared from the underbrush of the jungle before Kairi.

Jane was a young woman in simple clothing suited for the jungle; in her arm was a rifle. Terk was a mid-sized gorilla with a tuft of hair shaped strangely on her head.

" Oh, hello, what's your name?" Terk the gorilla asked cheerfully.

" My-my name?" Kairi was rather surprised to see something living in this dead realm of In-Between. " I-I am Kairi."

" Kairi..." Jane mused. "I've heard of that name before..."

" I think I did," Terk agreed. " Were you the one screaming?"

Kairi flushed with embarrassment. "I lost my balance was I fell from somewhere above. My friend, her name is Selphie; have you seen her?"

Jane and Terk looked at each other and they shook their heads. "No, we haven't. You're the only one in several weeks to come by here, and from the Vines to the Hippo's Lagoon, no less."

" Oh..." Kairi was upset. Not only did she lose sight of Selphie, she had no idea what became of the box.

" Why are you here anyways?" Terk asked in a rather accusing voice.

" Terk, be nice," Jane reprimanded.

" I really don't know," Kairi answered. "Me and my friend, Selphie, went to Destiny Islands, our home. There we were attacked by Heartless and escaped through this door we managed to finally open in this secret hiding place of ours. We ended up here and met this man named Hercules and a ghost of some sort who was an oracle. The oracle told Selphie, Hercules, and I to find out the secrets concerning the past, whatever that was. We went to Wonderland and found the first piece of the past, called the Other Report. Have you heard of the Nobodies?"

" They were white creatures weren't they?" Jane asked as they slowly shifted towards where Jane and Terk had come from.

" They went fighting against the Heartless like _this_ and _that_," Terk added, imitating a boxer's moves for emphasis.

" Tarzan went to find the source of the Heartless and those white creatures while Jane, me, and Tantor fended for ourselves," Terk continued before Jane could say more. "The next thing you knew, Tantor went trumpeting off because his family was being nailed and the whole world went _kablooey!_ Then it was Jane and me, sitting in Camp all alone."

" And then this old man came around," Jane finally spoke. "He was an old man, with a long white beard and moustache. He had little spectacles and he was dressed all in blue. I thought he was walking around in some sort of an old nightgown but it really was his clothing."

" He gave us some strange box," Terk said, "with funny carvings on them. A very green box and we can't open it or anything. Sealed completely shut for sure."

" The old man seems to sound familiar..." Kairi mused as they walked into a very dusty campsite, with tents and canopies rather filmy and supplies half-pulled from containers or completely gone.

" This is Camp," Jane told her. " Make yourselves at home and then we'll go off looking for this Selphie of yours. She can't have wandered off too far around here these days. The gray mist hinders you and Deep Jungle isn't explorable for the most part."

" Tell that to Selphie," Kairi quipped. "She's rather determined for a girl our age; put an obstacle in front of her and she'll go through any means necessary in order to overcome it."

Jane chuckled while Terk hustled off to a tent to search out whatever it was she was looking for.

" Jane, where's that box that old man gave us?" she yelled out, her voice muffled either by the walls of the canvas tent or by the fact she may be under some covers of sorts.

" Out here, Terk," Jane said calmly and Terk came shuffling out, embarrassed.

" This is the box the old man gave us," Jane said as she strode purposely to a wooden crate and lifted up a greenish box made entirely of stone. "He told us to give it to the right person at the right moment in time. I really have no idea when is when and who is who but I guess I'll know when the time comes."

" What's in the box?" Kairi asked curiously.

" Try as I might," Terk answered, " I can't figure out nothing more than some shuffling somethings. You can't break the box either or open it; the stone's strong and the lid's practically glued shut."

" What a queer box already," Kairi commented.

" No time to waste now," Jane said as she set the box on the crate and grabbed her rifle, which she had set against another crate. "We have to go find your friend."

Kairi nodded. She wondered where Selphie was and fervently prayed she wasn't hurt.

But where she was will be interesting.

" The only place left is the Tree House," Jane announced as she struggled through vines into the Climbing Trees. Terk came swinging down gracefully besides her from a vine while Kairi, gasping from the effort to keep up with Jane and Terk's pace through an unfamiliar terrain, staggered after them.

" Either that or the Waterfall Cavern," Terk added. "Nobody's been there in quite a while, nobody at least since Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan worked together to seal the Keyhole back then-hey, we haven't heard from Sora in a while, haven't we?"

Terk continued to ramble on until Jane interrupted. "Kairi, what's wrong?"

" You met Sora, too?" Kairi was astounded and astonished. First Hercules, then no doubt everyone from Wonderland, and now Jane and Terk.

" Why yes, we have met the Keyblade Master," Jane answered, slightly confused. "Why, do you know him?"

" We grew up on Destiny Islands together," Kairi answered, a dreamy haze covering her eyes. " With...Riku, yes, and Selphie as well. There were also Tidus and Wakka, both who we haven't seen in a year along with Sora and Riku..."

Terk elbowed Jane and gave her a rather lewd wink but Jane chose to ignore it.

" We haven't seen the Keyblade Master in quite a while, too," Jane answered as she moved towards a passageway shrouded in grayish vines. "He came to our world not too long ago, on his way back to Traverse Town to restock. He had received disturbing information from Coliseum and went straight for Hollow Bastion. I've heard he tried to go beyond but didn't make it and was forced to land at Hollow Bastion. Then, he told us, Donald, Goofy, and he left the place in a jiffy. They came flying back for Traverse Town but was forced to land here to avoid a terrifying meteor shower."

" What disturbing information?" Kairi asked as they emerged from the passageway onto a long fat tree trunk that wandered its way up towards a tree house of sorts, made out of odds and ends from what was obviously a large sailing ship.

" Scary ones," Terk offered an explanation.

" He was told of some strange activity in this other side of our Universe, called New Universe," Jane explained. "Something about Heartless. He thought New Universe was beyond Hollow Bastion but whatever happened at Hollow Bastion, I still don't' know. Whatever happened, he came back. Afterwards, he went straight for Traverse Town. That was it."

" Did he seem...happy or something?" Kairi asked tentatively.

"He actually grew more serious," Terk answered. "More serious, more moody; I swear if Goofy wasn't there, he'd have a scowl on his face."

" Stop exaggerating, Terk; you're making her worry," Jane reprimanded. "Truth is, he did get more serious but he seems fine...to me at least. Tarzan later told me he felt something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint it. Two days later, there went Tarzan, Tantor, everybody else except us and Deep Jungle."

By then, they had entered the empty expanse of Tree House. And, wonders of wonders, there was Selphie sitting on a crate, reading some old book.

" Selphie!" Kairi exclaimed and rushed over to her friend.

Selphie looked up with a halfhearted smile. "Kairi, you'd better see this."

With that, she shoved the book into Kairi's hand. Kairi took it up and read:

"...we have finally come to the conclusion which was what the professors had been telling us for years. For years they have foretold of a mighty meteor storm across the sky and finally, thirty years ago, we witnessed the great streaks of white across the sky at night. I fear this forewarns us of a great doom that will settle across many lands for generations to come-"

Kairi squinted at the text. The smooth writing suddenly became illegible and there was a spray of some strange dark liquid. Something that seemed suspiciously like blood.

" The next part, it was written by a different hand," Selphie pointed out to the next section.

Kairi wondered why she should be reading this in the first place, since it seemed so meaningless.

"Ten years ago, a meteor storm screamed across the sky on the third Saturday of June. This was not unlike the meteor storm professors had predicted to see thirty two years ago yet I suspect the meteor storm they predicted was this one, not the other. But what they said, of a great doom falling across many lands for generations to come, has happened, though we should call it many _worlds_ for a great and terrible event took place on the world known as Deep Tranquility. The consequences, the results of this occurrence will resonate across the universe for ages to come.

I fear the Three Keys have been lost, for their original owner had turned traitor against the light and the only heirs of the Keys have vanished. They say the King is a Vessel of a Key but this I have yet to see with my own eyes. I pity the King, for now he and his people are cursed, cursed to take on the forms of animals, animals distorted into human-like creatures. What the King had tried to do but failed. I should've stepped in as well but Wart needed my most devoted attention and I, foolishly, looked to my personal problems and not the problems of the universe.

Rumors are flying though, of a boy taken under the King's wing. I have made a diagnosis of this boy, for the rumors are true, and I find many strange and odd things: he is obvious adept in all arts, from weaponry to academics, and his eyes are the strangest bronze, like the ones of the Betrayer. I sensed the great power within him; is he one of the lost Heirs? Time will tell. Most certainly, Time will tell.

It has been prophesized that the Heirs of the Keys each bear a mark. I do not know much but this much I know: one bears a scar that will make him remember of what he had come here, to the universe, for and one bears a star marking his ordeals beginning from his birth. I can understand what a scar is but what is the meaning of the star?

Until further notice, I hereby sign my name: Merlin."

_Merlin?!_

" I know who Merlin is!" Kairi exclaimed.

" Indeed you should," a strangely happy-go-lucky yet grandfatherly voice stated behind them. " Selphie, do be a good girl, and not go through my things again."

Selphie turned bright red. "But...it was in the bookshelf..."

" I have taken up 'shop' here until we have solved the jade box," and Merlin approached them.

" You're the one who gave us the box!" Jane and Terk cried out as he drew nearer.

" Indeed," Merlin said with a twinkle in his eye. "Now, Kairi, shall we begin?"

" Explain what you have written first!" Kairi demanded. "Explain to me that, then tell me why I'm here with Selphie in the first place!"

Merlin nodded, acknowledging her demands, but with a grimmer look on his face. "It's a long story, Kairi but I shall tell you for you may have the right to know. Sit down; I shall tell you what I know and what I think you should know."


	29. Fury of the Undead

Author's Note: By now school of all levels may have started for all of us. Woe to me and to you or it may be yay instead. Anyhow, here's yet another chapter and by now, I am contemplating and possibly reprising (if that's even the right word) all the roles of each and every character that has debuted thus far so if you start seeing odd things happening, do not panic. Thank you and on with the story.   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 29: Fury of the Undead 

Charon was furious. The spirits were taking way too long to fill up his ferry.

" Hurry up, you scoundrels!" the being yelled at them, shaking his fist at their faces. "I haven't got all day!"

The green ghosts seemed to ignore him as they shuffled into the ferry. Charon grew all the more furious.

" Hey you!" he yelled, pointing at a rather solid-looking soul that boarded the ferry. "Where's your money?"

He gestured to the change box, where the other ghosts were putting in the fare for the ferry ride as they entered the ferry. The solid-looking ghost looked behind him at the box, then shrugged.

" I've got no fare," the ghost said in a rather uncaring voice.

" What's that you say?" Charon railed. "No fare? Get off the boat then and go wait over there!"

He gestured to the River Styx.

" You're taking me across," the soul said, "just like the other ghosts here."

" Oh no you don't!" Charon marched up to him, raising his oar up in a threatening manner. "This can hit ghosts. Hard. I will use force if I have to."

The soul pulled out a huge steel-like blade from behind him and held it up to Charon's neck. "This can cut through anything alive or dead. You're taking me _and_ my friends across, with no fare."

Charon gulped as he stared at his own reflection in the blade. He preferred to keep his head on but he knew he was not allowed to bring on any souls who didn't pay their fare. But he could get away with that, if

" Where's your friends?" Charon asked in a rather sneering voice.

The spirit whistled loudly and clearly and Charon nearly fainted as the ghost's friends approached the ferry.

It wasn't' the white duck, the dog-looking thing, and the satyr that got to him. It wasn't even the fact that they were alive.

" _You!_" Charon railed against Eucletes. "You again! And _YOU!!!_"

He pointed at Hercules, who had the "surprise, did ya miss me?" smile on his face. "Surprise, surprise."

Charon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the last person. _This_ was interesting; the power flowing in this one was mysterious, stranger than the gold-like strength and soul in Hercules. Then it dawned on him.

" You're the Keyblade Master?!" Charon gaped. "But-but-but-"

Sora stared back at him, his blue eyes hard and stern. Charon quailed under the look.

Auron forced him to stand up straight and hissed at him, "Take all of us across or you're going to the River Styx. And I've heard so much about you from those penniless ghosts; they'd love to send you around for a spin in the green river."

Charon gulped, then he remembered Hades' rage. "No, I won't take you across the River Styx!"

Everyone was surprised but Eucletes knew better. "We won't let Hades touch you; we've got business with him."

" How can you not let a god rage against anyone he wants to rage against?" Charon started to chuckle, as the blade pressed harder against his neck. "Even if you do get past Cerberus, you won't be getting past Hades. Or the Heartless."

" I deal with Heartless," Sora interrupted. "Take us across. Worry not about yourself but of what you can do for the greater good. Either that or _he-_" he pointed at Auron "-puts you in the River Styx or whatever it is."

It was very rare for Sora to be so authorative but it seemed to be enough. Charon nodded meekly and slowly scuttled away from the blade.

" Every spirit get out of this ferry," Auron turned to the other ghosts. "We will go alone; the ones who paid need not worry."

The other souls grumbled but they shuffled out; Auron's description of his fat sword was enough to send them away.

Sora saw Charon reaching for a suspicious item from a discrete corner of the ferry and pointed his Keyblade at the ferryman. Charon froze.

" Steer the ferry; _don't_ touch anything," Sora ordered and Charon timidly obeyed.

Slowly, the ferry pulled away from the dock and began its long journey across the River Styx, from where the world was to where 'hell' exists.

Auron surveyed the Heartless positions, while Eucletes searched through the bag he had given to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Phil watched over Charon and his sharp eyes missed absolutely nothing.

" What are you doing?" Goofy asked of Eucletes.

" Finding that biscuit that I use to distract Cerberus," Eucletes answered. "But I don't see it here"

" I don't' think we need to worry that much about the biscuit," Sora replied.

" What is Cerberus chewing on?" Hercules added. "That's one huge bone, I tell you."

Eucletes paled. "Cerberus is already eating something? Oh no, this is not good!"

" Why?" Goofy asked.

" Cerberus is somewhat stubborn in what he does," Eucletes explained as he dropped the sack to the bottom of the ferry. "For instance, when he eats something, he ignores whatever else he's given. If he's already eaten something, he ignored all other bits of food until his stomach says he's hungry. So if he's eating something right now, then the biscuit, wherever it is, won't do much for us."

" There are still ways to distract Cerberus, however," three grainy voices chimed at once behind Sora and he nearly went overboard, surprised out of his wits.

" The Fates," Hercules breathed, then bowed to the three hags who had mysteriously appeared on the ferry.

" The Fates?" Charon began to shake and his knees buckled. The ferryman fainted and Phil, cursing all the while, jumped in to take over. But he was too short to reach the wheel and steer it correctly, let alone steer and see where he's going. Phil resorted to yanking on a rope and letting an anchor drop into the murky green waters of the River Styx.

" That what?" Sora demanded, his heart still pounding from the shock.

" We are the Fates, who control lives and guide people through their lives," the tallest of the Fates answered calmly. "We see beyond others and so we can see the future. However, know this: the future can change, if you make the right choices."

" We've come to help you, Keyblade Master, and you, Hercules," the middle Fate said. "We sense that our presence may aid you two on your journey to face Hades who, I must inform you, is not in the greatest of moods right now.

Sora and Hercules groaned while Auron said a rather uncharacteristic word, "Oops."

" Whatever we will say," the plumpest and shortest of the three continued, "may change all you may know. Heed our words well but it is up to you to decide whether or not to follow our word or your own heart. Some things we say prove wrong but only when one makes a choice. Whether or not the choice comes from the heart I cannot say."

" Hades most certainly made choices out of his own mind," the middle Fate said. "That is how Hercules, and Auron, are here with you, Keyblade Master. With Hercules, we showed him what would happen if he let his life continue naturally. With Auron, we tweaked his lifeline and so came to his mind the idea to summon a dream to try and defeat you."

" Can you at least tell us about how to distract Cerberus?" Sora demanded. "We need to know."

" Patience is important," the tallest Fate advised, "especially for one of your age. We must disclose to you, Keyblade Master, of what may happen in the near future-and perhaps the far future-if you let all run its natural course."

" You know of the Guardian," the middle Fate brought up that topic.

Sora trembled, his face turning white. "What about him?"

" Yes, what about him?" Hercules agreed.

" Anger should not be your response," the short Fate snapped, suddenly the commanding one. "He is dire to your cause, Keyblade Master, yet you went your separate ways. We know why. He should not have let you gone and you should not have left him either-"

" He was the one who destroyed Hercules' world!" Sora yelled. "Hercules is my friend and whoever did that is not!"

" Anger over the smallest things is not the greatest of things," the middle Fate sighed. "Your anger is meaningless in the face of the anger of Darkness. But they are also happy. You have done what they have wanted you to do for the Guardian plays a greater role than you can ever imagine."

" Is that so?" Donald demanded.

" Disobeying the King's orders may change your future, court wizard," the tallest Fate replied and Donald retreated behind Goofy. "But we are here not only to tell the Keyblade Master some things but also to warn you of the past."

" The past?" Hercules asked. " Whatever do you mean?"

" The past is shocking," she answered. "It is the most shocking of all. Some may recall of a certain event, thirteen-some years ago. Most astonishing I might say. That alone changed the course of the present and the future."

" What happened thirteen years ago?" Sora asked curiously. A strange tingling sensation was starting to run up his spine.

" For us to know and for you to find out," the three Fates chimed.

Sora was and looked rather put off by this.

" Hades thinks to destroy the both of you," the shortest said. "It will not be easy stopping him for he can command not only the Heartless but certain soldier souls. But the Heart and Soul who is coming may help you stop him."

" She knows where the source of the Heartless is," the middle Fate said. "Not only here but the true source. You could have locked the true source back at Hollow Bastion-" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cringed at this "-but you were overwhelmed. A pity, I might say, for the role of the Heartless may make you regret your decision for the ages to come."

" Kingdom Hearts in Hollow Bastion?" Sora whispered.

" Maybe, maybe not," the short Fate answered vaguely. "The door moves constantly and only the Heart and Soul of Ancient Greece knows. That is, her, a certain whistleblower we know of, and Sally-"

" Sally? From Halloweentown?" Goofy demanded.

" Yes," the middle Fate answered and began to speak more when the tallest whispered into her ear.

" Time is running short," the shortest said. "In order to distract Cerberus, one who knows him well may approach him for Cerberus is not the darkest of creatures. The Heartless-we will see to that. Now it is time we take our leave."

" Wait!" Sora yelled. "What do you mean by regretting our decision for ages to come?"

" Just because you have an astounding heritage does not mean you're immortal," the tallest Fate said.

" Your friends are helping you, even as we speak, but only you will open the door of light," the middle Fate added. "Even those you do not see as friends are aiding you every step of the way.

" But only if you survive the ordeal you are about to face," the shortest Fate finished. "And the ordeal you will soon go through may change your heart. Good day, Keyblade Master. Perhaps, if we are all lucky, we may see you again."

The Fates faded away, leaving everyone to stare at where they were standing moments before.

" I do not like what the Fates were saying," Phil finally broke the silence. "_Period_. Now come on and help me steer this thing, since Charon here's fainted."

Aozora moped and prowled all over the apartment, threatening to drive Paine insane. Yuna and Rikku were wise enough to keep quiet and avoid him as much as possible; Aozora felt that if someone even dared to mention 'Sora' in his face, he'd go mad and slaughter everyone.

He still didn't understand why Sora hated him. He would understand why Sora would resent his need to protect Sora but he just couldn't grasp the concept of Sora hating him. What did he do wrong, after all?

_Maybe I just don't understand him_, Aozora mused. _Maybe that's itâwait_

His mind flashed back to several weeks ago, while they were headed for China_"You wereâderâmuttering something in yer sleepâ Somethingâfrom back then."_

Aozora realized he didn't know what had happened. He had nodded, understanding that perhaps it was something personal but then he remembered the look in Sora's eyes.

_Something was haunting him, pursuing himâhe's turn hard within, angrier, because of that somethingâcould it be something from the past? Was that why he got mad over me trying to keep him from going after Robin Hood? Has he begun to learn to hate the universe because of his past? Or could it be his destiny that he hates?_

Aozora was no stranger to that sort of feeling. He had hated his life from the very beginning, hated the fact that he was born. He had learned to ignore that feeling, to push it aside and concentrate on whatever was before him but that searing feeling was still within his heart, within his soul, slowly consuming him.

_I never knew my parents or my brotherâI don't remember the world where I was bornâand I barely remember my life on Celt Circle, with Kobi and LorienâEldest says the effects from the blast that destroyed Deep Tranquility hampered with my mind, my memoryâso I can't remember, I forget more often than other people. If only Deep Tranquility wasn't destroyed, then I wouldn't have to make a new life on Celt Circle, only to see it all fade in that explosion! I wouldn't be forced to go through all that stupid training at that castle for two years! I mean, the king was real nice and so was the captain of the royal knights but the court wizard, I could just kill himâbut I didn't mind staying with Eldest for about two years, that's for sure. But I most definitely did not enjoy being with the Society, especially that one last month before I left_

Aozora shut his eyes and grimaced as he brooded on the couch in the living room. Images flashed in his head, images of fire, wind, water, and earth, of destruction he took part in, annihilations of realms he performed, and of the horrifying scandal deep within the Society that soon affected nearly every member of the Society. And then came to his mind the image of the branding, of the scar above his heart

_They didn't even use painkillers, for crying out loud! They seem to love making others feel pain_, he growled deep in his mind. _A beautiful mark for sure, but used for a tragic purpose. I'm so glad Eldest was there; I never would've made it out of there with all my limbs intact if it weren't for him. He risked revealing himself in the processâwhat did he see in me?_

He still remembered the instructions, to go and find the 'sky-child' and protect him to the very last. He hated to break his word with Eldest and yet that was what he had done.

_I'm sorry, Eldest, for letting you down_, he thought as he stood up and went straight for the door out of the apartment. _But I will atone for my wrongdoing. I will not go back on my word again, after I fix what I've done wrong. I promiseâmentor._

He was so deep into his mind, into his thoughts that he forgot to say 'goodbye and thank you' to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. But they didn't notice. Or acted like they didn't.

Aozora headed for the shipyard by foot, no longer trusting the train station in Twilight Town. He knew there was a train station in Ancient Greece but Heartless activities were stalling trains and Heartless were attacking the trains themselves. Aozora wouldn't mind riding a train alone and fighting off attacking Heartless but he wasn't so sure if he could hold them off while defending other passengers on the train in the process.

Obviously Cid's cousin, also named Cid and his only cousin, knew of this. After all, both Cids knew of Heartless and Nobody activities and patterns of attack and defense.

"And I hope the gummi ship Cid sends isn't a dud," Aozora muttered under his breath, while his mind conjured up the image of the strange clerk at a certain store in Traverse Town.

He didn't realize that Riku had said the same thing about Cid's gummi ships.

As they inched towards the heart of Underworld, they saw that the Heartless had vanished. Literally.

The Fates had kept to their word.

"One obstacle down," Goofy commented.

"Three more to go," Sora added darkly as he glared at Cerberus, who was still gnawing away at a huge bone nearly stripped of what seemed to be rotten flesh.

"That's disgusting," Phil exclaimed. "Gods, and I thought battlefields after battles were the worst!"

"Quiet, Phil!" Eucletes hissed but too late; they were in close proximity to the demon guardian of the Underworld and the three-headed dog heard everything.

The bone went clattering into the River Styx as Cerberus rose up on all four legs and turned to stare at the ferry. Its fiery eyes narrowed in confusion for its many noses told it all: there was only one ghost on that ferry. Everybody else was alive. _Alive_.

Cerberus began to growl.

"This does not look good," Hercules said while Auron steered the ferry down the river than ran right under Cerberus' noses.

"Why is he bringing us closer to death?" Eucletes was muttering. "I thought we were supposed to stay _alive_."

Sora shrugged. "But who around here knows Cerberus really well?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Not me," Hercules said immediately. "I fought him; I most certainly did not to get to know him."

"Obviously," Phil agreed, rolling his eyes a bit in the process. "Same goes for me though; after all, this was the guy who rampaged through _my_ coliseum."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other.

"I'm a key witness! I saw the whole thing!" Goofy yelped.

"Duh," Donald answered while Sora added, "We fought him, Goofy; of course you saw the whole thing; you nearly got eaten by him!"

"That leaves only two," Phil said, "and for all I know, Auron's been dead for quite a while until Hades resurrected him-"

"Oh I might have been dead for quite a while but it's only been a year since I've gone back to the Far Plane," Auron answered pleasantly and then refused to explain was the Far Plane was, saying, "It's too long and complicated to describe and besides, we've got more important things to worry about."

That left only one other personâEucletes.

"You do know Cerberus really well," Goofy said. "Knows his eating habits and stuff."

"âandâthis is the guyâwho petted Cerberus" Charon said faintly as he came back into the waking world. "Are the Fatesâgone?"

"Good that you're awake," Phil snapped back. "Now steer this thing all the way down to the end of the river."

Charon did as told, knowing full well he did not want to join the wandering spirits that rambled about in the River Styx and the other side of the river. Phil watched him with a hard eye, while the others looked to Eucletes.

"But what can I do?" Eucletes whispered.

"Isn't there something you could do to keep us from becoming his chew toys?" Hercules asked. "The Fates seem to say you're the one who can keep him from attacking"

Eucletes sighed, trembling a bit. Sora wondered if it was from fear.

"I'll do whatever comes up to my mind as I try and, umâdistract him, I guess," Eucletes said and the young merchant looked up at the three-headed dog.

Everybody suddenly realized that they were passing right underneath the dog's heads and Cerberus had done nothing yet.

The eyes though, looked down on Hercules, not on Eucletes and his tail was actually _thumping_ against the ground in the manner of a friendly dog. The three heads were looking at Hercules with a most cheerful expression.

Everyone looked at Hercules, who shrugged hopelessly and in confusion in return. "I don't have anything to do with this!"

"You know Cerberus?" Sora was confused. "But, you _fought_ him!"

"Whatever's going on, I don't care as long as someone distracts Cerberus long enough to let the rest of us pass," Auron growled as he glared at the left head, which was glaring at the others and growling in return. The middle head was starting to growl as well, though the right head grinned at Hercules.

"I don't get it!" Phil repeated fervently. "He's the enemy and we fought him; why does he like Hercules?"

"I really don't know, Phil," Hercules answered, "but I'm going to have to distract him. Charon, bring us closer to shore."

Charon stared at Cerberus, hesitated, saw Auron coming over with his huge sword, and hastily obeyed. The ferry drifted slowly to the right, until it brushed up against the shore. Cerberus moved threateningly towards it and Hercules quickly jumped out to stop him.

"I'm coming with you, Hercules!" Phil yelled out and the satyr leaped out after him.

"Easy, boy, easy!" Hercules was saying to the three-headed dog, his arms spread apart in an attempt to keep him from chasing after the ferry. "You guys go!"

"You heard him," Auron snapped and Charon obeyed, grumbling under his breath all the while.

The ferry drifted further down the green river, entering the home of Hades himself. Underworld.

Auron stood on the deck, his right arm gripping the sword even harder. His eyes were turning grim and only Eucletes noticed that. Sora was sitting on one of the benches on the ferry, staring at the bottom of the ferry. Donald and Goofy had their weapons out, looking around each other, keeping a good look out. A Heartless could have slipped through the Fates' grasp, though Goofy doubted this more than Donald.

"Stop the ferry," Auron said, his voice suddenly grim and dark.

Sora looked up in surprise as Charon dropped the anchor deep into the River Styx. Donald and Goofy whirled on Auron and yelled out, " Times up! Now or never, Auron!"

Sora and Eucletes were startled. _What?!_

"You two knew," Auron said with a grim laughter. "Charon, get out of here!"

Charon trembled but stood fast. "This is _my_ ferry and I'm not leaving it!"

Auron strode forward quickly, his right arm moving, the huge sword flashing. The look on his face spoke of his intentions. Charon cowered in fear.

There was a spray of sparks and Charon, who bent over, covering his head with his clammy hands, looked up, finding himself staring at Sora's back.

"What is going on?" Sora demanded. "What are Donald and Goofy saying? Why are you doing this?"

"The one dangerous thing about dreams is that their summoner can give them one order they have to follow through with, whether or not they want to," Donald said.

Charon's eyes widened. With a strange sound like an "Eep!" Charon leaped out of the ferry and fled, leaving everyone staring after him.

" The fury of the undead is the most fearsome of all," Auron said and his blade dropped to his side, in a threatening manner. "I have not the heart to do this but the unspoken law states I must do what I had been told to do. I was summoned here for one purpose."

Sora noticed that Auron was staring at his right hand. The hand holding the Keyblade.

" We fight," Sora said, in a carefully controlled voice. "Hades wants you to kill me."

" And Hercules but he seems rather bent on killing _you_," Auron said. "I don't want to do this but orders are orders."

Sora quickly pulled up his Keyblade but nearly didn't make it. The force from the sword pushed him onto the ground and Sora Dodge Rolled to the side, just as Auron's sword bit the ground and followed in some sort of an arc after him. Sora didn't' Dodge Roll far enough; the blade nicked him on the shoulder.

" We don't worry about death," Auron said in a calm, unhurried voice as Sora hoisted himself up, favoring his right shoulder. "Therefore, we can fight harder, longer, and take more risks."

Auron charged him and Sora chose to meet him head on. It was a bad move; the Keyblade went flying one way, Sora went flying another way.

" Sora!" Goofy yelped and charged at Auron with the shield. "I don't wanna do this either but you leave me no choice!"

Metal clashed against metal and sparks flew but both managed to still stand. Goofy kept charging at Auron, leaving Sora enough time to go and grab the Keyblade. He then jumped Auron from behind.

Auron raised his foot up, kicked at Goofy's shield and twisted his body, meeting Sora's Ars Arcanum head on. The impact was horrendous, with lights brightening up Underworld. Specters began to gather, being content with watching the battle play itself out. Heartless crowded on the outside but could not see or sense anything; the specters were too numerous and though they were opaque, there were too many of them and hampered all senses of sight. They also radiated some odd power, preventing the Heartless from sensing or smelling out anything unusual.

Sora was staggering; Auron was a very powerful foe. Hades did well in summoning a dream to fight him. Was Auron invincible or what?

" You call yourself a Keyblade Master," Auron grumbled. "I knew of a stronger Keyblade Master, a better one. Can you fight like him and match me foot for foot?"

" Who are you talking about?" Sora demanded as he High Jumped from a rather frightening overhead swing. "If it's King Mickey-"

" He is _not_ a Keyblade Master," Auron replied calmly. "Not in my time, at least."

" Your time?" Sora was finding it harder to breathe, talk, and fight at the same time. "Where are you from?"

" Spira," Auron said as he swiftly stepped away from a rapid jab from Sora. "What I was witness to, what I went through, it's not so different from your journey. But Ansem is not Sin, nor will the two ever be compared. What you will go through is more than Yuna would ever go through. Even more than Tidus."

" Tidus?!" Sora yelled.

" He is a mere dream from your home," Auron said. There was sadness in his voice. "A dream, but perhaps one of the greatest dreams in the lives of people on Spira."

This was something Sora wished he could mull over. But he had no time; he was Dodge Rolling again within seconds and jumped up fast enough to meet Auron's charge.

_King Mickey not a Keyblade Master?_ Sora managed to still think. _That's not possible! He has the Golden Keyblade; what does Auron mean_-

Sora yelled as he jumped back, the pain on his right shoulder magnified at least ten times. Blood was starting to leak from his shoulder and the specters surrounding them looked on hungrily, for they had a hunger for blood.

The Keyblade clattered to the floor, his right arm rendered useless. Sora grimaced; if Auron was a boss last year on one of the worlds, Sora would've died and that would be the end of the universe. Hades had chosen well; though it seemed Hades couldn't order Auron about, Auron was still following Hades' one order: kill the Keyblade Master and Hercules. Perhaps, if not both, then one or the other.

Auron strode slowly towards him. The look on his face was one of sadness and regret. "The Fatesâthey saw it coming. Choice is choice but orders are orders."

Sora looked up, his left hand gripping his shoulder. "Don't do this Auron."

" I have no choice," Auron answered simply as he pulled back his sword.

The choice is yoursâ 

Sora looked up at the dream who knew Tidus, who knew Yuna back at Twilight Town. His life did not flash before his eyes but he knew that Auron now held his fate in his hands.

What would Auron's choice be?


	30. A Matter of Choice

Author's Note: This will NOT be the last time you see Auron. Just warning you beforehand but that's all I will say as of now, hehehe....To all you faithful readers, enjoy!   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 30: A Matter of Choice 

Aozora stared at the gummi ship, the one Cid from Traverse Town had sent him to use. It looked like some strange dancing green cactus.

What disturbed Aozora was that while the gummi ship seemed indestructible, its engines were pitifully tiny and there were no traces of weaponry on the gummi ship. None.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Yuna's voice wondered behind him.

"A sick one at that," Paine added calmly while Rikku emphasized with a, "Blegh!"

"What are you doing here?" Aozora turned on them. "And what are you talking about?"

"We were wondering if you can give us a lift to Spira," Yuna said. " To be specific, a place in Spira named Besaid Island. Its kind of urgent that we get there."

"Cid's repairing our airship," Paine said. "He's sending it over after us."

"And you can meet Brother, Buddy, and Shinra!" Rikku yelped." They're part of our crew, the Gullwings!"

"The _what_-wings?!" Aozora demanded.

"Gullwings," Paine affirmed. "We search for spheres all over Spira."

"Search for-I don't want to know," Aozora suppressed his curious mind. He didn't have _time_ for this! "Yuna, what's the problem with this gummi ship?"

"It's a really sick joke," Yuna answered, echoing Rikku's words. " That's a cactuar gummi ship and it has one of the best defensive systems around. However, not only is it super slow, it can't attack."

"It can't _WHAT_?!" Aozora yelled. "Is this some sort of a sick joke?!"

"Our thoughts exactly," Paine replied while Aozora whirled on the gummi ship, fuming.

"You goddamn piece of junk!" he shouted, shaking his fist at it. "Of all the gummi ships Cid can send me, its this piece of shit! And when I need to get around the universe at top speed and blast anyone outta my way!"

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine raised eyebrows at each other while they watched Aozora rant. They had _never_ seen the blond teenager lose his temper before. He seemed like the most mellow, calm, sorrowful guy around but this gummi ship Cid obviously sent as a joke ticked him off to who-knows-what.

"This is a joke, Aozora," Yuna said in an attempt to not only calm Aozora down but to keep people from staring at him like he was a raving lunatic.

"Uh, Yunnie?" Rikku said hesitantly as she surveyed the shipyard a.k.a. gummi garage. "I think this really is a sick joke. That is the one we're supposed to be traveling on."

"What?!" Paine whirled on them. "Your dad's cousin sends us a gummi ship with really decent defense but crap for engines and nothing for weapons for us to _use_? You gotta be kidding me."

"Yunnie," Rikku mock-whispered. "Between you and me, I think Aozora's not going to be the only one who's going to lose his mind today."

"Hey!" Aozora and Paine both protested. "At least _I_ can see what the problem is right now with this sort of emergency."

"See, birds of a feather flock together," Rikku added while Aozora and Paine glared at each other for saying the same thing at the same time.

"But they're both right," Yuna said. "You know what, why don't _you_ go to your dad and ask for some gummi ship upgrades."

Rikku nodded, for she was still serious for all her teasing, and dashed off.

"Bigger engines!" Paine yelled after her. "Fira or Firaga, though I think we need Firaga!"

"And weapons!" Aozora shouted in a _way_ louder voice. It was full of indignation. "Bring us some goddamn weapons!"

Rikku nodded and ran even faster, as if Aozora was actually going to chase after her like a guard dog to make her to go faster.

"I'm wasting time here!" Aozora snapped at Yuna and Paine, who were giving him a queer eye. "Valuable Time, slipping away thanks to an idiot who decides to send me a dysfunctional gummi ship! I don't' know what I did wrong but I don't' deserve this!"

"What did you do wrong?" Paine asked calmly.

"I. Don't. Know," Aozora growled back. "I-"

There was an explosion of pain on his right shoulder and he fell over, biting back a cry of surprise.

"Aozora!" Yuna exclaimed and ran to help him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Aozora sat up. "What in-"

There was a feeling in his heart, a foreign emotion that was beginning to dominate all other emotions within him. It was a mixture of fear, sadness, weariness, exhaustion, and a sense of impending doom.

Aozora knew these were not his emotions. How could they?

_Well, it could come from me...but this is all just too sudden, too _foreign_..._

Then he remembered something the Dream Heart had told him.

_Your hearts are connected Aozora...you, the sky-child, the small king, the wizard, the knight, the lost one, and the princess...connected, in a circle of light..._

Could it be Sora?

Hercules and Phil gasped for air as they hid behind double doors made eerily out of bones. Cerberus was yelping after them, the booming barks echoing off the walls of Underworld.

"If that mutt doesn't shut up, the whole place would wake up, and we're dead," Phil muttered to Hercules.

"What am I supposed to do?" Hercules snapped back.

"Toss that," Phil pointed to a huge bone double the height of Hercules and three times taller than Phil.

"_That?!_" Hercules stared at the huge bone. "Toss that thing?"

"You can do it," Phil said. "And that's final. No other choice, Hercules."

Hercules knew he had no choice. He marched over to the bone and hoisted it up, carefully lifting it up to his shoulders.

"Phil, if the Heartless catch me like this-" Hercules realized.

"Hercules, its best if you do put that bone down," Phil was staring at something behind him. "Turn around slowly. I don't think you're going to like what you're going to see."

Hercules followed as Phil told him to do and turned around.

He was tall and lithe, adorned in a long black trench coat with a hood halfway pulled over the head. He had a light tan and a strong, stern face, with liquid blue eyes and strange fluid markings on his cheeks colored blue. His hair color was not easy to distinguish under the hood but it seemed to be blue, blue like the waters of the sea.

What Hercules noticed as well was the whip in his right hand. It crackled blue and suggested pain.

"The Nobodies..." Phil was murmuring. "Oh no..."

Hercules heard movement behind them and shifted his head slightly, so his eyes were able to spot a horde of Heartless coming up behind them, facing off against the twitchy white creatures gathering behind this mysterious man.

Neither side looked happy neither with each other nor with Hercules and Phil.

"So..." the mysterious man said in a deep voice. "So, it has come to this. The great Hercules, surrounded by the two factions of Darkness. What will you do?"

That was one of the oddest and possibly stupidest questions ever directed at Hercules.

"I will fight both of you if I have to," Hercules said. "But I think I should go and let you guys settle this on your own-"

"Unless he chose otherwise," the mysterious man spoke up, "the Keyblade Master would be dead by now."

Hercules froze and Phil's jaw dropped open.

"Indeed, Phil, you have missed one important fact about summoned dreams," the being said with a sneering grin. "All dreams summoned for a purpose are to obey one command, and one command only, depending on what it is."

"And we all know what Hades wants most," Phil said. "Its either the both of you dead or one or the other."

"Hades is most intent on ridding of the Keyblade Master first, Heart and Soul," the being spat. "With him out of the way, he can focus on Hercules."

"Auron isn't an ally?!" Hercules was shocked to the core. "No..."

He turned to make a run for the double doors but found his way blocked by not only Heartless but one of Cerberus' heads. It was grinning at him in a very friendly manner, completely unaware of the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the mysterious man.

"Cerberus..." Hercules whistled and made frantic gestures at the huge bone.

The head spotted the bone, just gleaming in the middle of the room. He opened his great jaws and made a lunge for the bone.

The two other heads yelped as their heads were bashed through the walls while the middle head rammed itself into the room, attempting to reach the bone. Heartless fled and the Nobodies backed away when the being flicked his whip and blue sparks showered on the floor.

Cerberus, in the act of bickering over the huge bone, whirled on him with a vicious growl, the six eyes centered on his whip. They were full of hate.

Phil yanked Hercules out of there while Cerberus raised hell against the human. They dodged the falling debris and fled outside.

"Good move, Hercules," Phil praised as they reached the shore of the River Styx where they last saw Sora, Donald, Goofy, Eucletes, Auron, and Charon.

"It's pretty obvious..." Hercules replied while Phil dragged him along the shore towards the towering stone towers of Underworld.

"Hercules, there's something I gotta warn you about this place," Phil said.

"What?" Hercules asked.

"There's an area here in the Underworld that does more than keep back creatures like the Titans," Phil answered. "I think Hades is out to release whatever's behind this one door in what I call the Craters."

"You know the name of the place?" Hercules demanded. "Wait a minute...you've been there?!"

"No, not really," Phil answered. "I was reading the newspaper and there was this article by a guy named Eucletes about that area. You know what I mean. He's been there enough times to know of the place."

"But what about this place called the Craters?" Hercules asked.

"The door holds back something, something so dangerous its not even funny," Phil answered.

"Of course something dangerous isn't funny!" Hercules yelled.

"Which is why Hades is out to open up that door," Phil explained impatiently.

"But what does that have to do with us?" Hercules demanded.

"Everything," Phil replied." Absolutely everything. If he manages to kill you off, he can at least open one of the double doors. But what really keeps him from opening the door is Sora. Sora and the power of the Keyblade keeps the doors _chained_. You can dynamite Underworld to hell-though this is already hell, mind you-and the doors will still stand and they'll still keep in whatever's behind them."

"So that's why he hired Auron!" Hercules exclaimed, finally understanding. "To kill us off so Hades can open the door and so that all hell would break loose in Ancient Greece-"

"Not only Ancient Greece," Phil replied. "The whole damn universe!"

"We gotta stop Auron then!" Hercules exclaimed.

"No, we can't," Phil said and when Hercules began to protest, Phil added, "Auron still has a choice, even if he has that one order to follow through with. We have to find the Craters and that door so we can at least keep Hades from touching that door. And besides, even if we try to get there, it could be too late."

Hercules wondered how their whole situation had turned from maddening to just plain crazy.

He trembled. Sweat trickled down his face, falling like raindrops from the tip of his nose and his chin. He had never known fear like this before, had never directly faced Death, but now he was at Death's door. And he knew he was too young to die.

There was so much for him to accomplish, to see, to fulfill, yet already he was already brushing by Death, with a quivering steel blade deciding whether or not he would have a date with Death.

_What will Auron's choice be?_

There was a great explosion of golden light. Everyone shield their eyes and the dead fled.

"What the-" Auron began to swear.

"Dream!" a great voice, the voice of a woman, boomed. "Dream, stop where you are, stop what you are doing, and listen to me!"

No, it was three voices.

"The Fates," Auron's face turned grim.

"Misled you are but redemption you can still find, Auron Dream of Spira!" the voices cried out as one. "Killing the Keyblade Master will not give you the redemption you are searching for! Obeying the one order from the summoner will not be your redemption."

"Then where can I find redemption, dammit!" Auron yelled at the Fates in a sudden, uncharacteristic burst of anger.

"You know deep within your heart and soul," the Fates answered firmly, from the golden light that lit their side of Underworld. "Murder is not the answer; assassination is not your redemption. Redemption comes from doing good. Don't be misled because of your desperation; it can be more than the downfall of all you love and hold dear that must be paid."

Sora could not believe his ears. Will he still live?

"I still have a choice," Auron reminded. "It is my choice whether or not to follow through with the one order given to me. You know what would happen if I do disobey."

"Are you willing to murder an innocent child so you can come back to the real world freely?" the Fates asked in a cold voice. "Or are you willing to sacrifice yourself and your freedom for the sake of the others?"

"He is not innocent," Auron shot back. "His blood was tainted from the very beginning; what would come out of his death?"

"Spira would fall with the rest of the universe!" the Fates boomed. " All who you hold dear to your heart and soul will fall with the universe if you kill the Keyblade Master! And the Farplane would never survive beyond the destruction of the real world."

"And if I let him live?" Auron snapped.

"The universe still stands," the Fates rumbled in the same authorative voice, "and it will be up to the Keyblade Master and others to decide the fate of the Universe."

"But Spira, will it still exist?" Auron asked, his temper already cooling.

"Depends on the war," the Fates answered simply. "What will you do, Auron? Will you find redemption for yourself with spilt blood or will you give up your freedom for others?"

Sora realized that Auron had no choice but to answer with the only possible choice. But he also knew surprises were always hiding, that one may choose the most unexpected of the two-

"I will not give up my freedom," Auron shot back, his temper flaring again. "It's my last true connection to the real world and I will not give it up!"

"You are already connected to the real world, Auron," the Fates said sadly. "The true human nature is still in you; you have not achieved the true essence of one from the Farplane. Whatever choice you make, you will always be connected to the real world. But if you chose to set the chain of reactions that will bring down real world, we will never exist again. We will become a mere echo in Time."

Auron was grim, his eyes narrowed angrily. Sora looked up at him, wondering what was running through his mind.

"What will you do?" the Fates asked and the golden light faded.

Auron and Sora were the only ones awake; somehow the light had knocked the others out. They looked at each other, each trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

"What _will_ you do?" Sora echoed.

Auron stared at him for what seemed to be a long time. "You are two different people, yet you are so alike...how can this be...even I could not see..."

Sora was befuddled. _What?!_

"I don't know what will become of me, Sora," Auron said quietly as he lifted his sword and rested it behind his head. "If I let you go, I may never come back to the real world. But my small sacrifice can do well for others. Yuna...she and the others will be able to stand a better chance against this darkness I have been watching from the Farplane for a long time."

"If you can watch the real world from the Farplane or whatever it is, then why do you try to physically walk the real world?" Sora asked, confused.

"To physically interact," Auron answered. "But I see that I am human still at heart for I, like all humans, am selfish and greedy. That is why I had such a hard time deciding. But my choice is made."

Sora watched him, waiting.

"You will fight Hades if needs be. You must move quickly for time does not wait for anyone," Auron said quietly, "and you will soon decide what to do with this realm's door. Hades is trying to open a door to Darkness, something you must stop. After that, your journey will continue. To what end I will not say but I will be watching. Farewell."

To Sora's complete shock, Auron simply...disappeared.

"What happened?" Eucletes moaned out as he, Donald, and Goofy gained consciousness.

"No time to talk," Sora answered for he understood Auron's message. " We've got to find Hades and this door..."

"Hey...der...where's Auron?" Goofy wondered curiously.

Sora contemplated. "He's been called away."

Donald cast him a suspicious look but Sora didn't notice. Either that or he chose to ignore it. "We have to stop Hades from opening some door to Darkness!"

"So that door _does_ exist here!" Goofy exclaimed.

Sora didn't hear; he was too busy making a mad dash for the complex set of hallways carved from the dark stone of Underworld.

"This is one weird gummi ship," was Paine's calm comment about the cactuar gummi ship Cid had sent them.

"That's what we all agreed on not too long ago," Rikku answered as she collapsed on one of the chairs inside the odd gummi ship. " Whew...I'm pooped. That stuff was sooo heavy."

"This is the most pathetic gummi ship I've ever been witness to!" Aozora stormed. "Fira engines and Thundara guns, along with just _one_ Meteor missile! I mean seriously!"

"It was either that or you pay," Rikku protested.

"Just be happy with what you got," Paine answered calmly. "That's a very simple philosophy."

"With what I've got?" Aozora snapped back. "You have no idea what I've got with me! And I am definitely not happy with it!"

"Whatever you guys are talking about, we need to get a move on," Yuna said as she looked over the control panel. "How do you turn on this gummi ship?"

"Where's Spira?" Aozora sighed as he strode over and thrust forward a lever.

The Fira engines roared to life. The cactuar gummi ship was now a respectable ship but Aozora saw people staring, pointing and basically laughing at the gummi ship. His blood boiled. He had never gotten so mad like this before. Oh wait, just kidding; he did get mad like this before. But he never expected to get mad like this again so soon.

"Kid, just chill," Paine called to him, "and get us out of here."

"Where is Spira anyways?" Rikku mused.

Aozora twitched. They didn't know?

"I think it's beyond Atlantica or Australia," Yuna mused. "I'm not sure. Its location in the universe is kinda...odd, I guess."

"How so?" Aozora asked.

"There are more worlds than just worlds like Twilight Town, New World, China, and of the like," Paine explained. "For instance, Spira is not like those worlds. Its located in what I think is a separate 'system' of its own, with other worlds."

"Remember the stories of that one world that was destroyed?" Rikku suddenly digressed. "What was it called again? Old Citadel or something?"

Aozora, who was steering the gummi ship out of Twilight Town froze.

"That's a thing of the past," Paine waved it all aside. "It no longer exists."

Aozora carefully maneuvered the gummi ship out and away from Twilight Town and the surrounding gummi ships into the space between worlds, the universe. His ears were on the alert, careful to pick up, process, tinker with, and store any possibly useful information in his mind.

"Old Citadel is a thing of the past," Yuna agreed. "Those rumors going around about that world being restored are false; it is false play."

"What happened to those who did try to go back to it?" Aozora asked carefully.

"Simple," Paine answered. "They are all murdered and their possessions stolen. Then their bodies were incinerated. They live no more."

"Are you serious?" Aozora turned on them. "Who did that to them?"

"Pirates, I guess," Paine answered calmly. "That's why the rumors were false play; those innocent people were tricked."

Aozora let the disturbing information sink into his mind while he turned back to steering the gummi ship. He remembered how Orion once mentioned about why he and Yuri were here without their parents.

"There was a rumor going around a few months back about Old Citadel being restored," Orion had said in the better days, the days before Sora's arrival and Orion's betrayal. "My parents and everybody else, including Yuri's parents, packed up and left."

"We've never heard from them since," Yuri agreed. "If it weren't for Ashita, I don't know what would've happened to us."

Aozora's heart filled with gloom. Not only did Orion and Yuri not hear from their parents again, Paine had just told him they were dead.

"In which direction to we go to Spira?" Rikku broke a momentary silence while probing the panels and controls of the gummi ship other than the control panel Aozora was using to maneuver the gummi ship.

"Ancient Greece is to our left," Yuna thought.

"And we came here from our left, which means we would be turning right," Paine agreed. "Aozora, go right."

Aozora, who was going to turn left as soon as Yuna spoke of Ancient Greece's location, reluctantly turned right.

"But Sora and the others are on Ancient Greece," Rikku noted. " Doesn't Aozora have to go to them?"

"We have business to handle in Spira," Paine slowly opposed. " Vegnagun is a major threat to Spira."

"And if Vegnagun leaves Spira..." Yuna let the question hang.

"Oh," was Rikku's only reply.

Aozora perceived that this Vegna-something was not to be trifled with and for this thing to leave Spira was a bad thing indeed. He steered the gummi ship in the direction opposite from where he had to go. His sense screamed at him of his duty but he knew he had promised to take them to Spira and he was not about to let them down.

"There is a _dragon_ guarding the door," Hercules pointed out as he and Phil stepped into what was called the Craters. There were craters, strange holes in the ground that emitted a glowing green light, like the light from the River Styx.

Phil froze and Hercules, who happened to be behind the satyr, nearly fell over him.

"Hey, watch-" Hercules nearly yelped but Phil immediately hushed him.

"The black dragon!" Phil hissed in horror. "Hercules, that's the dragon, the dragon form of Maleficent!"

Hercules, on closer inspection with his eyes, made out the huge, jet-black form of a great dragon with glowing yellow nostrils and a mouth slightly open, showing off a glowing yellow mouth. The wings were tiny compared to the body size and mass but the huge spikes rising from the dragon's back were more threatening than the possibility of the dragon being able to fly.

"But Phil," Hercules protested, "Maleficent was supposed to be _dead_. Sora killed her."

"Then what's this big great dragon sleeping in front of those double doors?" Phil shot back. "There's only one dragon that looks like that and only one person who can turn into that sort of dragon."

During the conversation, they failed to notice the doors of the Craters closing and locking behind them. Those were the only doors _out_ of the Craters; the other door in the Craters led deeper into Underworld.

They also failed to notice the great, golden eyes slowly open, the great dragon slowly and silently yawn and stretch itself. They did not see the dragon look at them, first with surprise and curiosity, then with hate, before the dragon slowly shifted in their direction. It was only then that Hercules saw the dragon move. Phil, who had his back to the dragon and the door, demanded with a gaping Hercules," What are you staring at?"

"Phil, behind you," Hercules pointed a shaking finger at behind the satyr.

Phil slowly turned around and found himself staring at a pair of jet-black claws. He looked up, at the dragon's great chest, up the slender, serpentine neck, and up to the head that glared down at them, the long snout glowing yellow, the eyes glaring at them with a hateful fire.

A roar rang out through all of Underworld, a great deep bellow followed by a rumbling and violent shaking of the earth. The walls of Underworld shook and cracks appeared on the wall.

Hades, who was in his throne room, sighed, shook his head, and said, "If it's Pain and Panic threatening to bring down Underworld, I'm throwing them into the River Styx. But if they're doing something about that blasted Keyblade Master and Hercules, I'll just let them be."

"What was that?" Eucletes asked fearfully as the ground threatened to rise up on them.

"No idea," Sora answered as bits of the stone walls of Underworld fell all around them. "But stay on guard; this makes me suspicious."

Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement and kept their weapons on the ready. They moved slowly towards the tunnels in a triangular form; Eucletes was practically weaponless and, therefore, defenseless, and he stayed in the middle, surrounded three ways by Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"I think we should see what's causing this 'uproar'," Goofy suggested. "I've got a feeling we need to."

Sora nodded and headed for the right tunnel, which vibrated with such violence one could _see_ the walls shake. The bellows continued, now echoing through the tunnel and as the foursome entered the tunnel, they plugged their ears and grimaced; the roaring was magnified seemingly tenfold and it was horrible, a loud screeching ending with deep, rolling thunder.

Then, abruptly, it vanished. The thundering stopped and Underworld ceased to shake and vibrate. Everything stood still and silence finally fell all around this hell, an uneasy silence.

It was too silent.

"What was that?" Eucletes repeated in wonderment and surprise.

"Well," Sora replied as they came upon a set of double doors fashioned out of what seemed to be ivory carved with motifs of fire and bones, " we're about to find out. Donald, Eucletes, help me lift this bolt."

With Goofy watching their backs, they lifted up the heavy bolt that kept the doors not only shut but locked. Eucletes commented that the bolt, which was mottled with odd colors, seemed to be made out of a huge bloodstained bone and Sora immediately dropped his end of the bolt. Donald, who was still holding his end of the bolt squalled as he let go of the bolt as well and it slammed on his foot. Donald bounced away holding his left foot, cursing illegibly and throwing death glares at Sora.

"Sorry, Donald," Sora shrugged while backing away from the bolt. "I couldn't help it."

Eucletes, in the meantime, pushed open the doors, and exclaimed, "The Craters-oh no."


	31. Hellfire

Author's Note: I'd say this is one of the best chapters I've written insofar and I hope you readers think so, too. Oh and if you see this before you see my Bio page, I advice you to check the Bio page before you start reading. Other than that little bit of advice, enjoy. Oh and on a side note, does anybody know how to put big spaces in between paragraphs? I've noticed that there's an abrupt transition from Sora's point of view to Aozora's and in the document, there's no abrupt transition. Does anyone know how to put in 'page' breaks in between? The advice would be greatly appreciated.   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 31: Hellfire 

"What's wrong?" Sora demanded as he peered into the Craters as well.

"Nobodies," Donald gaped.

"And the double doors!" Sora added.

"Yes, Sora, the double doors," Eucletes nodded, his eyes a bit wide with surprise with the fact that Sora knew about them. "You seem to know what's behind them, I'm guessing."

Sora nodded vigorously. "Yes; we have to keep those doors from being opened! The darkness behind the doors must never be let out."

"Indeed you are right," Eucletes agreed. "But what of the Nobodies?"

Sora called on his Kingdom Key, which had disappeared back into him when the Fates appeared to tell off Auron. "We fight."

He ran at the Nobodies, who turned to them. Dodging the strange, glowing craters, he charged them, swinging out the Keyblade and hitting one into another.

Donald and Goofy ran after him and Donald immediately blew one out with Firaga while Goofy began to spin. Eucletes silently closed the double doors behind them and clicked his fingers.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy did not hear the clanging of the carved, bloodstained bolt lift and lock into place over the noise of their current battle. Eucletes pulled out a dagger from his waist and, with careful aiming, threw it at a Nobody jumping at Sora from behind.

"What in-" Sora yelped when he stumbled onto a blast scene and Dodge Rolled an attack.

The whole of the area he Dodge Rolled into was blasted black, with steam still rising from some of the charred areas.

"What is it, Sora?" Donald demanded and ran after him, Blizzaga-ing two Nobodies and running after the Keyblade Master. Goofy stumbled onward after the wizard.

They failed to see Eucletes disappearing, vanishing into the shadows. Whether he had done so on purpose or was unwillingly dragged into the shadows of the Craters was yet to be known.

Hercules peered out onto a mass of Nobodies and Heartless bickering with each other from between rusted bars. The Nobodies and Heartless were clearly unhappy being so near each other, even though they seemed to know that they had to work with each other. But the fact that the forces of Darkness were massed together, in the pits of hell, unnerved him. And Hercules could do nothing about it.

"Your father could lend us a helping hand anytime now," Phil grumbled from his corner of the cold, dripping stone walled prison they were in. "I'd really appreciate it."

"What can I do about it?" Hercules asked as he peered out at the bars again. "If Father lends us a helping hand, he'd be in deeper trouble than the both of us."

He was referring to the fact that not only was there a mass of Nobodies and Heartless assembling for what could be a joint-attack, Maleficent was the one who had them imprisoned, an army of ghost soldiers was being roused, and there was that mysterious man with the crackling blue whip. Maybe Zeus could take them all on but there was something about Maleficent and the mysterious man that got him.

Phil shook his head. "I can't believe Maleficent's still alive. Sora was supposed to kill her a while back but here she is, still alive. What does it take to get rid of those damn Heartless leaders? What in the name of Zeus can get rid of them?"

"Hey Phil," Hercules suddenly hissed. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Phil asked loudly.

"Shh!" Hercules countered quickly. "Just be quiet and listen. I think they're having an argument or something."

Phil got up and went over to where Hercules was standing. He tuned his ears to Hades, Maleficent, and the strange man with the whip. Hades was obviously mad; his hair was flaming red. The man with the whip was obviously worked over about something; he was restless, shifting continuously from side to side and often cracking his whip at some unsuspecting Nobody. Maleficent, however, had a cool, calm air about her. She was unnerved about the whole situation and spoke calmly and with authority.

"...will _they_ be the ones initiating the plan?" Maleficent was asking of Hades. She spoke 'they' with incredible disdain.

"For. The. Final. Time," Hades said, each word coming out as a sentence of its own, "YES!!!"

"I wish they'd hurry up about it," the man was saying, his blue eyes narrow with restlessness and boredom. "This is getting too boring."

"Listen, bud," Hades turned on him. "They may seem like incredible goof balls to you; hell, they give me hell all the time but they can get the work done! I mean, sure they screwed up my orders to kill goddamn Hercules but I could already see it all working in my favor. 'Course I failed with that but these guys can change any situation into a win-lose situation, win being in our favor."

"I hope so," Maleficent sniffed. "But what of that other brat, the one who's been poking around this Underworld for months?"

"He's being brought in, just as we speak," Hades glowered. "Its not him I'm worried about, Maleficent. It's the Keyblade Master and Hercules I'm worried about."

"As long as no one opens those bars," the man spoke, "they'll hold him in. Sure he may be the strongest living being around when it comes to brute strength but those bars were meant to keep in brute strength."

"And the doors?" Maleficent asked. "Will he really open those doors?"

"Only the other brat would be able to convince him," Hades replied. " He knows more about this place; he's got the credentials to be very believable. As long as they do their job, the Keyblade Master will fall for the lie and open the doors."

"The darkness will be too much for the boy," the man added with a smirk on his face. "He will be consumed and extinguished. The candle will be blown out and Darkness will reign."

"Excellent," Maleficent nodded, then turned to the great army Hades and the man had assembled. "Domitan, are you ready to begin Phase Two?"

The man, apparently named Domitan, nodded. "I'm always ready, Maleficent."

"Excellent," the dark woman said. "He will be pleased."

"So will my master," Domitan agreed. "And once we have accomplished our tasks, we can finally release him from his prison. Curse that sister of his; she's a real b---h, I tell you."

"We all understand, Domitan," Maleficent ignored that moment of profanity. "But where is that brat?"

"He's coming," Hades said and jerked his head towards a tunnel to Hercules' right.

Eucletes was being dragged in, tied up and gagged. He was still fighting against the two Nobodies who were bringing him in, that was until one of them hit him on the head with the side of its hand and he was knocked out.

"At long last," Hades said happily. "At long last we've got that rat in our hands! You know how annoying that brat was?"

"Hades! Calm yourself!" Domitan said and the god fell silent.

"How did they get Eucletes here?" Phil hissed to Hercules. "If they managed to snatch him, what about..."

"We've got to get out of here," Hercules decided. "We've got to find a way to get out of here."

"Tough luck," Phil said grumpily. "You can't force your way out of here. You heard what that guy said."

"No, no, no, Phil," Hercules replied with a shake of his head. "Not with brute strength. We've got to find other means of getting out of here."

"Oh yeah?" Phil said. "Give me a suggestion."

Hercules screwed up his face thinking as hard as he could. "Help me think, Phil; don't' just stand there, glaring at me!"

"I'm thinking, too, bozo brain!" Phil snapped back.

"Well, that was taken care off," Sora said with finality as he called the Keyblade back into himself. "So...now what?"

"We open the door," Eucletes replied.

"We what?!" Sora turned on him. "We WHAT?!"

"Open those doors," Eucletes replied calmly, pointing at the double doors. "That's the only way. That's the only way to stop the Heartless and Nobodies."

"Why?" Goofy asked curiously. Neither he nor Donald knew anything about what Sora was told about the doors.

"The power inside the doors can destroy all Darkness," Eucletes replied. "That's why Hades locked it up in those doors. The light inside was too much for him-"

"Wait a minute!" Sora yelped. "Just hold it right there! That's sure not what Auron told me! He said Darkness was behind those doors!"

"Auron was summoned by Hades, Sora," Eucletes said calmly. "Whatever he knows of the door is a falsehood, since he was only summoned here and knows nothing of Underworld."

"What?" Sora was confused. Then what was it about Auron? How and where did Auron get his stuff? What was going on?

"Listen Sora," Eucletes said patiently, gesturing towards the door. " What Auron learned was wrong. Somebody-and I don't know who it was-didn't tell him the truth so he's telling you a falsehood, only what he's heard. He's not the one whose been wandering around this place for months; he doesn't know what's really behind those doors."

Sora realized Eucletes was right. Auron was just summoned from wherever he came from; Eucletes was the one who's been around this place. Of course Eucletes would know.

"So if I just open the door," Sora was saying, "then the light within it would come out and destroy all the Heartless and Nobodies here?"

"More than that," Eucletes whispered softly. "All the Darkness in the universe.

_Was this the door of light, then? Was it here, in Underworld, Hades' realm from the very beginning?_

Sora took a step forward, then two, then three towards the rather foreboding double doors, made of ivory and with carvings of death and hellfire. Eucletes was right, he knew, Eucletes must be right. If light was behind those doors, then he would have found the door of light at long last.

_And I'll be able to see Kairi again. Kairi and maybe even Riku. And we'll be home, home at Destiny Islands forevermore, forever and ever and ever..._

His hands reached out for the handles of the doors.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other nervously; Donald didn't know what to say and Goofy was having a very chilly feeling in his bones for the knight knew something was just not right. The glimmer in Eucletes' eyes was just not right, not like Eucletes himself.

_Somethin's wrong_, Goofy thought. _I don't' think Sora is supposed to touch those doors..._

There was a sudden thunder of wings, the brushing of feathers against each other, and a voice yelled out, "Stop!"

"Sora, open the door!" Eucletes said, his voice going frantic. "You must open the door!"

Sora froze. He had been having a bad feeling himself about the doors. _It was just too easy. The doors being here...it was just too easy...but Eucletes knows; he's the one whose been here, visiting this place for months. He should be right. But if he's right, then why do I have a bad feeling about this? But no, Eucletes _is_ right; he's the one who knows everything about Underworld._

"Stop, Sora!" the voice yelled and a great winged horse descended in a flurry of white feathers, with a woman astride him. She wore a purple dress and her hair was reddish brown. She had a look of fear on her face.

"Don't' touch the doors!" she ordered.

"And why not?" Sora demanded. "That's the door of light; I've found it!"

"No, you're wrong!" the woman replied, then looked over him to the others. "Why is only Donald and Goofy here? Where's Hercules? Where's Phil? And what are _you guys_ doing here? What are you trying to do?!"

She was yelling at Eucletes, was referring to him as "_you guys_". What?

"Do what?" Eucletes snapped back. But his eyes had the look of fear. " What are you talking about? You're blocking the door of light! Let him pass to open the door, you woman!"

"That's not the door of light, you idiots!" the woman was still referring to Eucletes as more than one person. "That's a door of Darkness! What are you trying to do, wreak havoc on the whole universe before destroying it? You're going to die!"

_What?! Why was she repeating what Auron had said? Sure Eucletes had the credentials but two different people were saying the same thing!_

"What's going on here?" Sora demanded angrily. "Tell me, what is going on here! I wanna know the truth!"

"The truth is, Sora," the woman said, pointing a shaking finger at Eucletes, "that's _not_ who you think he is?"

"What?" Sora turned to Eucletes. Was he actually an enemy, pretending to be a friend? "Eucletes is not what he is?"

"You are correct," the woman answered." Pain and Panic, where is the real Eucletes?"

Before Sora's horrified eyes, Eucletes split in two and became two strange little creatures. Two little demonic little creatures, a skinny angular one and a round plump one. They glared at the woman on the winged horse with fury.

"With Hades, Meg!" they yelled back. "Just you wait, Keyblade Master! We'll get you! You'll never see the end of this!"

"Who are you?" Sora demanded, angry and embarrassed that he had been deceived. "What have you done to Eucletes?"

"Joining Hercules in become spectators of the great army of Hades, Maleficent, and Domitan, that's what!" they yelled at him.

"Maleficent?" Sora echoed, his eyes suddenly glazing over. His legs felt weak and it took all his strength to stay on his toes. "Maleficent?"

"That's right, brat," a cold woman's voice said behind them. "It takes a long time to get rid of a leader of Heartless and I am a leader of Heartless."

Sora turned around, his heart dropping down to his stomach. And there she was, standing there, just _standing_ there. And his heart seemed to drop below the ground, seeing Hades and the man Aozora and those two creatures called Domitan standing with Maleficent.

"You," Domitan said with a growl.

"You!" Sora exclaimed at the same time.

"This'll be interesting," the two creatures Meg had called Pain and Panic muttered to each other as they retreated into the background. Donald and Goofy went on the defensive immediately.

"Where's Hercules?" Sora demanded. "Where's he? And Phil? And Eucletes? What have you done to them?!"

"Nothing," Hades said, "yet."

"If you want to see them alive again," Maleficent spoke the time-honored demands of a classic villain, "or at least see them with their 'faculties' intact, open those doors."

She waved a hand at the double doors.

"And why should I?" Sora demanded, his voice suddenly deep and dangerous. A change began to come over him in waves. "Why should I do that?"

"And your friends?" Maleficent asked.

"They'll understand," Sora countered. _Hopefully_.

"We've got a problem," Hades hissed to Domitan. "And he's not the easiest guy to fight."

"I don't care," Domitan snapped back and stepped forward, cracking his whip viciously in the process." The only thing I'm glad about is that this certain brat I know of isn't here. What a surprise; I wonder what happened to him."

"He's fine, thank you very much," Sora said, knowing full well who Domitan was referring to. "What are you planning to do anyways?"

"Open the doors," Maleficent replied. "Why should we tell you anything other than that?"

"Just checking," Sora answered then yelled, "Aeroga!"

With a powerful shield of wind around him, he bolted past them down the tunnel that led deeper into Underworld. Donald and Goofy tried to follow him but the crackling blue whip held them back and they busied themselves with keeping at least Domitan busy. Maleficent threw a huge ball of dark energy at Sora but he Dodge Rolled just in time and the energy merely brushed by his shield. Sora was then up and running, running down the hall as fast as he could, until he burst out into the last place he wanted to end up in. Ever.

Heartless and Nobodies swarmed the place; glowing spectral soldiers stood at attention, including two at the entrance of the place Sora had stumbled into. They locked weapons, _real_ weapons, in front of the tunnel and Sora had no real choice but to go forward.

The activity below him slowed to a stop, as the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the spectral soldiers looked up at this sudden intruder.

"Sora!" Hercules yelled, waving madly from behind rusty bars in a cell built into the wall. "Sora, over here!"

"Hercules!" Sora hollered back. "Phil, where's Phil? And Eucletes?"

"Both here, stuck with me in this damn cell," Hercules replied. "Meg! Pegasus!"

Meg and Pegasus bullied their way past the weapons of the spectral guards and came to a stop before the silent, frozen army of darkness.

"This is not good," Meg told Sora. "Sora, we have to take them all out. We can't let them get out from here to Ancient Greece and the rest of the universe."

"They were going to send this whole army up to Ancient Greece and the universe?" _And Destiny Island, too?_

"They don't look happy that we're here," Meg said as she slid down from Pegasus' back. "Pegasus, you know how to do locks, right?"

The horse snorted and rose into the sky.

"We distract the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the spectral soldiers until Pegasus gets Hercules, Phil, and Eucletes free," Meg told Sora. " Go get that spear for me, will you?"

She was referring to one of the spears of the spectral guards. Sora nodded, pulled out the Kingdom Key, and ran one of the guards through. The spear clattered to the floor, and Sora scooped it up, tossing it over to Meg.

"We throw ourselves into them," Meg hurriedly explained to Sora. " They hate the both of us, since you're the Keyblade Master and I'm a Heart and Soul. I don't know how long Donald and Goofy can hold back Domitan and I don't know where Hades and Maleficent are-"

"Behind you," a voice said.

"Jump!" Sora yelled and shoved her over, before jumping himself. He jumped off just in time; a huge fireball sailed over his head, missing his hair by inches.

"Blasted brat!" Hades raved. "I oughta do that again!"

Sora hurriedly cast Aeroga over the both of them and set out taking out Heartless and Nobodies, taking care to dodge Hades' massive fireballs.

"The horse!" Maleficent pointed at Pegasus, who was fumbling with the lock of the cell in the wall. "Stop him!"

Immediately, spectral soldiers marched through Heartless and Nobodies towards Pegasus, who was frantically pulling at the lock. Sora, upon seeing this, took aim and yelled, "Firaga!" several times in quick succession.

That stopped the spectral soldiers but only for the moment.

"Use one of the two spells!" Meg yelled at him before thrusting a spear into a Shield Nobody. "Risky for sure but they can take out a whole lot of Nobodies and Heartless!"

Sora knew what she meant. Thundaga and Graviga were highly unstable yet he could take out plenty of Heartless and Nobodies in one go. He just risked hitting himself or Meg or, even worse, the guys stuck in the cell along with Pegasus.

"You've no choice," Meg said evenly and Sora knew she was right.

"I think he's going to use one of the spells," Maleficent told Hades as Sora pointed his Keyblade up at the ceiling. "I think it's best if we take our leave."

"Thundaga!" he meant to say but it came out strangely as, "Zeus' Thunder!"

He felt magic draining out of him in a rush and thunder rained on the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the spectral soldiers. He heard their shrill cries as they were struck by the bolts of lightening and thunder rolled in the place, echoing on the stone walls and jarring the eardrums of those who had them. Sora stared awestruck at the destruction he had just set upon the enemy.

"Did I just do that?" Sora mouthed, while the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the spectral soldiers dispersed into madness.

"Regroup!" Hades roared at them. "Get back together, you idiots! Regroup!"

But he was yelling to no avail. The Nobodies and Heartless were jostling their way out of the place, their numbers dwindling as the rain of lightening and thunder struck them and took away their will to fight.

Pegasus shook free the lock and Hercules, Phil, and Eucletes tumbled out onto a very satisfying scene...and one thunderstruck Hades.

Maleficent had disappeared.

And when Donald and Goofy tumbled out of the tunnel safe and sound, Sora knew that somehow they had beaten back Domitan. They had won.

Hades was now in a very bad predicament; not only had he lost it all, his army gone or destroyed and Maleficent and Domitan gone or defeated, but here he was, surrounded by the people he least liked to be surrounded by.

Donald to his right, Goofy to his left, Eucletes to Goofy's right, Phil to Donald's left, Hercules and Pegasus behind him, and Meg and Sora stood in front of him. The power of light emitting from them and interconnecting with each other created a tight ring around the god of the Underworld and he was trapped.

"Well?" Sora said.

"Uh...hehehehe..." Hades said. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Tell us about the door," Sora demanded.

"Yes, please do," Hercules agreed most emphatically.

Hades grumbled and brooded but he began to crack under the hard stares from the ones surrounding him.

"You know most about the doors, Hades," Meg said calmly. "Let us all know and we'll be on our way."

"The doors..." Hades looked at each of them. "Do I have to?"

"No choice" Meg said.

"Either that or the Fates will pass judgment on you," Sora said with a devilish grin.

"No, anything but the Fates," Hades pleaded. "Anything but that!"

"Then spill it out," Donald demanded.

"Those double doors are but one entrance to the greater darkness," Hades began reluctantly and sullenly. "There are many entrances to the darkness they had been locked, sealed away by the light and they can only be opened by the light. That was why we needed either Hercules or Sora to open those blasted doors. Hercules would only be able to open one but Sora is one of the few true essences of light and he would have been able to open both doors. But we failed, we damn failed!"

"What would happen if the doors open?" Goofy asked curiously.

"We know only from accounts of old," Hades continued in his sullen voice. "Darkness devours all and the skies never lighten with the rising of the sun. We of the darkness revel in this world but we have never, ever been able to defeat the light that still shone. Those blasted twins beat us before, thousands of years ago. I don't think we want to be defeated again."

"Twins?" Sora asked curiously. Meg cocked an eyebrow at this and the others shrugged hopelessly; it seemed only Sora had no idea what Hades was talking about.

"Dragon and Phoenix," Hades rambled on in the boring voice he took on when he was forced to do something or say something he didn't want to do or talk about. "They were the first recorded Keyblade Masters and they were the ones who first sealed the doors to Darkness."

"What of Kingdom Hearts?" Sora demanded.

"A door to Darkness but also a door of light," Meg answered for him. " The door is made of pure light holding back the darkness. Darkness that opens the double doors find light while the light that opens the double doors find Darkness. Kingdom Hearts is the only door that allows safe passage between Darkness and the real world. It is the only passageway. Those who lose their bodily forms but are still alive enter Darkness and they remain there until they regain their form. If they are not near Kingdom Hearts when they regain their bodily forms, they will be devoured by the Darkness."

"Like Riku," Sora whispered to himself.

"Darkness and light can open Kingdom Hearts," Hades grumped. "The one who opened Kingdom Hearts last did us a good deed."

"Goof for you, bad for us," Phil quipped. "Who's the one?"

"A certain brat," Hades snapped with a huge grin on his face, a dark grin indeed. "A certain brat who helps both sides. He doesn't know it; he had not known it for quite a long time. "

"Who is he?" Hercules demanded. Meg had a dark, foreboding look on her face.

"You know," Hades said. "Are you done now?"

_Was he talking about Aozora? _Sora wondered in growing horror. _Aozora helped them but not only did he lend a helping hand in the destruction of Ancient Greece but he opened Kingdom Hearts?! Why? How? Where? When? WHY?!_

"We will take our leave now, if you insist," Meg said calmly.

The beginning of a dark grin crept along Hades' face when Meg added, " However..."

Hades' face fell at this.

"Yes, Hades," Meg said. "_However_, we of the Hearts and Souls will post guards all around Underworld. Guards you cannot touch with the hand of Darkness. Come, the rest of you. You must go to the world beyond this one. That world is in turmoil, in trouble and you are needed."

Sora nodded. He looked at Hades, cast contemptuous looks at the two minions Meg called Pain and Panic who had snuck up to their master's side, and followed.

As soon as everyone left, Hades flamed red and let out a furious roar. Pain and Panic shrank away as Hades stomped off. He knew full well what kind of guards Meg and the others of the Hearts and Souls would set on Underworld.

"I _hate_ griffins," Hades growled.

"And gryphons!" Pain and Panic chimed.

"SHUT UP!" Hades roared and threw fireballs after them.

"So what's the whole story going on right now?" Aozora asked as he steered the gummi ship past several asteroids. One of the arms of the gummi ship barely missed a hurtling comet.

"Two years ago," Yuna said softly, "I became a summoner, on a mission to stop a darkness called Sin and bring the Calm to Spira. I met him-"

"Tidus," Aozora interrupted.

"Yes, I met him," Yuna nodded. "He joined my group and became a guardian. And we went across Spira, summoning aeons and uncovering other problems undermining Spira."

"Like Seymour-blegh!" Rikku agreed emphatically.

"I thought the Final Summon was the answer," Yuna continued, sadness dripping from every word. "But I wanted to stop Sin, not temporarily but forever. We found another way to defeat Sin."

"Sin was Tidus' father, Jecht," Rikku commented.

"We defeated Sin forever but Tidus left for the Farplane," Yuna said. " You know of the Farplane."

Aozora nodded.

"And for two years, days passed in peace and quiet," Yuna said. " Until Rikku found a sphere."

"It had a guy who looked a lot like Tidus in it," Paine finally mentioned. "Yuna decided to find out for herself and joined us and the Gullwings."

"And we've been finding out more disturbing stuff about Spira ever since," Yuna said sadly. "Darkness is covering Spira and problems, politically, personally, and everything in between, are underming my home."

"Then we learned of Vegnagun, a weapon, a machina sleeping underneath Bevelle," Rikku continued. "And some mysterious woman named Lenne."

"Lenne..." a disturbing look came over Aozora. "I've heard of that name before...but I can't remember..."

"You've heard of her?" Paine demanded.

"Yes, I've heard of her story," Aozora replied, his voice growing firm with confidence. "Lenne and Shuyin and their story of a thousand years before."


	32. Success and Failure

Author's Note: I might be changing my updating schedule to one chapter every two weeks, due to the demands of high school. What can I say, sophomores and upward do have it tough. Enjoy!   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 32: Success and Failure 

" There are too many of them!" Riku yelled out as he tried to stab a Soldier, only to stumble forward as the Soldier leaped aside gracefully. "_Way_ too many of them!"

The strange machinery on the gummi ship hovering over the maddening battle scene was still glowing, though the light was intensifying now with ridiculous speed. Riku wondered whether or not it was a weapon, then told himself, "Of course it's a weapon! Dammit, fire it already then!"

Jack was now forcing his way towards Oogie Boogie, being rather intent on strangling that bag of bugs. Tarzan was busy dodging the Red Nocturnes, the Blue Rhapsodies, and the Yellow Operas; they seemed hell-bent on getting rid of Tarzan completely.

" Strike Raid!" Riku yelled and threw out the Dark Keyblade. It spun like a boomerang, taking down many Heartless before returning to Riku safe and sound. Riku repeated the move three times, wondering with each throw whether or not this was going to help them in the fight against the Heartless and Oogie Boogie.

As Heartless piled on top of another in an attempt to reach him and pull out his heart, Riku thought, _Obviously no_.

" Riku, that weapon comes from Dr. Finkelstein," Jack suddenly realized what that strange contraption was that stuck onto the gummi ship. "And I thought he said that weapon was unstable and could blow!"

" Blow?" Riku gaped at him, then turned back to the gummi ship. "If that gummi ship blows, I am not one happy little guy. And so far, nobody's liked me when I'm not a happy little guy."

" You're little?" Jack stared at Riku's strong six-foot frame.

Riku just shook his head and said, "I don't think we're getting anywhere taking out all these Heartless!"

" Finally you realize that!" Oogie Boogie laughed. "See, you cannot resist the power and might of the Heartless! So just give up, you fools!"

" Giving up is not an option," Tarzan said calmly.

" Is that so?" Oogie Boogie said. " And what are you going to do then? Fight all of the Heartless until you die?"

The contraption on the gummi ship suddenly discharged. A pinprick of light, a tiny particle, drifted down on the Heartless. Everyone stared.

It suddenly exploded in a huge shield of white, blinding everyone in its hot glaring light. Riku shielded his face, for he could see the light through his blindfold and his eyes still could not take in the light, was not used to the brightness of the real world.

" That...light..." Riku somehow could tell the light was draining something out of Oogie Boogie. " No...make it stop...make it stop!"

Riku could feel the energy pulsing from the great white shield but the damage resulted from the blast was what shocked him the most.

Oogie Boogie was the only one left standing in the in the area. There were no traces of the Heartless; they had all been destroyed.

" The-the-the Heartless..." Oogie Boogie stammered out in a hopeless sort of voice, staring at the vast empty space in front of him. "Where'd they all go?"

" They're gone," Tarzan said matter-of-factly.

" And you'll go with them!" Riku shouted and leaped at him, the Dark Keyblade poised high.

" I don't think so," Oogie Boogie replied sinisterly and jumped back. "Do you really want Halloweentown destroyed?"

" Riku!" Jack said. "Don't attack him!"

" What?!" Riku shouted back. "Jack, he's a leader of the Heartless!"

" But what about Halloweentown?" Jack asked. "There has to be a way to save this world!"

" See what I mean?" Oogie Boogie said, with a triumphant smirk on his face. "Get rid of me, Halloweentown is gone! You win, I win!"

" I prefer "I win, you lose", bastard!" Riku growled at tried to jump at him again. Jack quickly stepped up and restrained Riku. When Riku looked up at the pumpkin king to yell what was obviously rich profanity, Jack winked. Riku closed his mouth, nodded, and backed away.

" Now, Oogie Boogie," Jack said calmly while turning to his nemesis. "What are you going to do to Halloweentown?"

" Make it a base, duh!" Oogie Boogie boomed at him. "Seriously, Jack, you may be a pumpkin king but you've got no brains when it comes to warfare; why, you even let _me_ live, and that's saying something!"

Riku was quite amazed how well Jack was handling all these insults.

_I'd have thrown him into a pot of boiling water, to wash out those bugs and make that lunatic of a sack clean all over_, Riku thought to himself.

" What are they doing down there?" Pooh asked Sally nervously as he inched out of the room he was in.

" Negotiating, I think," Sally replied worriedly as she peered out the window. "But why would Jack be negotiating? Clearly Jack has his reasons for doing what he's doing. Well, I hope he does..."

"...of course, with Ancient Greece all the way on the other side of the universe, this is one of the last places to find one of those damned doors of Darkness," Oogie Boogie was ranting on. "If you destroy this world, there goes that door and there goes your home!"

Riku was clearly and thoroughly impatient with the bag of bugs. His hands itched; he wanted so badly to march up to Oogie Boogie and cleanly cut off the part of the sack that was his head.

_But no, I must wait until Jack pulls a move on him_, Riku thought angrily, sensing that Jack hadn't made any moves yet nor did he seem to want to. _I don't' understand Jack; I thought he was a pretty straightforward guy; apparently he also goes side to side and in diagonals!_

Tarzan was merely content to watch from a distance away, though he kept a sharp eye on Oogie Boogie, not trusting the bag of bugs himself. The gummi ship still hovered over them, the contraption now quiet, sleeping, waiting for another chance to prove its strength. Halloweentown itself was darkening, the lights turning off. A strange, disturbing silence had fallen on this world.

" Whether or not I want my home destroyed..." Jack said coldly, "is up to me now. For better or worse; I am willing to lose my home if only to destroy you."

" Oh is that so?" Oogie Boogie replied, buffing himself up.

Jack glared at him, then moved so fast all Riku could sense was a blur of energy. Oogie Boogie jumped back howling, clutching his stomach. Huge jagged slashes decorated his front and bugs were pouring out of them like a waterfall.

" Now Riku!" Jack yelled. "Now or never!"

Riku didn't need to ask what he had to do. He's been itching to do it ever since he first spotted Oogie Boogie at Halloweentown. He leaped forward, swinging his Dark Keyblade backwards, and swung it forward in a perfect arc towards a doomed bag of bugs.

The Dark Keyblade sheared off Oogie Boogie's head. As the head and the body toppled down, the insects within exploded and tumbled out everywhere.

" Get rid of these bugs!" Jack ordered. "He may try to regroup again! And Tarzan, I don't think you should eat _these_ bugs."

Riku obliged and got his Firaga spell going while Tarzan took to stomping on them, making bug juice out of the black mass of shimmering, buzzing insects. Jack was busy frantically swiping the bugs away into the green river and was still at it when Sally suddenly appeared behind him and said, calmly, quietly, "Jack, we have to go."

The world began to tremble, shaking violently, angrily. Cracks started to form all over the ground and into the towering walls surrounding them and steam roared out of the cracks and fissures. Riku could swear he spotted flashes of energy coming out of some of the fissures, in the form of fire. It was obvious what was happening.

"Halloweentown's going to blow!" Riku yelled. "Everybody get in the gummi ship!"

"Bring down the gummi ship, Pooh!" Tarzan called out and Pooh obliged, shutting off the engines.

"Oh no..."

The gummi ship sat down on the ground. Hard. Clouds of dust billowed from underneath the gummi ship and temporarily blinded those who still had functioning eyes.

"Pooh..." Riku growled under his breath while running up to the side of the gummi ship and yanking the hatch open. "Everybody get in!"

"But what about Dr. Finkelstein?" Pooh's voice called out.

Everyone froze momentarily.

"He's taken the portal," Sally offered. "I think."

"You _think_," Riku grumbled while waiting for Tarzan to get through. "We don't' have time to find him; we've got to get out of here! Tarzan, hurry and get those engines working!"

Tarzan willingly obliged but then he encountered a problem; the engines refused to start. They would rumble a bit, then hiss and fizz out. That caused quite a problem and Riku knew who was at fault.

"Pooh..." he turned on the suddenly nervous bear while tapping his foot. " Look at what you've done now..."

"Well, the problem is," Jack interrupted, "we've nothing to boost ourselves out of here. Everything seems to be working fine-" he stopped to check the readings "-but the gummi ship boosters that get us off the ground. They are...dysfunctional as of now."

Riku growled and hit his head with his hand. "This is not making me happy! I'm supposed to be finding Sora yet here I am trying to save what's left of this side of the universe. And we're losing, too!"

"Or are we?" Sally asked mysteriously. "A world is not gone unless its people are gone. The people of Halloweentown are safe; this world will never be truly destroyed; it will never appear in the other side."

Riku opened his mouth to ask what she meant by 'other side' but was interrupted when the gummi ship lurched violently to the side.

"We can use the steam coming out of the crack to help us get out of here," Jack mused, looking out the window onto the long crooked crack that ran right underneath the gummi ship. "The steam seems to be coming out forcefully, really fast and strong. And, if you notice, the amount of steam's increasing. Once the steam gets strong enough, we can use that to propel ourselves forward."

"All before this world explodes, right?" Tarzan asked.

"Uh...hm..." Jack pondered this.

"We can use the explosion of the world itself, can't we?" Riku demanded.

"But what will protect us from that?" Pooh asked. "That exposion or whatever it is."

"We can put up the shields," Riku said, leaning over Tarzan's shoulder and pressing several buttons. "The shields right here can protect us from the explosion and the force of it can propel us forward."

"Just think," Jack said sadly, "the destruction of a world can save us. How ironic can that be?"

"Jack, the world isn't gone, not yet," Sally told him softly. "Don't worry. When time comes, Halloweentown will come back. _All_ worlds will come back."

"And what makes you say that?" Riku demanded while crackling walls of green and blue went up and encased the gummi ship in an oblong protective bubble.

"There will be no war unless all worlds come back," Sally replied. "And though we may still have to decide between war, absolute destruction, and enlightenment, I know it may be a while before the universe is destroyed or enlightenment is found. A thousand years...and neither have been reached."

"You seem to know much," Riku said rather testily. "Do you have any idea what our purpose here is?"

"We will survive," Sally admitted calmly. "For now. All we need to do is keep a world alive and if we can, save a world as a whole. However Riku, I suspect there is something more for you, a door to search for..."

"A door?" Riku demanded, then grabbed onto the pilot chair as the gummi ship lurched again. It began to tip downwards, the nose with the contraption pointing down at the long, widening crack. Steam continued to roar from the depths of Halloweentown.

"Oh no," Tarzan said, then grabbed at the controls of the gummi ship. " Not good!"

The gummi ship tipped precariously downward into a gaping black hole filled with rising steam. Everyone stared at it, seeming like they were all waiting for all hell itself to come out and devour them. Of course hell was actually located in Ancient Greece but only Sally's aware of it.

"Crack's growing wider!" Jack yelled. "Now or never, Tarzan; get the engines!"

Tarzan thrust the lever forward and the twin engines of the gummi ship roared to life. The fissure was widening continuously, while the tall walls surrounding them crumbled away. They saw fire shooting up at the sky, tall towers of light surrounding by swirling dark clouds of darkness. Bolts of lightening struck the ground and thunder rolled across the world. Steam shot up at an unbelievable speed and it lifted the gummi ship up into the air.

"Forward!" Riku yelled.

But everybody else was too busy gaping at the destruction of Halloweentown; Riku grumbled and grabbed at the controls, forcing the gummi ship forward on its way away from anywhere near Halloweentown.

" Halloweentown...gone," Jack gasped as he stared at the back window of the gummi ship.

Halloweentown, dotted with storms, light, fire, and steam, shook mightily and exploded in a rain of fire. The gummi ship was, thankfully, far away enough to avoid any harm.

"Another world...gone," Riku said softly.

"And three more remain," Sally said quietly. "Atlantica, Neverland, and Hollow Bastion. I have doubts about Atlantica, however, Atlantica and Hollow Bastion. Atlantica because I'm quite sure it can stand on its own; King Triton is an extremely powerful person. And Hollow Bastion...its predicament is questionable and the secrets the world holds...dangerous."

"Then lets visit Atlantica and Neverland," Riku said. "And then we can find those secrets to Hollow Bastion, whatever they are."

"Those secrets..." Sally drifted off, then thought, _Very scandalous._

"There's really so much to know, so much to learn," Merlin said quietly as he gently set himself down on a crate, "yet there is so little time. My dear, you are one of those in the heart of a great struggle between the dark and light."

"A struggle?" Kairi asked.

"I remember Tarzan mentioning something about a war," Jane offered. " A war between two opposite forces."

"The great struggle," Merlin acknowledged. "Yes, he seems aware of it. All of you, this war has been going on for millenniums. From the very beginning the dark sought to overthrow the light and influence all life in the universe. That, of course, was undoable. But now the dark has a chance to do what it had set out to do ages past: bring down the light and rule."

"Going on and on for years and years?" Selphie whispered in awe.

Merlin nodded. "Only recently have the stakes grown higher. There is a greater price to pay now, for if we lose, we lose everything. If we lose, even the dark loses but the dark has yet to understand that."

"Why don't we just tell them that?" Terk suggested. "Isn't that the solution?"

"If we did that and it worked, the struggle would not have lasted so long," Merlin countered. "Their hearts and minds and souls are locked against compromises like those. They only see victory and defeat."

"Wow, they're narrow-minded," Terk huffed.

"What is my role in this?" Kairi asked tersely. "What's my purpose?"

"You are a Princess of Heart, Kairi," Merlin said quietly. "Until now, that was all we thought you'd ever be, that it would be your only purpose. How wrong we were."

"Why, what am I to do?" Kairi questioned, starting to feel uneasy about the whole business.

"There is a door here in In-Between," Merlin said slowly. "It has been sealed, locked away for ages. What lies inside is only a little bit but it should help us all. The door locked away a bit of the light, the light Sora is out to find. Once released, the door of the Nobodies will close, temporarily speaking, and a brief calm will fall on the universe. If you open that door, all we will have to face is war. But whether or not war is worse than total destruction remains to be seen."

"Why's that?" Selphie asked.

"War can drag on for months, for years, decades, centuries," Merlin explained. "It will drain everything out of everyone and you will be living death every day. With destruction, you die once, though dying itself isn't pleasant."

"It's all a matter of choice," Jane said. "All about choice."

"Indeed," Merlin looked at Kairi sternly. "And you must also find one of Ansem's two reports; his son will find the other and we can find out the real truth behind the past, about the first two Keyblade Masters and what became of the last one. For there were always two, two and no more and together they wielded three Keyblades of immense power. The dual-wielder always opened the door of light and the single-wielder was always a guardian and a great leader. But long ago the last Keyblade Master vanished and his heirs are assumed dead. Why the Keyblades have sought out King Mickey and Sora we still have to understand, as well as finding out the whereabouts of this third key. Truth be told, Kairi, we know almost nothing about the present except for the _here_ and _now_. Nothing more. That is why I believe you were chosen to search for Ansem's Other Report, the Report of the Keys. We need to find the heirs of the Three Keys, why two of the Keys have gone to King Mickey and Sora, and we have to find the third key."

Kairi nodded, registering the immense amount of information Merlin had given her.

"Wait a minute," Selphie thought aloud. "Who's Ansem's son?"

Kairi jumped. Of course, who was Ansem's son? Wait, Ansem had a son?!

"We lost all trace of him," Merlin replied hopelessly.

"Are we all completely blind about everything?" Terk demanded, rolling her eyes.

"Well, not exactly," Merlin replied. "We don't know who he is, since we lost all trace of him thirteen years ago. All we have now are records of the days leading up to the destruction of Old Citadel and Deep Tranquility. What we do know is that like his father he has silver hair. There are very few people in the universe with silver hair. I expect you two to know someone who fits the vague description?"

"Riku," Kairi and Selphie quipped.

"Whether or not it is Riku or another person depends on who reaches Ansem's Other Report," Merlin answered calmly.

"I heard that we were supposed to look for a report on the Nobodies," Selphie said skeptically. "What's all this about kings and heirs and keys?"

"The Nobodies are a part of the report, dear," Merlin replied with a chuckle. "They became _widely_ known around the time the last Keyblade Master turned traitor and those terrible events took place. It's quite tragic, our whole predicament that is. If Sora loses...no, wait, let me rephrase that. Depending on how Sora fails, the universe can go down one of two paths: destruction or war."

"What do you mean by 'depending on how Sora fails'?" Kairi demanded.

"Death comes in many forms," Merlin answered.

"Very true," Jane agreed, her eyes shut close in what seemed to be an attempt to forget something.

"Who said anything about Sora failing?" Selphie asked.

"And how?" Kairi fired again.

"Nobody is perfect, for one," Merlin said. "No doubt the others are doing their best to keep Sora well protected; it will be very difficult for the enemy to kill him without having to kill the others first. Notice I said 'doing their best'. He still has a chance of dying but I have checked with a certain someone and the chances of him dying are very slim; that is, if something goes haywire, the percentage rises. How, though, is a good question...that is something that still baffles us, I admit."

"And what are we supposed to do to help him?" Selphie then asked.

"Uncover the past," Merlin answered. "The past must be known for us to truly understand how to defeat the Darkness and find the door of light. Nobody knows where the door of light is, though I suspect where it possibly lays can be found in this Report. Not the other one but this one."

"What does the other Report say, by the way?" Kairi asked curiously.

"That is another problem," Merlin echoed. "We don't know. I suspect he has written something for his son but that's what I'm assuming."

"And life is beautiful," Jane quipped. "Merlin, why don't we figure out this beautiful jade box and what's in it?"

"Give it to me, please," Merlin took the jade box from Jane and set it in between him and the others. "This jade box has sealed away another piece of the Other Report. I must tell you, there are many pages to the Other Report here and though I am aware that most of the pieces are safely stored somewhere in Deep Tranquility, there are the parts missing, scattered all over In-Between. Many parts are vital. If they are not found, we will not be able to understand the Report of the Keys, wherever it is."

"How are we supposed to open it?" Kairi murmured, fingering the smooth covering of the box. Her finger slipped into a hole on the top piece of the jade box and encircled the figure the hole was shaped into. It seemed to be in the form of a butterfly. How interesting, a butterfly...

"Maybe the key goes here," Kairi said, showing the others the butterfly-shaped keyhole. "What do you think?"

Merlin pushed the spectacles up his nose and leaned towards the jade box, in order to get a better look. Meanwhile, Jane and Terk gave each other knowing looks. There was one place they knew, only one possible place where you could see beautiful blue butterflies.

"Hm...the key seems to relate to butterflies," Merlin mused. "See, look here...the intricate carvings surrounding this butterfly-shaped keyhole really is the trunk of a tree, a tall, slightly twisted tree. The cover of this box is the top of the tree, the leaves, the part that's supposed to be green. The shapes surrounding the tree are...well, you should know."

They nodded, with Kairi, Selphie, and Jane understanding more than Terk did.

"Terk and I...we've seen the tree before," Jane offered.

"You have?" Merlin asked, surprised by this sudden bit of information. " Where?"

"That tree holds the Keyhole to this world," Jane replied. "When we first entered the place, so Sora can seal our world, there were blue butterflies everywhere. It was, I thought, a beautiful sight, watching Sora seal our world away from the Heartless while blue butterflies flew all around us."

"Wait 'till you see Sora unleash the door of light," Merlin murmured.

Something then suddenly clicked in Kairi's head. "Merlin, you said one of the heirs of the previous Keyblade Master opens the door of light. And Sora does have a Kingdom Key. So, does that mean-"

"He has only one," Merlin countered. "And there really is no proof about Sora's father being the previous Keyblade Master. One, nobody knows who Sora's father is; two, the last Keyblade Master was a traitor and that could put a taint on the heirs, preventing them from inheriting the Kingdom Keys-oh, excuse me but what I just said moments ago, there an be either one heir or two; three, it has already been officially recorded and eye witnesses had sworn to the records that the heirs of the last Keyblade Master no longer exist, have died long ago. Well, it goes like this: one of them died thirteen years ago along with the world they had lived on, Deep Tranquility. The other died just five years ago, when Celt Circle, one of the worlds you must go to, exploded as well."

"They...died?" Kairi asked, shocked by the violence. "But...how? Who? Why?"

"That is what you're supposed to find out," Merlin answered as he got up and moved for the way out of the Tree House. "You must find out what had happened at Deep Tranquility thirteen years ago. Now I suspect that Ansem's Other Report in the real universe may have something to do starting from twelve years ago...but that is only an old man's intuition. Oh, and three: I have high, very high doubts about King Mickey and Sora being siblings, don't you?"

Kairi and Selphie snickered at this. That was hilarious, King Mickey and Sora being siblings. And besides, neither of them died five years ago.

_But just think_, Kairi told herself. _The last heir of the Kingdom Keys died five years ago, when I was just ten, not long after I came to Destiny Island. I wonder who he was...and what gave the universe the right to take his life anyways? This is creepy...I'm going to the world he once lived in, the world where he died...and what Hercules said, about specters, of dead people coming back as ghosts, like Oracle Kenaii...will I see him there? That'll be creepy...that'll be weird, seeing the true heir of the Kingdom Keys._

It will be a while before Kairi finds out whether or not she will see the ghost of the last of the heirs of the Kingdom Keys at Celt Circle...and if the last of the heirs was a ghost or not.

"Here, take my hand," Terk said, hanging her long hand over the edge of the cliff. Kairi grasped her hand and felt herself being hoisted up over the ledge. Jane came up on her own and helped Selphie up while Terk very nearly chucked Merlin sideways into the dry river to their left.

"When a world passes into In Between, does everything dry up?" Kairi asked curiously, looking at the landform which obviously had once been a waterfall. "As in water."

"Looks to be like that," Selphie answered, eyeing the bone-dry river as well.

"Oh the Waterfall Cavern looks more beautiful when there's water flowing," Jane said wistfully while they picked their way through mysterious debris into the Waterfall Cavern. The cavern loomed up before them, dark, dry and ominous.

Jane and Terk walked briskly towards the tunnel to the side of the Waterfall Cavern and the others followed closely. They walked through a dark tunnel, seeming to be dry as bone.

"There used to be so much life here," Jane said sadly as they followed her through the darkness. "But after Deep Jungle appeared in In-Between, the river stopped running, the water flowed no more, and this green world dried up. We've been searching for water, for a way to make this world green again and brighten up this place, when Merlin approached us with a box that was already green and a mission for us to follow through."

"Maybe that is what we have to do," Merlin commented as they came out of the tunnel and into a realm of rock, of ledges worn with the flow of water that no longer flowed, of depressions in the stone once filled with cold water, of dried vegetation, brown and gray; there were long, shriveled vines rising up the wall and branching out into different directions. There were ledges of stone that stuck out, jutted straight out from the wall and they were longer than other ridges, didn't have the smooth texture of the ledges that represented the tiny waterfalls that they created. Vines would snake towards them and Kairi had a feeling they were supposed to climb one of the vines and head for one of the big ledges.

"And where is the tree, may I ask?" Merlin inquired pleasantly, scanning the Waterfall Cavern.

"Up one of the ledges," Jane answered while Terk pointed up. "We have to climb the vines, that's the only up there."

"How can we climb up there?" Kairi asked while Selphie went up to one of the snaky vines and touched it. It was dry and felt very delicate. Selphie gripped the vine and pulled up.

"Its not that hard climbing a vine," Jane told Kairi. "See, all you do is..."

Kairi's back was to the cavern wall and Jane was facing her and the wall. She happened to see a vine fall straight down from the top of the cavern.

"And?" Kairi questioned.

"Selphie, did you just pull down that vine?" Jane asked, ignoring Kairi.

"I just wanted to see if the vine was strong enough to hold someone..." Selphie explained nervously, her voice full of guilt.

"We need water to make the vines green and strong again," Merlin noted as he knelt down and studied the vine Selphie had pulled down. "We need to find water."

"Can't you use magic?" Selphie asked suspiciously. "You are a wizard, right?"

"For all vines? I think not," Merlin answered sadly. "I highly doubt I have enough magic to do so. We have to find a source of water."

"Where?" they looked around desperately.

There was not a drop of water in sight.


	33. How to Interrupt a Rescue Mission

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for updating so late but my school work attacked me and basically I was swamped in homework and chaos concerning a very uncooperative computer that required its memory to be wiped out. Well, I hope you like this one; I enjoyed writing these parts of the fanfic, lol. Enjoy! And don't forget to review, thanks.   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 33: How to Interrupt a Rescue Mission 

" I don't think I understand any of this anymore," Sora said quietly as the gummi ship gunned away from Ancient Greece and out into space, in the universe. "All this about doors of darkness and the first recorded Keyblade Masters with the funny names of Dragon and Phoenix. And how does Aozora get mixed up in this big mess? I mean, _really_ mixed up. He's messed up, screwed for sure."

" We'll find out later on, I'm think," Goofy said while keeping an eye on Donald's steering the gummi ship. All three of them had extremely unique piloting skills; Sora's wild, childish antics often bring them close to death while Goofy, the most consistent, allowed everyone to relax. With Donald, it was Goofy who kept a close eye on the court wizard and he was the one who yelped when Donald pulled a move on them, jerking the gummi ship violently to the side to avoid crashing into an asteroid.

" And where were we headed again?" Sora asked as he leaned against the side of the gummi ship and tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling of the gummi ship.

" I...let me check," Donald said as Goofy pressed a button and a hologram appeared.

" It's a world with two names," Goofy announced to the weary Keyblade Master. "It's split into two, with one part being a part of the other part yet separate, entirely its own. Andy's Room within City Point, Sora; looks like we're headed for a world populated by humans and technology like Twilight Town-Sora?"

Goofy turned around and saw Sora sleeping, his head leaning back against the wall, his arms limp at this side and his legs stretched out; it was obvious that he fell asleep while standing up and had slid down onto the floor. Apparently, Sora was so exhausted he could not help but get knocked out in the most unlikely position possible.

Goofy searched for a thin blanket to cover Sora before returning to the bridge and joining Donald. He carefully draped the light blanket over Sora, looking at the teenager's tired, tragic face. Sora was still not used to the rigors of leading the life as a warrior, as the hero, the one everyone looked up to. Goofy wondered if Sora would ever get used to it.

" And where do we land?" Donald and Goofy wondered as they saw a dot in the distance, a dot they knew had to be Andy's Room/ City Point or just plain City Point.

" I have a feeling we should try Andy's Room first," Goofy told Donald, intuition running through his spine. "Maybe there we can find out what the problem is at City Point."

" Good idea," Donald agreed and gunned the gummi ship for Andy's Room.

" The story of Lenne and Shuyin is long, their arc of glory and notoriety across the sky brief and ending in a tragedy," Aozora said quietly as the gummi ship approached a very blue world. "Lenne was a summoner/ songstress and a great one at that. Her duty was to her people and long ago in those Machina Wars, summoners and summoner/ songstresses were sent to the front lines. They were powerful, strong enough to take down machinas and enemy soldiers. As one of them, Lenne had an obligation to her people, to defend them at all costs, even death. Then enters Shuyin her lover. Shuyin's a local townsman but he and Lenne fell in love. And he did not want to lose her to the Machina Wars. So a twisted, very twisted plan began to form into his mind. He decided to wipe out Spira so that there would be no more wars, in the present and future."

" So that's when Vegnagun comes in," Paine realized while Yuna and Rikku silently listened.

" Exactly," Aozora answered. "He came to believe Vegnagun was the only way to save Lenne and to end all wars. It was his one hope, that terrible machina. One night he infiltrated Bevelle, the headquarters of Yu Yevon, so that he can obtain Vegnagun and use it to wipe out Spira."

" And in that sphere we found, he activated Vegnagun," Yuna interrupted and continued, sadness covering her eyes. "He was preparing it so he can wipe out Spira. But Lenne came...she came and stopped him."

" And then the Yu Yevon guards came," Rikku added. "And they didn't allow for any explanation whatsoever or anything. They got shot down; they died."

" Yet they still live," Yuna whispered, touching the place above her heart. "They still live and we have to stop Shuyin. Lenne...and I, we have to stop Shuyin."

" Or else Spira will fall to Darkness," Aozora said firmly, coldly. "Shuyin doesn't think he is, but he is a host of Darkness, a pawn. Yuna, you were destined from the very beginning to be a warrior of the light and that light must _never_ go out. Yuna, you must defeat Shuyin at all costs. Destroy Vegnagun, destroy that dark machina before it falls into the wrong hands. Vegnagun and Shuyin must be stopped at all costs."

The three women sat stone cold in their seats; Aozora sounded so different, so cold and dominating. He sounded like a stonehearted king who was willing to risk the lives of his country if only to defeat the enemy.

" It will be at Spira, no doubt about it," Aozora said quietly, calmly. "He will be at Spira and it will be Spira where he will remain. The other one, he will come back; mentor has already told me. Warriors of the light will always live on, no matter what. Death does not stop them and death never will. I wonder...are there other warriors of light out there, in Spira? Well, I guess I'll have to see, before I go after that blasted Sora."

Paine gave him the eye. Aozora was most certainly acting strange.

" He sounds like he's on intoxicants or something," Rikku hissed to the others. "One minute, he sounds like the evilest fiend ever, the next minute he's talking to himself. You think something's wrong with him?"

" I'm kind of worried for him," Yuna admitted, looking over her shoulder to him. "In fact, I'm very worried for him. My heart's telling me he's reaching the brink, the brink of...something. And if something real big happens, I'm afraid he's going to break down. I think we should keep an eye out for him; he seems to have been through tougher times than I have."

" Than you?" Paine asked skeptically. "Why do I have a hard time believing that?"

" I believe it," Yuna said softly, looking to the blond teenager. "I'm afraid he's in more danger that he suspects. And I think something's going to happen in the future. The near future, I can feel it. And I don't think anybody's going to like it, especially him. And I'm afraid that something is going to break him, maybe for good."

" I can't find it!" a huge, plastic green dinosaur shrieked as he pressed rapidly on the remote control that sat in front of the television. "It doesn't seem to be on any of these stations."

" Keep looking," a tough-looking, astronaut-looking toy said sternly, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

" You're going too slow," a huge bulky piggy bank shoved the dinosaur aside and put his hoof on the remote, "Let me take the wheel."

He pressed on the button rapidly and the screen flashed just as fast. Different images appeared and disappeared.

" It's too fast," the dinosaur, Rex, complained. "How can you even tell what's on?"

" I can tell," Hamm, the bank pig, said airily.

So the gathered crowd around the space ranger, the dinosaur, and the pig watched intently as multiple images flashed. They kept a sharp eye out – or tried to – for an advertisement which involved a portly man in a chicken costume.

" Stop! Back, back, back!" all the toys shouted as they caught the image of a man in a white chicken suit.

" Too late, I'm in the forties," Hamm replied as he continued to press the button like mad. "Gotta go around the horn, its faster."

Everyone glared at Hamm but he continued to press the button. Presently the image of the chicken-man came around again and everyone yelled, " Back, back! Stop!"

They stopped on a commercial of a man dressed as a chicken in front of a barn-like building who was saying, "And look for the giant chicken!"

" Now Etch!" Buzz Lightyear turned to the Etch-N-Sketch next to him. It quickly sketched out the map of a place called Al's Toy Barn. "That's where I need to go."

" You can't go, Buzz," Rex begged to differ. "You'll never make it there."

" Woody once risked his life to save me," Buzz countered staunchly. "I couldn't call myself his friend if I weren't willing to do the same. So who's with me?"

" I'm packing you an extra pair of shoes and your angry eyes, just in case," Mrs. Potato Head told Mr. Potato Head as she stuffed the items into the his back and closed the hatch.

Bo Peep, the beautiful shepherdess, gave Buzz a long kiss on the cheek. "This is for Woody when you find him."

Buzz turned all embarrassed and replied, "All right, but I don't think it'll mean the same coming from me."

Then they looked down from the table as Wheezy, the squeaky penguin whose squeaker was broken, was gently escorted to the bottom of the table. "Mr. Buzz Lightyear, you just gotta save my pal Woody."

" I'll do my best, son," Buzz answered confidently as the others joining the mission trooped out of the window and onto a 'branch' of the roof. Slinky, the dog whose body was made up of a spring, went first, to be ready to make himself useful on the way down.

" Okay, fellas," Mr. Potato Head called as he grabbed the bottom end of Slinky. "Let's roll. Geronimo!"

With that, he jumped off, reaching the ground safely and releasing the bottom end for the next person. Hamm followed safely and it was Rex's turn.

" You'd think, with all my video game experience, I'd be feeling more prepared," Rex said nervously as he grabbed the end and jumped off.

" The idea is the let go," Slinky said calmly while Rex screamed his head off and refused to let go at the same time.

" We'll be back before Andy gets home" Buzz said as he pushed the button on him and the helmet popped up over his head.

" Don't talk to any toy you don't know!" Mrs. Potato Head called out as Buzz grabbed the leg of the bottom of Slinky.

" To Al's Toy Barn and beyond!" Buzz yelled as he jumped off. Slinky grinned as his bottom went flying back up and he grabbed it, dropping out of sight.

" Oh I hope they make it back in time," Bo Peep murmured worriedly to herself while the others retreated inside the room. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Oh Woody, why'd it have to be you? You're the one we have to keep safe, or else we'll lose everything..."

"...Museum?" Woody shrieked, whirling on Prospector while Jessie and Bullseye picked themselves up after Woody threw all three of them off the record player they were running around on. "What museum?"

" The museum," Prospector replied calmly. "We're being sold to the Konishi Toy Museum in Tokyo."

" That's in Japan," Jessie added excitedly.

" Japan?" Woody's jaw dropped. " No, no, no, no, no. I can't go to Japan."

" What do you mean?" Jessie asked, a frown replacing the smile on her face.

" I got to get back home to my owner, Andy," Woody explained while picking up his boot and showing them the bottom of it. "Hey, look, look, see?"

There it was, the name 'Andy' scribbled on the bottom of his boot in permanent ink.

" He still has an owner!" Jessie gasped.

" Oh, my goodness," Prospector shuddered in his container.

" No," Jessie backed away from Woody and the edge of the table at the same time. "Can't go. I can't do storage again. I just can't!"

" Jessie, Jessie," Prospector said soothingly, in a fatherly manner.

" I won't go back in the dark!" Jessie yelled stubbornly.

" What's the matter?" Woody asked, befuddled by her attitude. "What's wrong with her?"

" Well, we've been in storage for a long time, waiting for you," Prospector explained calmly.

" Why me?" Woody asked, shocked by this.

" The museum's only interested in the collection if you're in it, Woody," Prospector explained with patience. "Without you, we go back into storage. It's that simple."

" It's not fair!" Jessie yelled. " How can you do this to me?"

" Hey, look, I'm sorry, but this is all a big mistake," Woody replied, backing away with his hands out in front of him, as if to ward off her anger. "You see, I was in this yard sale-"

" Yard sale?" Prospector was intrigued. "Why were you in a yard sale if you have an owner?"

" Well, I wasn't supposed to be there," Woody explained. "I was trying to save another toy when-"

" Was it because you're damaged? Hmm?" Prospector interrupted, not paying attention to how Woody was trying to save Wheezy from the yard sale. "Did this Andy break you?"

" Yeah, but – no, no, no, no, no!" Woody yelped, realizing what direction this conversation was taking. "It was – it was an accident. I mean -"

" Sounds like he really loves you," Jessie pouted.

" It's not like t hat, okay?" Woody shouted back at her, getting angry. "And I'm not going to any museum!"

" Well, I'm not going back into storage!" Jessie yelled back, stomping up and glaring at him in the face.

Then they heard the door opening. Al was coming.

" Al's coming!" Prospector exclaimed, then turned on Jessie, who was looking at the storage box filled with Styrofoam pieces in fear. "Go! Go on, Jessie. Jessie, look at me."

" Oh, oh, oh," Jessie backed away from the edge of the table.

" I promise you'll come out of the box," Prospector assured gently. "Now go! Go!"

Jessie took one last look around her, jumped, curled herself up into a ball, and dove into the box. Bullseye and Prospector followed and Woody ran to his display case and shut the glass door just as Al barged in with the look of a man who was given a million dollars right off the bat.

Woody then spotted glowing yellow eyes in the shadows. He blinked and looked again. They were gone.

" That there's the biggest barn I've ever seen!" Goofy yelped, pointing excitedly at the huge building that sat by itself to one end of a huge block of black stone.

" What's a barn?" Sora asked curiously. Donald and Goofy stared at him, before they shook their heads as if with hopelessness.

" Just man the gummi ship, Sora," Donald said and Sora nodded, just as hopelessly.

Amazing Sora still had to learn, despite his travels for one year all over the universe.

" Never heard of a barn before," Donald muttered as he stomped off to prepare for landing. " Seriously."

" Hey, look at that there orange triangles," Goofy yelped, his eyes never ceasing to miss anything. He pointed madly down at the long thick black line crammed with strange moving metal objects.

" What?" Sora leaned over the control board to see what Goofy was pointing at.

He spotted a group of six cones inching across the huge black line. Every few seconds the cones would freeze and the moving metal objects would screech and come to a halt. Some of the metal objects would ram into each other and chaos seemed to ensue.

" This is interesting," Sora mused and brought the gummi ship down closer. The ship shook violently as they rammed into atmosphere and Donald came screaming out madly.

" It's just atmosphere, Donald," Sora called back calmly. "Relax."

" What are you planning to do, Sora?" Donald demanded suspiciously.

" Just seeing what the cones are for," Sora answered as the gummi ship stopped vibrating violently.

" Cones?" Donald sauntered over to the front.

The cones, by then, had inched over to the huge black block of stone and tipped over. Sora spotted five suspicious-looking objects running to a metal cart.

" This is strange," Sora said and brought the gummi ship even closer.

" Watch where you're taking the ship, doofus!" Donald yelled as the ship swerved. They were obviously hitting air turbulence.

" Just trying to see what those funny things are down there," Sora said calmly, then yelled as the ship dipped and swerved, bringing them head-on towards the huge barn building.

" Sora!" Donald and Goofy yelled and grabbed at the chair as Sora fought the controls and the wind.

" I got it all under control!" Sora protested vehemently and the gummi ship tumbled in the air, sending everyone tumbling to one side. "I was just kidding."

" Sora!" Donald jumped at Sora, with the look of bloody murder written over all his face.

" The ship!" Goofy yelled and they all looked up and at the glass window.

A huge glass wall loomed before them. It was beyond huge; it was titanic.

" Incoming!" Sora screamed and ducked.

" But the sign says it's closed," Rex complained as they stood before the double glass doors, with a sign that clearly said "Closed".

They paid no heed to him, hopping on the black mat before the doors furiously. If the employee could walk right into Al's Toy Barn while the sign says "Closed", then surely they could.

" No, no, no, no," Buzz stopped them. "All together. Now!"

They all hopped on the black mat and the glass doors slid open. They rushed inside, not noticing a suspicious-looking object fly over their heads.

" Whoa, Nelly!" Slinky yelped as they stared at the stacks of toys all around them. "How are we going to find Woody in this place?"

" Look for all," Buzz instructed as they ran past the cash registers. "We find Al, we find Woody. Now move out!"

Everyone split, except for Rex, who was busily flipping through a strategy guide.

" Woody!" Hamm yelled.

" Woody!" Mr. Potato Head followed the bank pig down one aisle. Buzz went down another aisle and Slinky followed Hamm and Mr. Potato Head. Rex, his head stuck in the strategy guide, managed not to run into anything while following wherever his huge plastic feet took him.

Buzz found himself in a huge aisle of Buzz Lightyear toys, the ones with special utility belts. Buzz walked up to one and poke at the plastic. "Wow, I could use one of those."

" You know," Rex said as he managed to follow Mr. Potato Head down an aisle. "They make it so you can't defeat Zurg unless you buy this book. It's extortion. That's what it is. Hey, I always thought the golden sector was the only-"

A toy car screeched and whirled past them, coming to a sudden stop. Hamm sat in the driver's seat.

" I thought we could search in style," Hamm said as Mr. Potato Head and Rex joined him.

" Nice going there, Hamm," Mr. Potato Head complimented as he pushed the bank pig aside. "So how about letting a toy with fingers drive?"

He took over and did his best to keep them from crashing into the aisles. Then there was a rumbling sound and toys started falling all around them.

" Yaahhh!" they screamed and Mr. Potato Head drove the car away.

They failed to see what caused the toys to fall however; they had rushed away into the aisle of Barbies.

" This is a great way to land on this sort of world," Donald growled as they picked their way out of the avalanche of toys. "Now, where are we?"

" The sign on this here barn said ' Al's Toy Barn'," Goofy commented. "These are all toys."

" Toys?" Sora asked, looking around them. "What are toys?"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other and sighed hopelessly. Sora was a nutcase for sure.

"...you're breaking ranks, ranger," a voice ordered. "Buzz Lightyear to Star Command. I've got an AWOL space ranger."

" Tell me I wasn't this deluded," another voice, nearly identical, moaned.

" This way," Sora motioned to the others and ran across the smooth tile flooring. They ran around the aisle wall and saw two odd-looking plastic figures yelling at each other.

" Those are toys," Goofy whispered to Donald. "They're not supposed to talk."

" And we're supposed to be bigger than them," Donald hissed back. "This is one strange world."

" I don't have time for this," one of the toys was saying and started to walk away.

" Halt! I order you to halt!" the other hollered at him. The first toy didn't stop so the other jumped off the ledge they were standing on and charged him.

" What are they doing to each other?" Sora gasped in astonishment as the toys pummeled each other.

" And toys definitely aren't supposed to fight," Donald concluded.

" Ow! Listen to me, listen to me," the first toy yelled as he was being tied to cardboard. "You're not really a space ranger. You're a toy. We're all toys. Do you here me?"

" Well, that should hold you until the court marshal," the other toy simply answered as he shoved the first toy, now strapped onto the cardboard piece, into a cardboard container shaped something similar to a gummi ship and propped it up against the other ships.

" Let me go!" the first toy railed at him. "You don't realize what you're doing!"

" We should help him," Sora said and strode forward, just as a toy car swerved into the aisle from the other side. Donald and Goofy quickly pulled him back while a voice said with kind authority, "And this is the Buzz Lightyear aisle. Back in 1995, shortsighted retailers did not order enough dolls to make demand."

" Hey, Buzz!" another voice yelled as the toy car seemed to come to a screeching halt.

" Buzz, eh?" Sora muttered at this.

" Quit clowning around and get in the car!" yet another voice snapped.

" Buzz, Buzz, I know how to defeat Zurg!" a happy-go-lucky voice yelled excitedly.

" You do?" the other toy sounded incredulous.

" Come on, I'll tell you on the way," the voice replied happily and the toy car seemed to screech away.

" No, no guys!" the first toy yelled, his voice muffled by the plastic. "You've got the wrong Buzz! You've got the wrong Buzz!"

Sora didn't wait any longer; he rushed out to the aisle and froze, stunned by the number of plastic and cardboard containers filled with the same plastic figurines as the two he saw fighting each other. He searched out one that was wobbling and ran to it.

" What the!" the trapped toy exclaimed while Sora grabbed at the container's cardboard wing and pulled it out onto the floor.

" Guys, help me!" the boy before his eyes yelled.

" Why are kids shrinking?" the toy known as Buzz murmured as Donald and Goofy emerged to help Sora pull out the trapped toy. "And _what_ are _they_?!"

" Are you alright?" Sora asked as they slid out the cardboard piece Buzz was tied to.

" Yes, yes, I'm fine, thank you," Buzz answered as calmly as possible, his mind racing with worry for Woody. "Do you know where I can find Al?"

" Who?" Sora asked.

" Never mind," Buzz brushed that aside, the look on Sora's face explaining everything. "The name's Buzz, Buzz Lightyear."

" I'm Sora," Sora jabbed his thumb at himself, then pointed to Donald and Goofy. "The white duck's Donald and the one next to him's Goofy."

" Hello, Buzz!" Goofy stepped forward and shook Buzz's right hand vigorously. "How d'you do ?"

" Uh...fine, I suppose," Buzz pondered. "No, wait, actually I need help. See, my friend Woody – he's a sheriff – he's been kidnapped by a man named Al and we're trying to find him. Me and my friends, that is. So far we've reached Al's Toy Barn but we can't find him. Then that lunatic of a Space Ranger ties me in and goes off with my friends! You know how frustrating that is?"

" We've seen the whole thing," Donald replied. "That's is? That's all there's to it?"

" Der...Meg said this place was in trouble," Goofy offered. "Maybe this is the trouble. Maybe we have to rescue this here Buzz's friend."

" But what does Woody have to do with anything?" Sora demanded. "A sheriff, of all things-what's a sheriff?"

" What's a sheriff?" Buzz turned on him. "What does that mean?"

" Don't mind him," Donald answered brusquely. "He doesn't know what a barn or toy is. He's led a very sheltered life."

The last sentence he whispered but Sora heard every word. "Hey! I heard that!"

" You poor child," Buzz tsked. " Where are you from?"

" Destiny Island and I aim to go back there, thank you very much," Sora growled back. "Now, all we need to do is find this Woody, right? Find him and try and figure out why we're here in the first place."

" The only thing that gets to me is...well," Goofy looked around them nervously. "Er...well, this is probably a good thing but I don't see any Heartless or Nobodies anywhere."

Heavy silence fell upon this mismatched group.

" Good point, Goofy," Sora agreed with a nod. "Where are they?"

" Who are they?" Buzz asked.

" The Heartless and the Nobodies are real nasty enemies of ours," Donald answered. "We're out to find them, fight them, and do whatever we can to stop them."

" Which includes finding a Keyhole or performing an act of sacrifice," Sora finished off. "Now, where do we begin?"

" We find Al," Buzz replied striding boldly past them and to the right. "We find Al, we find Woody. Simple as that. And I'm going to show that Buzz Lightyear a thing or two."

" Uh...right," Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other and ran after him.

They searched through every aisle they passed but so far there was nothing, nothing other than them.

" Yes! Yes!" a voice boomed not far from where they were. "You got a deal! I'll be on the next flight to Japan!"

" That's Al!" Buzz shouted and ran for the voice.

" I've just got one question," Sora mentioned as they ran after the Space Ranger. "Why are we small and everything else big?"

" This way!" Buzz yelled as he turned into an aisle far ahead of them. "Huh? What the-yaaahhhh!"

" Buzz!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran to the aisle he ran down-and was confronted by a beautiful horde of Heartless.

" Buzz, my friend," Sora said calmly as he picked his way through a jungle of rubber balls, the Kingdom Key materializing in his hand in a golden light, "those are Heartless. Fight them, or die by them. It's that simple."

" This is getting way outta hand!" Buzz stammered. "We have to follow Al!"

" What choice do we have?" Sora yelled at him. "I'm sorry we totally screwed up _your_ rescue mission but we're on one ourselves! And that includes saving your world! Now help us fight with whatever you've got or we're never going to be able to track down Al and we'll never see your friend Woody ever again!"


	34. A Friend in Need

Author's Note: Sorry for such a late update! School and home has been driving me mad so it's been real tough keeping up with the updating, For instance, my mom had just asked if I really was doing my homework. -.- But anyways, hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I've realized that my chapters have been kind of outta focus so I'm bringing that back in, hehehehe...   
  
Secrets of Memories Chapter 34: A Friend in Need 

" Aah!" Rex screamed as he tumbled out of the black bag. "He didn't take the bag!"

" No time to lose!" Ultimate Buzz said as they all climbed out of the black bag after Rex. "He's ascending the vertical transporter."

They watched Al go up the elevator.

" All right, everyone," Ultimate Buzz looked up at the open sunroof. "Hang on. We're gonna blast through the roof."

He grabbed at each toy and looked up, opening his plastic wings.

" Uh, Buzz?" Rex asked hesitantly.

" To infinity," Ultimate Buzz said, " and beyond!"

" What are you, insane?" Mr. Potato Head yelled at him and yanked away. "We're wasting time. Stand still, Godzilla."

He climbed up Rex and attempted to undo the lock on the car door.

" I don't understand. Somehow, my fuel cells have gone dry," Ultimate Buzz mused and backed into the door handle just as Mr. Potato Head undid the lock on the car door.

They were all leaning against the car door when it swung open and they tumbled to the asphalt and concrete ground. They looked up just in time to see the elevator had reached level twenty-three.

" Blast," Ultimate Buzz swore. " He's on level twenty three."

" How are we gonna get up there?" Slinky asked, looking up at the red building that loomed before them.

" Maybe if we find some balloons, we could fly to the top," Rex suggested eagerly.

" Are you kidding?" Mr. Potato Head looked at Rex skeptically. "I say we stake ourselves up, push the intercom, and pretend we're delivering a pizza."

" How about a ham sandwich?" Hamm proposed. "With fries and a hot dog?"

He looked pointedly at Slinky and Mr. Potato Head.

" What about me?" Rex whined.

" You could be the toy that comes with the meal," Hamm struggled to find a place to put Rex.

Ultimate Buzz, who was scouring the area in front of the apartment complex, spotted an air duct and yanked off the grate. "Troops! Over here! Just like you said, lizard man, 'in the shadows to the left'. Okay, let's move!"

They climbed in one after another and followed Ultimate Buzz deep into the apartment complex.

" Mission log," Ultimate Buzz hissed into his left arm. "Have infiltrated enemy territory without detection and are making our way through the bowels of Zurg's fortress."

" You know," Hamm hissed to the others, "I think that Buzz aisle went to his head."

They then ran into a major problem. The air duct branched off three different ways.

" Oh no," Slinky moaned. "Which way do we go?"

" This way!" Ultimate Buzz announced and marched off to the left.

" What makes you so sure?" Mr. Potato Head demanded suspiciously, skeptical of the Space Ranger's arrogant assurance.

" I'm Buzz Lightyear, I'm always sure!" Ultimate Buzz argued his case, then froze as the air duct rumbled and shook. "We've been detected. The walls! They're closing in! Quick! Help me prop up vegetable man or we're done for."

He grabbed Mr. Potato Head and shoved him up at the corner of the wall and the ceiling of the air duct.

" Hey!" Mr. Potato Head yelled, outraged. "Put me down, you moron!"

" Ah! We're being followed!" Rex shrieked as he looked at what was behind them.

" Where? Where?" Ultimate Buzz went down on one knee and pointed out his laser.

" I saw shadows! Moving shadows!" Rex wailed. "And with glowing yellow eyes!"

" I don't see anything," Slinky spoke, looking behind them.

" But I-I _saw_ something!" Rex said in defense.

" Hey, wait a minute," Hamm said. " That shaking, it's the elevator!"

" Come on," Ultimate Buzz said, dropping Mr. Potato Head. "We've got no time to lose."

He ran down the air duct until they came to emptiness. A huge open space and an elevator down there somewhere.

" Everyone, grab hold," Ultimate Buzz ordered and handed them a long string attached to his back.

" What?" Hamm demanded in confusion.

" Huh?" Slinky stared at the string, then looked up to see that Ultimate Buzz had put sticking pads on his hands and started climbing up the side of the huge tunnel.

" Uh, Buzz," Hamm said rather nervously, "why not just take the elevator?"

" They'll be expecting that," Ultimate Buzz replied and continued to climb up.

" Hey, Buzz!" Rex yelled, looking nervously behind him. "Stop! Slow down!"

Everyone was strung out on the string hanging from Ultimate Buzz's back as he continued to climb up.

From far down below, a Red Nocturne took note and then vanished into another air duct just as Buzz, Sora, Donald, and Goofy struggled up the side of the elevator onto the top. And far behind them was a Zurg. They had the bad luck of being sighted by this toy and were not aware of the fact that they were being followed.

" Hey! I can see Brother there!" Rikku waved out of the gummi ship window as Aozora steered the cactuar gummi ship down closer to the peaceful island that Yuna called Besaid Island. "And there's Buddy! And Shinra! Hey guys!"

She waved madly at the window until Paine said, "They can't see you, Rikku."

" Oh, right, heheheh...sorry," Rikku replied in embarrassment.

" Crew of the Gullwings, eh?" Aozora found it was hard to keep a straight face and accept the fact that three very tough women joined some group named after a bird's _wing_. He wondered whether or not it had to do with an ominous statement made about feathers falling from the sky when the darkest crime was committed.

" Will you be staying with us?" Yuna asked curiously as Aozora brought the gummi ship to a halt in the shallows of the blue ocean and the island town. "For a little while, at least."

Aozora shook his head, his heart staunchly set on chasing after the person he was supposed to protect. "No, I must find Sora. I promised those I do not want to betray; I must find him."

" Not even for a few hours?" Rikku whined. "Or maybe until we leave Besaid Island."

" Well, maybe...I guess," Aozora gave way bit by bit. "But not for long. Maybe I'll just stay for a few hours to find out the status of Spira-"

" All business and no fun," Paine shook her head. "Some life."

" Hey!" Aozora turned on her.

" If you call it a life," Yuna said quietly as she pressed a button on the side and the gummi ship door opened. "Do you?"

Clearly she struck a nerve. Aozora cast her a cold, frozen stare and stomped past her out of the hatch. He jumped down into the cool shallow water and strode ashore, ignoring the odd trio of men who stood not too far away.

" What's with him?" Brother asked the others in his strange accent.

" Don't' know," Buddy shrugged. " Whoever he is."

" I think I do," Shinra commented. " After all, I know everything."

" Sure you do," Paine answered as she jumped out of the green gummi ship.

" Hey guys!" Rikku yelled and waved before following Paine.

" Hey Rikku!" they shouted back.

" Hey!" Yuna jumped off. "Nothing much happen?"

" Did ya miss me?" Rikku hollered.

" Maybe," Buddy said while Shinra added, "Looks like you've been through something serious."

" Serious my ass," Aozora snapped from a distance away. "I don't even know why I'm down here when I'm supposed to be going after-"

" You're supposed to be guarding a Keyblade Master, am I right?" Shinra interrupted.

" And how do you know?" Aozora turned on him, keeping his temper in check quite well.

" I know everything," Shinra answered. "If you keep your anger in check any longer, you can explode Spira and still be mad enough to terrorize another world as well, am I right?"

Aozora glared at him, then said, "You know what, I'm going back. I gotta find Sora."

" Good," Shinra nodded. "He will need you, Guardian. Find him, or find war."

" What about that king you mutter in your sleep sometimes?" Brother asked of Shinra. "Kings and keys, I here all the time."

" Oh King Mickey," Shinra noted. " Right. Nobody worry about him. He's quite fine. He's just worried about whether or not everything will turn out right. Right now he's trying to figure out where the door of light is and the history behind the Kingdom Keys."

" How do you know all that, may I ask?" Aozora asked, his bronze eyes afire.

" He told me," Shinra said calmly. " Face to face."

Aozora gaped at him.

" Uh...Shinra?" Yuna decided it was the best time to digress to something else. "What do you have on Vegnagun?"

" Still can't find it," Shinra replied.

" We may need to find more spheres," Brother grumbled.

" And where Baralai, Nooj, and Gippal went," Buddy added. "Still a mystery as far as I know."

" Aren't we busy?" Rikku commented.

" So is he," Paine noted Aozora climbing back into the gummi ship. "Take-off in style."

" Is that a cactuar?" Shinra asked incredulously and rather loudly.

" Maybe!" Aozora shouted back indignantly and slammed the gummi ship door closed.

" There goes another nerve," Rikku winced.

"How 'bout giving me a little intro there, Jessie?" Woody suggested as he shut himself up in a cardboard box standing on its side.

" Introducing," Jessie, the red-haired cowgirl, trumpeted, "the high-riding-est cowboy around-"

" You forgot rootin'-tootin'-est!" Woody hissed, poking his head out from between the folds of the cardboard top.

" The high-ridin'-est, rootin'-tootin'-est cowboy here of all time, Sheriff Woody!"

Woody strode out with an arrogant look on his face towards Jessie and Bullseye, the horse. "Say, little missy, you notice any trouble around these parts?"

He stood on his legs in a suave manner.

" Nary a bit, not with Sheriff Woody around," Jessie answered.

" Wait!" Woody froze, the silliness gone and replaced by excited eagerness. "Wait-wait-wait-wait! I got it! I got it! This is great! Okay! The bandits got the critters tied up in the burning barn and now for the best part!"

He dove into the cardboard box, saying, "Help us! The barn's on fire! I've got ya, critters. No need to worry. Woody saves the day again!"

He charged out triumphantly, throwing Styrofoam pieces up in the air.

" Yee-hah!" Jessie whooped.

" Now where's my trusty steed Bullseye? I have to ride off into the sunset-oh!"

Bullseye rushed up for Woody to clamber onto his back. "Ride like the wind, Bullseye!"

Bullseye reared maybe a bit too high. Woody yelled, "W-w-watch it!"

He and the saddle toppled off and Bullseye froze, before crossing his forearms before his 'private' and walked away.

Jessie went to pull the saddle off Woody. The saddle tickled him and he yelped, "Wait, I'm ticklish, okay?"

He realized that was the wrong thing to say. Jessie gave him an evil eye. "Oh, you are?"

" No, no, no," Woody didn't get a chance to back away as Jessie and Bullseye jumped him. "Cut it out. Stop it. Stop it. No please. No, no. Stop! Stop!"

Meanwhile Ultimate Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Slinky, and Mr. Potato Head were still wandering the air ducts on level twenty three. Ultimate Buzz whispered into his left forearm, "Mission log. Have reached Zurg's command deck, but no sign of him or his wooden captive."

Then they heard Woody's voice echo down the air duct. "Please, no!"

Slinky perked up at this. "That's Woody!"

" This way!" Ultimate Buzz gestured them down an air duct, running after Woody's voice.

" Please, please no!" they continued to hear him shout.

They reached the end of the air duct where his voice came out strongest and they tried to see Woody through the metal grate. They could not see much over a cardboard box obscuring their view though.

" Buzz, can you see?" Mr. Potato Head asked worriedly. "What's going on?"

" Take that!" they heard a feminine voice shout.

Ultimate Buzz mused for a moment, then took one of Mr. Potato Head's eyes and held it out of the grate to see.

" To the left," Mr. Potato Head was saying. "No, your left. Take it up higher."

" Uh...guys," Rex was saying as he stared at the air duct behind them. "I'm telling you, something's following us."

" Not now, Rex," Mr. Potato Head brushed the green dinosaur's remarks aside. "Oh, it-it's horrible. They-they're torturing him!"

" What do we do?" Hamm asked them.

" Use your head!" Ultimate Buzz said and they all looked at Rex, who was looking at behind them.

" Hey, wait a minute," Slinky said, following Rex's gaze. "Something _is_ back there!"

There was a hiss of something frigid flying past them and a part of the air duct grate froze over. They all stared at the ice-covered section of the grate and all managed to suppress a scream.

" Right, let's use your head!" Ultimate Buzz exclaimed.

" But I don't wanna use my head!" Rex wailed as they grabbed a hold of him and charged him at the grate.

A small fireball flew past them and melted the frozen part of the grate as they rammed Rex into the grate and flew out into the room.

" What's going on here?" Prospector yelled, whirling around on the jumble of toys.

" Buzz, guys!" Woody exclaimed in surprise from his position on the ground. "Hey, how did you find me?"

" Watch yourself!" Ultimate Buzz ordered the others as they charged at Prospector, Jessie, and Bullseye.

" We're here to spring ya, Woody!" Slinky explained.

" You heard of kung fu?" Hamm shrieked at Prospector as he jumped on the cardboard box and glared him in the eye through the thin plastic. "Well, get ready for pork chop."

" Prepare to meet Mr. Angry Eyes!" Mr. Potato Head threatened Jessie and pulled off his eyes. He searched through the hatch behind him and yanked out his other pair of shoes and stuck them where his eyes were supposed to be. He then charged at Jessie but obviously he couldn't see; he ran into the wall next to Jessie, who was giving him a look one gives to a lunatic.

" Hold it, now!" Woody hollered as he jumped into the mess. "Hey, you don't understand! These are my friends!"

" Yeah, we're his friends!" Rex agreed, misunderstanding Woody.

" No, Rex," Woody corrected. "I mean they're my friends."

" Hey, stop it!" Jessie ordered Slinky, who was having a stare-down with Bullseye. "Leave him alone, springy dog! Hey!"

Slinky quickly wrapped himself around both Jessie and Bullseye, leaving them all tied up.

" Grab Woody and let's go!" Slinky ordered from his impossible position.

Agreeing, the others picked him up and marched him to the grate, though Woody protested, "Fellas, hold it! Buzz, put me down!"

" Quick!" Rex said. "To the vent!"

" They're stealing him!" Jessie yelled.

" No!" Prospector moaned. "They must be stopped, you hear me? Stop them, stop them!"

Suddenly Buzz went flying out of the vent and held his hand up. "Hold it right there!"

" Buzz?" the others demanded incredulously.

" You again?" Ultimate Buzz moaned and bristled at the same time.

" Woody!" Buzz saw Woody. "Thank goodness you're all right."

" Buzz, what is going on?" Woody demanded as he forced himself down onto the solid ground.

" Hold on," Ultimate Buzz stepped forward to Buzz's side. "I am Buzz Lightyear, and I'm in charge of this detachment."

" No, I'm Buzz Lightyear," Buzz countered.

" I'm Buzz Lightyear," Ultimate Buzz stated angrily.

" I'm Buzz Lightyear!" Buzz hollered in his face.

" So, who's the real Buzz?" Woody asked in confusion as the two Space Rangers faced off each other.

" I am!" they both shouted back.

" Don't let this imposter fool you!" Ultimate Buzz pleaded his case. "He's been trained by Zurg himself to mimic my every move."

" Fat chance," a foreign voice said behind them in the vent. "Just show them, Buzz, and let's get out of here; we can't hold on much longer!"

" Who?" they all turned to Buzz, who calmly pressed a button on Ultimate Buzz. His helmet went down.

Ultimate Buzz began to wheeze and gasp, going down on his knees and in the act of choking. Everyone gave him a real skeptical eye.

" Buzz!" they shouted happily, now knowing who the real Buzz Lightyear was.

" I had a feeling it was you, Buzz," Slinky admitted while undoing himself. "My front end just had to catch up with my back end."

" Will somebody please explain what's going on?" Ultimate Buzz demanded, his helmet now back in place.

" It's all right space ranger," Buzz whispered while others began to grow aware of explosions deep in the vent. "It's a code 546."

" You mean it's a-"

" Yes."

" And he's a-"

" Oh, yeah."

" Your Majesty," Ultimate Buzz went down on one knee and kissed Woody on the hand.

" Woody, you're in danger here," Buzz looked at Woody sternly. "We need to leave _now_."

" Al's selling you to a toy museum in Japan!" Rex added, eyeing the bent nervously in the process.

" I know, it's okay, Buzz," Woody said calmly, holding his hands up. "I actually wanna go."

" What?" Rex demanded.

" Are you crazy?!" Hamm shouted.

" Look, the thing is, I'm a rare Sheriff Woody doll, and these guys are my Roundup gang," Woody explained patiently, gesturing to the others.

" Woody, what are you talking about?" Buzz demanded while three figures emerged from the shadows of the vent.

" What am I talking about?" Woody turned on him. "Woody's Roundup! Oh, its this great old TV show and I was the star-"

" What's a TV?" a foreign, rather regal voice asked curiously.

" What's a TV?" everyone turned to the voice behind them.

They found themselves staring at an actual human boy who was no bigger than them, with radiating sky-blue eyes, a tanned complexion, and sunburnt brown hair. He was dressed in black and blue and he was holding a deadly looking key in his hand. He was with a white duck in blue with some strange-looking staff and a dog-like creature in mechanic's clothing and a shield.

" Oh, right, right," Buzz said apologetically. "That's Sora and his friends Donald and Goofy. Is the vent clear?"

The boy, Sora, nodded. "Woody, we've got to get you out of here."

" Wait, wait, wait," Woody said. " Hold on a second. You're a human being, a kid. What are you doing here? And why are you so small?"

" And why is he seeing us as we are?" Slinky demanded.

" Long story," Buzz explained calmly. "Now Woody, stop this nonsense about you being all famous and all, and let's go. Now."

" Nah, Buzz," Woody protested, to the surprise of his friends. "I can't go. I can't abandon these guys. They need me to get into this museum. Without me, they'll go back into storage-maybe forever!"

" Woody, you're not a collector's item," Buzz said, his patience growing thin. "You are a child's plaything. You are a toy!"

" So that's what a toy is," Sora said, enlightened. "A plaything, like Wakka's blitzball and Selphie's nunchaku. I get it now."

" For how much longer?" Woody demanded. "One more rip, and Andy's done with me. And what do I do then, Buzz? Huh? You tell me."

This conversation was starting to open up something in Sora, something more than enlightening. He was starting to realize what was really going on. Woody was somehow this child's toy and he somehow got into this apartment, Al's apartment. He was a rare toy and could be sent to a museum forever. For what? What makes him want to go to a museum so bad?

" I don't understand?" Sora said. " Why do you want to go to a museum so badly?"

Everyone froze at this innocent question.

" You-you last forever," Woody finally explained. "Children will flock to see you and you will last forever. Safe behind glass, to be adored by all children. Forever."

" Behind glass?" Sora questioned. " But why would you want to stay behind glass? Why not with a child who truly loves you? Not all children will love you the way only one will do. And besides, nobody lasts forever."

" That's not true!" Jessie shot back, but her conviction in Prospector's words of eternity in a museum was starting to erode. "A child who truly loves you will later abandon you, leave you by the road, and love you no more. And we don't last forever unless we're behind glass."

" There can be no love," Sora said sadly. "You don't understand the meaning of it all, do you? You are here, or were here, because someone needed you. A friend needed you. Go into this museum of yours, locked behind glass-who's going to love you? Who's going to hold you, embrace you, and be with you all the time? Nobody lasts forever...and I've learned that I might as well make the best of it. Behind glass, I'll never survive. And I don't think you will, too."

There was an even heavier silence.

" Somewhere in that pad of stuffing," Buzz said heavily, looking Woody in the eye, "is a toy who taught me that life's only worth living if you're being loved by a kid. And I traveled all this way to rescue that toy because I believed him."

" Well, you wasted your time," Woody said and turned his back on them, though he seemed clearly shaken by Sora's innocent questioning.

" I don't know what happened to you or how you were brainwashed this way," Sora said, "but you have to come back with your friends, to this Andy of yours. This world seems to lie in your hands, Woody. And if you choose to bring down your world, destroy everything you've known and loved in the process, like Andy, then be my guest. It seems we've wasted our time here, guys. Clearly if someone as important as Woody believes and behaves this way, this world doesn't deserve to exist.

" What?" everybody else demanded of Sora.

" We're going," Sora said. "We're gonna clear the way in the vent for you guys but after that, you guys are all on your own. The Heartless and Nobodies can take care of this world, that's for sure."

They headed back for the vent, presently followed by Buzz, Ultimate Buzz, Slinky, Rex, Hamm, and Mr. Potato Head.

" You're abandoning this world?" Buzz asked. "Why?"

" This Woody...he may be special after all," Sora replied. "Either he knows where this world's Keyhole is or he is the Keyhole. And a Keyhole whose faith is like his won't save your world."

" You seem to know something more about this whole problem of ours," Slinky stated. "What do you know?"

Sora was silent, if only for a little while. "I had a friend who...well, we were like rivals. Always fought over the smallest thing but we always laughed in the process. We were best friends, until this girl came to our home, Kairi. Then we began to compete, trying to be the best in her eyes. But we still laughed. We were still friends. But as we got older, he drifted away. He began to grow more distant. It didn't seem like it to other people but I was able to feel it. He was losing faith. What that was, I wasn't sure. But then I learned. He was losing faith in peace and happiness on Destiny Island. It bored him, bored him into trying to sail out into the sea, in search of something more. Kairi and I, we helped him do that. We helped him built a raft, gather supplies, and even name the raft. We volunteered to join him and we began to laugh again, like in the old days. It was an adventure we couldn't afford to miss."

" Then what?" Rex asked when Sora fell silent.

It seemed to be painful for Sora to continue. "Darkness fell on Destiny Island. Our home was being destroyed. I searched for Riku, my friend, and Kairi, but Riku joined the devouring darkness and Kairi vanished before my eyes. And I was forced to face this darkness alone. And then...and then I learned what had happened. The darkness in Riku's heart, simmering there from the moment he began to drift away, had gotten hold of him. I couldn't reach him, like how you couldn't reach Woody. Riku, he had given himself up to darkness. And it was only later he himself tried to fight this darkness. By then, though, it was too late. Riku was destroyed by the darkness. The last time I saw him was one year ago. He knew what he had done; I could see it in his eyes. He was devastated beyond imagine. But he accepted his mistakes...and helped me lock him into darkness. I've been searching for him ever since."

" What a horrible story," Hamm commented.

" I'm scared," Rex shivered.

" So you knew something of this, didn't you," Buzz was beginning to understand. "You were able to strike a nerve in Woody; you knew what was going on."

" He is another lost cause," Sora said. "Lost forever, until he discovers his own mistake. And whether or not it will be too late will be for him to decide."

" Oh..." Buzz sighed.

" Why are there no Heartless?" Goofy whispered to Donald.

" Uh..." Donald was clearly puzzled by this. "Sora, why are there no Heartless?"

" Good point," Sora pulled out his Keyblade. "Stay on guard anyways. You may never know where they'll show up-"

" Buzz!" Woody's voice hollered down the vent.

" Yes?" Buzz and Ultimate Buzz whirled around.

" I'm coming with you! Wait – wait – wait – wait. I'll be back in just a second."

" Way to go, cowboy!" Buzz crowed and everyone cheered. Sora cracked a smile.

" So he did discover his own mistake!" Mr. Potato Head shouted.

" We're saved!" Hamm and Rex chanted. "We're saved! We're saved! We're saved!"

" Kid, what did I tell you?" Buzz said happily. "He'll turn around; he was the one who told me-"

" Buzz," Woody's voice ran through the vent, laced with intense fear. "Help, Buzz! Guys!"

They ran back to the vent except for Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They saw something suspicious.

" Looks like Heartless," Donald noted and they ran.


	35. How to Help a Rescue Mission

Author's Note: And so Toy Story 2 continues….thank you so much old readers and new for the support you've given that keeps this story going! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now if anybody wants to join my C2 Staff, you're always welcome to. And now, just r & r, and enjoy! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 35: How to Help a Rescue Mission 

" It's too late, Woody," Prospector's cold voice sliced through the air. " That silly Buzz Lightweight or bastard of a Keyblade Master can't help you."

" His name is Buzz Lightyear!" Woody shouted back indignantly. " Who the hell are you talking about?"

" Whatever," Prospector snapped back. " Always hated those upstart space toys. And that fool of a kid should never have come here; I thought they'd already seen to that!"

The others didn't know much of what Prospector was talking about but they definitely understood one thing: Woody really was in trouble. Somehow the grate covering the gate was screwed in again and they could tell it was screwed in real tight.

" It's stuck!" Woody wailed in horror as he tried to pry out the grate. " What do we do?"

" Should I use my head?" Rex suggested tentatively.

" No time for that!" a voice shouted from down below in the vent. " Someone's coming!"

" It's Al!" Woody shrieked and ran to the stacks of boxes. Prospector hopped into his box and Jessie and Bullseye ran to their respective boxes. Woody fell limp just as Al charged in, shouting in his phone and shuffling boxes.

" Look at the time," Al looked at his watch as he shut off the phone. " I'm gonna be late! Oh, figures. I can't miss this flight! I gotta pack."

In front of the toy gang's horrified eyes, Al packed up Woody and the others, putting them in a green suitcase, and clicking it shut. " All right. Let's see. Uh, wallet, keys, tickets, uh, passport, beef jerky – very expensive over there."

" Shower!" Al sniffed himself. " Oh, I can skip the shower. I just gotta get outta here now!"

He stood up with the green suitcase and stormed out of the room. Buzz already knew where Al was headed.

" Quick!" Buzz ordered the others. " To the elevator! Hurry, I can hear it coming!"

True to his word, the vent was shaking and they ran down the vent as fast as they could.

" Uh…Buzz?" Sora's questioning voice drifted over to them. " Tell me you know who this lunatic is?"

As they happened upon Sora, Donald, and Goofy, they also happened upon…

" So, we meet again, Buzz Lightyear," Zurg blocked their way to the elevator, his machine gun pointing at them. " For the last time."

" Aah!" Rex screamed.

" Oh no, another lunatic," Mr. Potato Head moaned.

" It's Zurg!" Rex and Ultimate Buzz shrieked.

" A toy, I presume?" Sora asked with a sarcastic manner.

" No joke, no joke!" Rex was shouting. " He's got an ion blaster!"

" A what?" Hamm turned on the green dinosaur.

" Duck!" Donald shrieked and everyone dropped on their faces while Zurg fired what seemed to be yellow rubber balls at them. Then Sora jumped up at swung the Keyblade at the next rubber ball that came their way. The ball struck back at Zurg, hitting his visor and obscuring his vision. He fell backwards onto the elevator.

" Yep, I was right after all," Mr. Potato Head muttered. " A raving lunatic!"

" Quick! Get on!" Buzz ordered and everyone jumped on. " The emergency hatch! Come on! Come on! Hurry-"

He was opening the hatch on top of the elevator in the process and quickly let go as a blast of fire exploded inches from his fingertips.

" Heartless!" Sora shouted a warning. " Look out!!"

Red Nocturnes, Yellow Operas, Blue Rhapsodies, Green Requiems, Gargoyles, Air Pirates, and, to Sora's horror, Wyverns swooped down on them from above.

Ultimate Buzz and Zurg were the only ones who did not heed Sora's warning call. Ultimate Buzz was busy being bashed into pieces by Zurg. He was being slammed against the elevator, a button being pushed constantly so his voice box kept saying, " Buzz – Buzz – Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!"

They only separated when Sora threw a Blizzaga between them to extinguish a Red Nocturne.

" Surrender Buzz Lightyear," Zurg still said, pointing his cannon at Ultimate Buzz. " I have won."

" I'll never give in," Ultimate Buzz said staunchly. " You killed my father!"

While Sora, Donald, and Goofy went around chasing Heartless, Zurg revealed the truth, "No, Buzz. I am your father."

Ultimate Buzz took seconds to soak in the news. With that, he sank down on his knees and screamed to the heavens above – in this case the ceiling of the elevator chute – " Nooooooo!"

" Come on! Come on! Come on!" Al was muttering angrily, pushing at a button continuously.

Buzz peered in on the man from his position on top of the elevator.

" Buzz," Rex was trying to reach Ultimate Buzz, " you could have defeated Zurg all along! You just needed to believe in yourself!"

" Prepare to die!" Zurg announced, pointing his cannon right on Ultimate Buzz.

" I can't look!" Rex wailed, turning around. His long tail barely missed Sora and walloped Zurg.

" Wh – wh- whoa!" Zurg shrieked and he fell over the edge and down the elevator chute.

" I did it," Rex realized what he had done. " I finally defeated Zurg!"

" Father," Ultimate Buzz whimpered, his arm outreached over the edge of the elevator in a futile attempt to stop his fall.

Meanwhile, Buzz and the others had a hold on Slinky, who was carefully swinging his way towards the green suitcase Woody was trapped in. He kept missing but swung himself closer and closer until he finally undid the clips on the suitcase.

" Ah, finally!" Al breathed a brief sigh of relief as the elevator froze and the doors opened.

Woody opened the suitcase and grabbed onto Slinky's paws as Al began to drag the suitcase and the boxes underneath it out of the elevator. But Prospector popped up and pulled him back in. He then shut the suitcase as Al walked out.

" No!" they shouted as they tumbled into the elevator. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, sensing that the scenario was changing, jumped in with them. They all got up and ran out of the elevator, running as fast as they could as Al passed between glass doors and got into his blue car.

Before Sora could cast Stopga, Mr. Potato Head had his plastic black hat in his hand and threw it like a Frisbee. It clogged itself between the two doors and everyone got through. Mr. Potato Head made sure the door didn't' take his arm as he snatched the black hat out.

" How are we going to get him now?" Rex asked hopelessly as they saw the car moving out of the parking lot.

" Pizza, anyone?" Mr. Potato Head and Hamm suggested, giving an eye to a pizza truck.

" Go, go, go!" Buzz ordered the others go to the car. He chose to ignore Sora's comment, " What's a pizza, exactly?"

" I got it!" Ultimate Buzz ran past to catch a yellow rubber ball.

" Buzz, are you coming?" Buzz asked.

" No, I have a lot of catching up to do with my dad," Ultimate Buzz replied and threw the yellow rubber ball past Buzz to Zurg not too far away.

The ball hit Zurg on the head but his reply was, " Good throw, son. That's my boy. Go long, Buzzy!"

" Oh, you're a great dad," Ultimate Buzz exclaimed with the excitement of a toddler. " Yippee!"

" Farewell," Buzz said with a smile, then ran to the car.

" Does anyone know how to drive?" Rex asked tentatively as he eyed the controls.

" Can't be too hard," Sora commented.

" Slink, take the pedals," Buzz ordered. " Rex, Donald, Goofy, you navigate. Hamm and Potato operate the levers and knobs."

" Whoa!" Slinky commented as he dropped down to check the pedals.

As Rex, Donald, and Goofy climbed up on the board, they spotted Squeeze Toy Aliens (and we all know how they look like) hanging from a string on the mirror.

" Oooooooh."

" Strangers."

" From the outside."

" Oh no," Buzz moaned. Sora took it that Buzz had a bad experience that involved the mysterious green creatures.

" He's at a red light!" Rex shrieked.

" We can catch him!" Donald added.

" Yup, huyuk!" Goofy stated.

" Maximum power, Slink!" Buzz shouted and Slink slammed on the right pedal.

" Waaa! It turned green!" Rex alerted.

" Does that mean 'go'?" Sora asked curiously, then grabbed the wheel as the car lurched forward.

" Hurry!" Donald squalled.

" Why won't it go?" Buzz was clearly perplexed.

" Use the wand of power," the Squeeze Toy Aliens suggested, pointing at the stick in the middle of the two seats in the truck.

" Oh! Ow! Ooh!" Hamm moaned as he and Mr. Potato Head both jumped at the stick and pulled it from Park to, well, backwards. Then they pulled it more to, well, forward.

" Rex, which way?" Buzz demanded as he carefully – or tried to be careful – maneuvered the wheel and the truck.

" Left!" Rex hollered and Buzz turned the wheel left. " No, no! I mean right! That's right! No I mean left!"

" Left is right," Goofy offered a helpful hint.

" Buzz, he's turning left! He's turning left!" Rex screamed.

" Oh, oh, boy! Whoa – oa – oa – oa!" the three Squeeze Toy Aliens wailed as the string they were tied to detached itself from the mirror and they sailed out the window. Mr. Potato Head, being there when they flew out, snatched the string and pulled them inside.

" Oh I seriously doubt he's getting this kind of mileage," Hamm commented as he read from the Driver's Manual.

" What's mileage?" Sora asked curiously, then grabbed onto the wheel as Rex yelled, " Go right! To the right! Right – right – right – right!"

" Whoa!" the Squeeze Toy Aliens yelped as they landed on Mr. Potato Head. " You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful."

Sora couldn't help but snigger as he watched the green creatures hail Mr. Potato Head.

" Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," the plastic spud had a look of annoyance on his face.

" The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading," an electronic voice thundered. " No parking."

" The airport, woo hoo!" Goofy cheered as they screeched to a stop in front of gray buildings.

" Guys, we can't park here!" Rex wailed. " It's a white zone!"

" No time for that," Buzz commented as Donald pulled on the stick all the way up.

" You have saved our lives," the Squeeze Toy Aliens huddled around a truly irritated Mr. Potato Head. " We are eternally grateful."

" Final boarding call for Far East Airlines-" the same mysterious voice announced.

" Where's the voice coming from?" Sora wondered while they jumped out of the pizza truck.

" There he is!" Buzz shouted, pointing to a person who definitely looked like Al.

" – flight 451 to Tokyo, all confirmed," the PA system continued. " Passengers must board at this time. Passenger Twitch, passenger Leon Twitch, please pick up-"

" You have saved our lives!" the Squeeze Toy Aliens continued to shout. " We are eternally grateful!"

" Will you just leave me alone?" Mr. Potato Head shouted at them.

" Oh! Someone's coming!" Rex and Goofy exclaimed at the same time.

They spotted a pet carrier and huddled inside. Sora pulled the gate shut and Buzz, using the holes on the bottom of the cage, moved them across the area and dropped when a girl approached.

" Ooh, a puppy!" the girl leaned forward, intent on seeing who was there.

Everyone looked at Slinky.

" Uh, bark-bark-bark-bark, bark-bark-bark-bark," Slinky said. The girl screamed in fear and ran off.

" Listen, flyboy, the contents of that case are worth more than you make in a year! You got that, sport? You be careful," Al ordered the clerk as he picked up Al's green suitcase.

" I understand sir," the clerk answered, clearly used to this treatment.

Buzz took them close to the conveyor belt the clerk was putting the green suitcase on.

" Do you have a fragile sticker or something?" Al demanded, clearly worried.

" Don't worry sir," the clerk tried to pacify the portly man. He still did not put down the suitcase.

" Because I know what goes on back there," Al said sternly while the clerk put the suitcase on the belt. " I had a box of cookies once that came back as crumbs!"

" Quickly!" Sora hissed and the dog carrier jumped onto the conveyor belt not far from the green suitcase.

" The Mystical Portal!" one of the Squeeze Toy Aliens announced, pointing to where the conveyor belt was taking the luggage.

" Oooooooh!" the three toys said. Donald gave Mr. Potato Head a queer look.

" Once we go through, we just need to find that case," Buzz ordered the others as they passed through the 'Mystical Portal' and slid down a steep ramp. The dog carrier banged against the side of a conveyor belt and the door swung open, causing everyone to tumble out onto the belt.

" Ow!" Slinky moaned while the others picked themselves up. " There's the case!"

He spotted a green suitcase but Hamm begged to differ. " No, there's the case!"

He pointed to a case on another belt.

" You take that one!" Buzz ordered Mr. Potato Head, Hamm, Rex, Donald, Goofy, and the three Squeeze Toy Aliens. " We'll take this one!"

" Don't kill yourself, Sora!" Donald issued a warning as the group split into different directions.

" Like I'm going to," Sora growled under his breath as he quickly followed Buzz and Slinky around and over suitcases.

- -

Aozora silently watched as Ancient Greece loomed up before his eyes. He didn't know what to expect, seeing the world whole and hale.

_What am I supposed to feel?_ Aozora wondered. _Happy? Upset? Regretful? What? I helped destroy this world and now I see it thriving. What am I supposed to do? And somebody's bound to recognize me if I go down there._

He remembered the short, portly satyr who chased him out of the stable he lit. The look on the satyr's face spoke more than enough.

_He won't forget who I am, that's for sure._

And then there's the huge man with the satyr, the one he saw briefly, surrounded by flames, before he left to follow the others of the Society out of Ancient Greece.

_I don't' think he'll forget me, either._

Aozora took the chance anyways as he brought his gummi ship down closer, revealing booming marketplaces and cities. The place was thriving, that's for sure.

_How am I supposed to find Sora there?_ Aozora wondered as he spotted the gummi garage and steered his gummi ship in that direction, to dock and enter the world he had destroyed.

People were giving his gummi ship plenty of stares as he docked and got off the cactuar. He gave them a sharp look and they dispersed quickly. He didn't mean to overdo it but, _I guess my eyes still freak people out. Or is it I still walk around with a scowl on my face?_

He strode out of the huge building, which vaguely resembled a temple, and onto the sunny streets of a world that seemed unaffected by Sora's presence. That alone made Aozora suspicious. What he knew so far was that wherever Sora was, chaos seemed to reign.

" Why is everything so normal?" Aozora wondered as he wandered through the streets, ignoring the queer looks other people were giving him. He was used to the looks; if his bronze eyes didn't bother them, his outlandish clothing certainly did.

" Um, sir, um, have you ever happened upon a teenager with black clothes?" Aozora asked a passerby. " You know, kind of like me?"

The young man he stopped, with dark, curly hair and clever blue eyes, looked at him with surprise. " A teenager with black clothes?"

" He's with a white duck and a dog-like creature," Aozora added quickly.

" Oh, hm…let me think," the young man said. " Oh, I think I know who you are!"

" Me?" Aozora was perplexed. He was asking about the Keyblade Master, not himself!

The young man nodded. " Meg was very concerned about why he wasn't with the Guardian. I take it you are he, the Guardian?"

" Meg?" Aozora echoed. Why did he have a good idea of who this was? " Well, I guess you could call me that but I was asking about the teenager, not myself."

" You really think I don't know his name when I know who you are and who Meg is?" the young man was amused. This irritated Aozora.

" Fine then, his name is Sora; have you run into him lately?" Aozora said in exasperation. _Geezes, what does it take to have people understand me?_

" Well…" the young man brooded a bit. " Not _lately_ but yes, I've run into him before. And that in itself is a long story."

Aozora was aghast. What did he mean by 'not lately'? " What do you mean by 'not lately'? And what's a long story?"

" See," the young man said patiently, " my name is Eucletes and I'm a merchant here. One day I heard that a certain hero of ours returned and I went with the others to greet him. A huge crowd for sure but I got close enough to see he wasn't alone. Walking with him was not only his trainer, Phil, but there was Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Then Sora bent over, touching the right side of his waist, then spotted something in the crowd. Ten seconds later, bam! Heartless and Nobodies swarmed the place!"

" The right side…he was wounded terribly on the right side," Aozora mused. " How long ago was this?"

" Hm…not sure, really," Eucletes replied as they wandered through the marketplace. " Perhaps days ago, if not weeks."

" Days? If not weeks?" Aozora echoed.

" They left quite some time ago," Eucletes answered as they approached the steps of a looming marble temple and went up. " But I'm not sure where they're headed-"

" YOU!!!" a voice roared over the marketplace and something punched into Aozora's legs. He fell down the stairs and onto the marketplace floor on his face. Something with sharp feet jumped on his back, screaming obscenities at him.

" Phil! I thought you said he was only a kid!" another voice shouted.

" Phil! Get. Off. Of. HIM!!!" a woman's voice screamed.

Aozora closed his eyes, not wanting to be a witness to some sort of pandemonium he seemed to be creating.

- -

In the process of running through baggage and luggage, they found a green suitcase, opened it, and fell into it. There was nothing in it but papers and stickers and Buzz, Sora, and Slinky left that suitcase alone, running after the one they originally saw.

Sora decided not to mention that Buzz had a sticker on his sitter that said ' Butte'.

" Whoa – oa! Buzz!" Slinky yelled anxiously as his back end got caught on a piece of luggage and it split to another belt. " Buzz, Sora, guys, my back end's going to Baton Rouge!"

Sora and Buzz, who were busy jumping baggage, turned and ran to Slinky. They took a hold on each of his paws and tried to pull him in. But to no avail; his hold on the luggage was too strong for them and they were forced to let him go.

" Slinky!" Sora yelled.

" You guys go on ahead, I'll untangle myself here!" Slinky told them off.

Meanwhile, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, Donald, and Goofy rushed after the green suitcase they were to go after. The three Squeeze Toy Aliens stayed behind, too small and slow to keep up with them.

" Woody, here we come!" Hamm yelled.

" Woody!" Mr. Potato Head shouted as they jumped the suitcase and opened it.

" It's a camera," Donald said, crestfallen.

" Nice flash, though," Hamm commented.

" Not only a camera!" Goofy was looking beyond the suitcase. " That there's Heartless!"

" And Nobodies!" Donald screamed. " Duck!"

Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, and Rex dropped behind the suitcase and Donald cast Aeroga upon everyone.

" Cool!" Rex exclaimed. " I'm surrounded by magic! Ha, I knew magic was real!"

" Shield Nobodies, Goofy!" Donald warned. " I'll take on the Heartless. You know what to do."

" Huyuk, of course!" Goofy agreed. " Charge!"

Lifting his shield up before his body, Goofy ran at the Shield Nobodies, taking out the armored white creatures.

Donald was confronted by a horde of Shadows and Soldiers, which really was a weak field if there weren't so many. He decided to pull a Gandalf on them and slammed his staff on the ground, shouting, " Firaga!" in the process.

A wave of fire rippled over the ground and even if a Shadow flattened itself in the ground, it could not escape the fire. The surviving Heartless were quickly brought down by Donald's staff as he jumped around them, whacking them on the heads and jolting them off the conveyor belt with his Aeroga shield.

While that was going on, Buzz was the first to reach their suitcase. Sora followed closely, having an intuition that Buzz was in for a nasty surprise.

Buzz flung open the suitcase, shouting, " Okay, Woody, let's go!"

Instead of Woody, Prospector loomed before him and walloped him in the face. Shouting in surprise, Buzz tumbled off the conveyor belt, leaving only Sora to face Prospector.

" Take that, space toy," Prospector grumbled and was about to put the lid on the green suitcase when Woody came out and threw himself at Prospector.

" Hey! No one does that to my friend!" he shouted while they tumbled onto the belt, throwing kicks and trading punches.

Sora looked up to the green suitcase. It was radiating darkness.

" Heartless!" Sora shouted a warning. " Jessie, Bullseye, whoever you are, get outta there!"

" They can't, Keyblade Master," Prospector said to him. " All tied up and ready to fly safely to Japan. And the Heartless, they're gonna make sure nobody lets them out unless it's Al."

" You're in league with the Heartless, aren't you?" Sora demanded. Prospector grinned.

" Don't forget the Nobodies," and he threw a punch at Sora.

Shouting, Sora went over the ledge as well.

" No!" Woody shouted, then gasped in horror as Prospector ripped his right arm again with his pick.

" Now, its your choice, Woody," Prospector said darkly. " You can go to Japan together or in pieces. If he fixed ya once, he can fix ya again. Now get in the box!"

" Never!" Woody shouted back at him defiantly.

" Fine!" Prospector lifted his pick, ready to bring it down on the cowboy.

" Strike Raid!" a voice yelled and seconds later, something blazing white struck at Prospector's back, causing him to lose his grip on the pick. Ten seconds later, flashes went off.

" No! Aah!" Prospector cringed, unable to see while Buzz, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, the three Squeeze Toy Aliens, Donald, and Goofy grinned from behind cameras and lights.

" Woo hoo!" Goofy pumped his fist up in the air and took more pictures of Prospector cringing and Sora Super Gliding in, pointing the Keyblade at Prospector. It was obvious Sora was not afraid to blast Prospector into smithereens.

Buzz jumped down and kicked away the pick, then grabbed Prospector's hands and held them behind his back.

" Gotcha," Buzz said with a grin.

" Idiots!" Prospector wailed. " Children destroy toys! You'll all be ruined, forgotten! Spending eternity rotting in some landfill!"

" Well, Stinky Pete, I think its time you learned the true meaning of playtime," Woody said with a smirk on his face. " Right over there, guys!"

He pointed at a pink backpack. Prospector cringed, then caught Sora laughing.

" You're going to pay, Keyblade Master!" Prospector said ominously. " Depriving the Heartless of this world's Keyhole, you're going to pay dearly. We _will_ see to that. It will be the Heartless, not the Nobodies, who will see you dead!"

" Stick him in," Sora said, unfazed by Prospector's threats.

" No," Prospector wailed, looking from Buzz and Woody to Sora. " No! No!"

They watched as the backpack slid away, Prospector wailing all the while.

" Happy trails, Prospector!" Woody waved giddily.

" Buzz! Woody!" Slinky shouted.

" Help us out of here!" Hamm added, understanding that they were trapped.

" Hurry!" Rex yelled, pointing anxiously at a chute they were all headed towards.

" Get out of there, Jessie! Bullseye!" Woody shouted. Bullseye bucked free of the suitcase and ran to Woody but Jessie was still caught inside.

" Oh, no, Jessie! Come on!" Woody cried out while Jessie tried to pull herself free.

" Oh, Woody!" Jessie yelled as the green suitcase slid down the chute to the waiting hands of a worker. She fell limp and the worker shut her in the suitcase, then threw the suitcase into the waiting luggage truck.

" Jessie!" Woody yelled, then whistled to Bullseye. " Ride like the wind, Bullseye! Hey, howdy, hey! Giddyap!"

Buzz and Sora joined him on Bullseye's back and Buzz shouted encouragingly to Bullseye as he slid down the chute and jumped off to follow the luggage truck, " Come on, Bullseye! Yah!"

" Guys, give me a boost!" Woody asked of them as they caught the luggage truck and got it. " Oh! Ohhhh! Ohhh!"

They watched Woody as he tried to keep his balance. Sora then told Buzz, " Keep covering us," and High Jumped onto the luggage truck. Buzz and Bullseye drew back a bit as Sora and Woody inched towards the green suitcase. Then the luggage truck screeched to a sudden stop and they got lost in the baggage.

Then each piece of luggage got thrown onto the conveyor belt leading up to the storage of the Japan-bound plane and Sora and Woody, hiding under separate pieces of luggage, boarded the train. The worker inside the storage chucked the luggage to the side and they quickly scrambled out, spreading out in search of a green suitcase which Woody found first.

" Ah!" Woody said, opening the suitcase and finding Jessie sniffing, alone inside. " Excuse me, ma'am, but I believe you're on the wrong flight!"

" Woody!" Jessie shouted and hugged him.

" Come on guys, we gotta get out of here!" Sora yelled at them and ran for the door to the storage.

" Let's go," Woody said and they reached the edge. " On the count of three, one, two – "

The door shut on them.


	36. Water is the Key

Author's Note: stares at computer Gee guys, thanks for the reviews! My god, that certainly brightens my day! dances around Sorry for such late updates; my school decided to try and have us all survive the last two weeks of school on a 4-hours-a-night-doing-homework thing. But hey, things happen. And if things are still confusing, I'm still working on it, so be patient with me, hehehehe… Enjoy! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 36: Water is the Key 

" Atlantica?" Riku's senses told him what others could see with their eyes; Atlantica was a realm of water. " So we're headed to Atlantica first? How are we going to survive?"

" What do you mean?" Tarzan was confused. Sally had just explained that King Triton's trident could probably keep the Heartless away; what did Riku mean by surviving?

" It's surrounded by water, Tarzan," Riku explained. " You know what that means?"

" We float," Pooh said. " And the only way to move is to drop a stone on you."

" Uh, no Pooh, I don't think so," Riku was perplexed by Pooh's response. " We _drown_."

" We can just swim, right?" Tarzan offered an alternative, not understanding Riku at all.

" I can't swim!" Jack exclaimed. " Sure I can pop up from wells if I wanted to but that's not the same as swimming!"

" We can't swim in Atlantica!" Riku shouted. " We drown! We can't hold our breaths for days, can we? This world is enveloped in water and there's no air for us to breathe!"

" We can do what Donald did to Sora, Goofy, and himself," Sally proposed. " Change us so that we're suitable for water."

" Sally, you know I'm not too fond of water," Jack began to protest.

" I installed a portal here, Jack," Sally gestured to the back of the gummi ship. " You're needed by the people of Halloweentown; take it to Traverse Town and leave this sort of business to us."

" What did Donald do?" Riku demanded, conjuring the image of the court wizard in his mind.

" He changed Sora, Goofy, and himself to suit the watery environment," Sally explained patiently. " Turned them into half-aquatic animal so that they can survive underwater."

" How are we going to turn into half-aquatic animals?" Tarzan asked slowly, being extra slow around the word ' aquatic'.

" Magic," Sally said with a smile. " I'm quite well versed in this type of magic; a good acquaintance of mine taught me."

" Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no," Riku backed up. " You are not turning me into a monster!"

" No choice, Riku," Sally said calmly. " Pooh can man the gummi ship, keep it safe and keep other Heartless ships away from Atlantica. We can go down there and Atlantica from the same portal Jack can use to go to Traverse Town."

" Sally, I don't want you to risk yourself," Jack said severely. " You're very important to our cause."

" Yet he needs the guidance more than you," Sally did not elaborate on who 'he' was but Riku had a very good idea who it was. " Take the portal. Think the name 'Traverse Town' and it will take you to Cid's place. You'll be meeting Alice, Aladdin, Jasmine, and hopefully Dr. Finkelstein there-"

" Oh, Alice made it safely to Traverse Town?" Jack sounded a bit surprised. " Thank goodness she's safe. What about the other princesses?"

" Snow White and Cinderella made it," Sally thought for a minute. " Aurora definitely made it; since Maleficent is up and at it, she's the first refugee. The only ones in more danger than us are the princesses Belle and Kairi."

" How is Kairi in danger?" Riku asked, alarmed. " And what of Belle?"

" Belle hasn't made it to Traverse Town, I'm afraid," Sally explained. " She's still trying to turn Beast's heart. Kairi is down at In-Between and she's got a lot ahead of her. Merlin and Selphie are helping her, I expect but it will be her who will close its door."

" Close?" Riku was puzzled. " Why close a door?"

" Close one door and you open another," Sally smiled. " It's that simple. But she will have to pay attention to her task, as so do you. Jack, go to the portal while we take care of our business up here."

Jack nodded resignedly, broken by female willpower, and strode to the back of the gummi ship, waving to them. Riku, Tarzan, and Pooh waved back then turned to Sally, who told Pooh, " Man the gummi ship well but don't bring it close to Atlantica. The gravitational pull can yank this technological ship into the waters and that will certainly be disastrous. Stay in one spot, preferably, while we go down and meet up with King Triton and Ariel."

" What creature am I going to be?" Riku asked nervously as she led them towards the back. Jack, they could tell, had found the portal and used it; now Sally was leading them towards a faintly glowing circle on the floor.

" It'll depend on your nature, perhaps," Sally replied. " But I must warn you; the magic of the universe as been unstable since the Heartless and the Nobodies reappeared and appeared. If the magic doesn't work, well, it would work but to what level? Certainly it will allow you to breathe underwater but if worst comes to worst, you might actually take up the form of the creature."

" The actual form?" Riku could imagine himself swimming on the shores of Destiny Island as a sardine – no, can't think about Destiny Island, not now!

" Doesn't harm anyone or anything," Sally said with a shrug as she stepped onto the glowing circle. " But it will hurt the Heartless."

Tarzan joined her in the circle. Riku, hesitant about swimming around as a sardine, stepped in as well.

" Good luck," Pooh waved to them. He didn't mind not being with them down at Atlantica. Now he could explore the whole of the gummi ship with Riku breathing down his short little neck the whole time.

Then again, Pooh didn't even have a neck.

" Don't dismantle the gummi ship, Pooh, you hear me?" Riku instructed before all three of them vanished.

He opened his eyes slowly, unsure of what had happened, of what had happened to him. He was rather too nervous to find out for himself. But sooner or later, he would have to know what had happened to himself.

" Is this – is this Atlantica?" Riku wondered as he blinked, his vision coming into focus – coming into focus?!

" Wha!" he shouted, jumping up. " I can see, I can see, I can –"

He was floating, he wasn't falling back down to the ground. He was in _water_. And he was _breathing_.

" It worked," Riku realized. " So I can breathe underwater, to the very least! And my eyes, I can see again!"

Giddiness bubbled up in him; finally, after a year and weeks of wandering around in darkness, barely able to make out shapes, using his mind to see and seek out, he could finally truly see colors again with his own eyes. His mind had seen for him enough, now he could let his mind rest and let his eyes work again

" I can't believe I can see!" he shouted and went around in circles, not noticing how he was doing it. " I can see, I can see, I can see! I can–"

He realized he was going around in circles, hovering above strange rock formations, waving seaweed, and huge clamshells. Not only did he realize that, he saw a black tail swimming around with him. A tail shaped like a crescent moon, jet black. It looked like the tail of a shark Tidus once spotted back at Destiny Island, jet black and like a crescent moon.

" A shark?" Riku wondered. " I'm part shark?"

He looked at his hands and stared in disbelief. No, they were not hands; he definitely remembered how his hands looked like. These were –

" I'm a shark!" Riku wailed.

" A shark! A talking shark!" Tarzan's voice shouted clearly in the water. " Sally, I think we found him!"

" Oh dear," Sally's voice agreed, and with astonishment. " So the spell affected him the way I warned us, didn't it?"

Riku turned towards the voices, looking stunned as Sally, whose head was attached to the body of what was later known as a huge sunfish, and Tarzan, who was normal from the head to the waist and then was a swordfish waist down, approached. He panicked.

" What do you mean?" Riku demanded. " I'm not – I'm not an actual shark, am I?"

" Aaaahhh! A shark! Ariel, it's a shark!" another voice began to shout and scream. " And monsters! Ariel, we're under attack! Aaaahhh!"

" Flounder, calm down!" a willful woman's voice reprimanded. " I don't think those are monsters. And I definitely know sharks don't talk like us."

" I really am a shark," Riku was depressed.

" Ariel, how very nice to meet you, especially under the present circumstances," Sally nodded to whoever it was behind Riku. " And your daughter?"

" She's back at the castle above," Arial said calmly. " After that escapade several months ago, she's been…a bit more obedient, I suppose."

Sally suppressed a laugh. " Takes after you, I might have to say. Are you sure she won't be following us this time?"

" Eric's got a good eye on her," Ariel promised. " Now, who are your friends?"

" This right here," Sally gestured to Tarzan, " is from Deep Jungle, Tarzan. You know of Deep Jungle's fate."

Ariel nodded, her face suddenly troubled.

" And this shark?" Ariel looked to the jet-black shark the yellow and blue fish named Flounder feared.

" Where do I begin?" Sally mused. " You know about how magic is changing, the laws of it, right? Well, this is just what happens. I consider it to be a side effect but I guess it looks pretty bad, considering what sort of sea creature he transformed into."

" Real bad," Ariel admitted. " But who is he, then?"

" I'm Riku," he spoke up before Sally could say anything. " You know, the one who became an ally of the Heartless, then got used by Ansem, then got stuck behind Kingdom Hearts with King Mickey, then got out of Kingdom Hearts blind, and is here right now as some stupid black shark."

He said it all very fast and very angrily. He immediately regretted his tone of voice, though. Everyone who heard it looked very hurt.

" I – I'm sorry," Riku apologized, embarrassed. " I didn't want – well, it's a long story but to make it short, I didn't' want people to misunderstand who I am."

He was referring, to Tarzan that is, the moment back at Coliseum when Meg misunderstood Riku's purpose.

" No harm done," Ariel accepted his apology. " Considering your situation, I understand quite clearly why you behaved that way. So, you're Riku. I think Father was expecting you."

" Excuse me?" Riku was confused.

" King Triton, Riku," Sally explained. " Ariel's father is King Triton."

" Oh…" Riku trailed off. In his mind, he finished it off with a, _…no…_

He just spoke in an insolent manner to the princess of Atlantica! How embarrassing!

" Come, this way," Ariel began to swim away, descending with the dipping sea floor and gesturing to a tunnel. " This is the way to the palace. It's urgent that you hurry. This world may be protected against the Heartless but Heartless still resides here. And he seems to have more urgent matters to discuss with you. Involving Neverland, Hollow Bastion, and Sora."

She spoke the name of the Keyblade Master slowly and Sally immediately understood. Six months ago, a catastrophe spread out through the universe, wiping out the minds of everyone it touched, Sally's included. It could not affect Sora, Donald, and Goofy like the others, though, for the light within each of them was too strong. But it did toggle with Sora's brain. Things got worse as he began searching for memories, for many of them, Sally included, could not remember him.

_Of course, its all been fixed, thank goodness_, Sally thought as they followed Ariel through a tunnel, down a current, up another room, and into Undersea Gorge. _But the side-affects of the catastrophe still lingers. And Sora has not yet found all his memories._

She had no need to elaborate further on this; she already knew. Not that she knew exactly but she knew enough.

Smiling, she followed Ariel, Riku, and Tarzan towards a tunnel marked with golden tridents.

" Father, here is the one you told me to look out for," Ariel called out to the bearded king of Atlantica. " The black shark is Riku, Father."

King Triton, who was wondering what the black shark was doing, quickly understood and said, " Backfire, did it?"

Riku gave the old man a steely eye. " You have something to talk to us about? Ariel mentioned it to me."

" Oh, yes, of course, of course," King Triton said, fingering his beard in one hand and caressing his golden trident with the other hand. " Sebastian, clear out this room."

Sebastian, who happened to be a small red crab, nodded, bowed, and scuttled out of the Throne Room. King Triton then gave Ariel 'the eye'.

" Father, I'm a grown woman now," Ariel shot in exasperation. " Let me know the inner stuff about our world; I can be of help for this, too."

King Triton merely rolled his eyes. " Hopefully we don't' need anyone's help; the trident does more than enough to defend Atlantica against the Heartless. But stay if you will, I can't force you."

Riku wondered what this exchange was all about but he didn't ask; that wasn't important.

" Riku, you are laden with the task of finding Kingdom Hearts," King Triton cut to the facts. " The only way to close Kingdom Hearts without having any fools open it again -" he looked to Sally at this, who gave him a warning look "- is to seal it with the Oblivion Key. Seal the door of light that holds in the darkness with darkness and it will seal indefinitely. This will impend the Heartless movement in the universe."

" What are you talking about by fools?" Riku demanded testily.

" I think I've heard of this before…" Tarzan mused but no one heard him.

" Riku, the thing is, someone opened Kingdom Hearts," Sally explained. " That someone destroyed Hercules' world and is now guarding Sora. Long story."

" I haven't seen any green since we first got here," Selphie mused as they walked out of Waterfall Cavern.

" Now that I think about it, you're right," Kairi agreed. " In-Between's rather dead, it seems."

" Well that's what In-Between is kind of like: dead," Merlin replied. " Apparently, now we're going to break the rules of In-Between by bringing some green into this world.

" As soon as we find some water, that is," Jane added. " I haven't seen any water since we first got here."

" Then how did you last this long?" Selphie asked, surprised.

" We were only here for how many days, Terk?" Jane asked.

" Um…let me see," Terk thought carefully. " Oh right, maybe four, five, six, or nine days!"

" But it sounds like you've been here for a long time," Kairi said, confused.

" In-Between is a slow realm," Merlin decided to explain. " The time of In-Between is much slower than the time in the real universe. Weeks may pass above yet it may only be days down here. You can stay stuck here for years and when you – if you manage to return to real universe, you will find that thousands of years have gone by."

" Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Selphie asked.

" That is a question that I cannot answer," Merlin admitted as he looked up the looming edge of the waterfall. " Nobody have trouble rock climbing?"

" Uh…" Kairi turned red.

" Right, I think our attire isn't going to help us," Jane understood immediately.

" Ha, ha, ha you guys don't have pants on, ha, ha, ha!" Terk mocked them as she bounded her way up.

" Very funny, Terk," Selphie growled.

" Sigh…do you wish me to teleport us up there then?" Merlin asked resignedly.

" Will it hurt you?" Kairi demanded. " If it does, its okay, we'll just climb our way up. There's no need to expend your energy when you don't' need to."

" No, it really won't hurt me," Merlin reassured her. " And, truth be told, time is of importance, especially here in In-Between. There is no way of telling time between both realms so preferably the faster we move, the better."

Merlin then closed his eyes, then reached behind his back and pulled out a long wand. He waved it rather merrily, which was odd for such a forlorn place.

" Uh, Merlin?" Selphie wondered whether or not the wizard had suddenly lost his mind. " What are you –"

" Here we are," Merlin said cheerfully and the others realized that the scenery had changed.

Well, everyone except for Terk. They soon found her struggling up the side of the cliff, grumbling to herself all the while.

" Still laughing at us about not wearing pants?" Jane grinned teasingly.

" Aw be quiet!" Terk snapped back as she pulled herself up. " Now what?"

" The dry riverbed," Jane replied patiently.

" Also known as an arroyo," Merlin added helpfully.

" What's an arroyo?" Selphie asked curiously.

Silence.

" What?"

" You didn't' hear a word Jane said?"

" What did she say?"

" An arroyo is a dry riverbed, Selphie, like the one we're on."

" Oh, I knew that."

Kairi sometimes wondered if Selphie thought their journey to help Sora was in any way romantic. If the story of the paupu fruit was romantic in her eyes, surely everything else is romantic in her eyes, too. The only bad thing about her dreaming about this sort of thing was that Selphie lost track of everything and so she would not hear or see anything.

" It's so dry," Kairi commented as she kicked at the dried-up riverbed. The dust that managed to jump into the air fell back down heavily; there was absolutely no wind to toss them around.

" No water's been running through since we landed here," Jane said as they walked up the trail of dried mud and dust deep into the grayish trees of Deep Jungle. " The water source was suddenly cut off and the water stopped flowing. Something stopped up the water."

" Either that or there is no more water," Merlin said. " If there really is no more water, I might as well teleport us again."

" Why didn't you do it before?" Selphie demanded crossly.

" Not only are we trying to get the water flowing," Merlin began, " letting the water flow and bring life back to Deep Jungle may revive this world and take it back to the real universe. That's why I didn't teleport us up there."

Selphie, who was about to open her mouth to protest against him not using his magic to get them to the tree Jane and Terk told them about, shut it quick, understanding now.

" We can see Tarzan again!" Terk crowed. " Come on; let's see what's keeping the water up!"

She bounded forward through the riverbed and the others had to walk fast to keep up.

Presently, though, they reached a wide depression in the ground, which was apparently once the home of a pool of water. There was nothing more beyond it.

" That's strange," Terk said, standing up and surveying the scenario. " All that water, crashing and splashing down the waterfall, came from this pond? That's not right."

" Terk's right," Kairi agreed. " It seems all that water came from here."

" No inlet for water from anywhere," Jane mused. " This is strange."

" It could be that the inlet is sealed somewhere in this hard, dry depression," Merlin offered an explanation as he looked about the remains of the pool.

_Or_, whispered a foreign voice, _the river could have been sealed for a good reason._

Kairi bit back a scream but Selphie held back nothing and belted out a shriek. Jane and Terk jumped but Merlin, with an amused look on his face, did nothing.

" Now what?" Merlin demanded. " What is wrong with the pool?"

He had a bored tone and expression, like something similar to this has happened before.

" Merlin?" Kairi ventured to ask, then froze as the looming figure of a great white knight, with a long blue strip of cloth wound around his neck, stepped forward from among the trees.

_Finally, I find you here, here of all places_, the creature was saying. _Merlin, the water was blocked because this pool was drawing in Heartless. That was one of the main reasons why this world came here, to In-Between._

" Merlin, I don't' get it; what is going on?" Selphie whispered fearfully.

" What's wrong with the pool?" Jane asked.

" Yeah, what's wrong with the pool?" Terk agreed defensively. " You know, I've actually been here before."

_Did you see anything in the waters? Something odd, like the future, perhaps?_ the knight questioned.

" Come to think of it," Terk thought. " Hm…I think I had! There were three figures facing off some figure on something invisible. Really weird. That was before Jane, Clayton, Sora, Donald, and Goofy came crashing here."

" You saw the battle in which Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated Clayton, I believe," Merlin noted. " So, this pool shows the future, I suppose?"

_Indeed Merlin,_ the knight-creature agreed. _That is why I stopped the water. You know what will happen if the Heartless define what they can see in the water._

" What Sally knows," Merlin had a look of astonishment on his face. " Of course!"

" Someone just please tell us what in hell is going on here?!" Selphie shouted at them.

" Oh its quite simple, Selphie," Merlin replied pleasantly. " The pool of water here, the source of all sources of water here in Deep Jungle, was clogged up by my good friend Dream Heart here because if he doesn't, Heartless would've really destroyed this place. The pool draws them in because it radiates a signal and because they can figure out what would happen in the future and use that knowledge to their advantage. And in the process of stopping the water flow, Dream Heart has written the doom of Deep Jungle."

" Hey, you big bafoon!" Terk shook a fist at the great creature. " What are you trying to do, kill us?"

_No, I'm trying to tell you how to undo the stopper_, Dream Heart replied calmly. _Being a member of a certain order Merlin is part of, I was to do everything in my power to keep the Heartless, and the Nobodies, away from the important elements. But now, the time has come for you to see what is in this certain pool of water. What the pool may show you, Kairi, may happen whenever, a minute from now, a thousand years later; you must be prepared to accept what you see however._

" Hey, why are you talking as though she's the one looking at this pool?" Terk demanded.

" What about me?" Selphie asked.

_Kairi is a Princess of Heart; she _must_ see what is in this pool of water_, the Dream Heart explained calmly and persuasively. _Merlin, this pool is – or was, connected to the pool in Sherwood Forest. I've told the Friar to be on the lookout for her connection to the pool for he may have news and information that she may need. _

" And Princess Kida?" Merlin asked. The others were certainly getting confused.

_We'll see_, Dream Heart was saying. _I hear there is trouble in her part of the universe. She may have her hands full._

Merlin nodded at this and then asked, " What did you do to the pool?"

_Very simple,_ Dream Heart replied, waving what seemed to be a huge long lance for a left hand over the dried depression on the ground. _I clogged the water source with the dirt material mixed with water. After the water seeped out into the waterfall, the wet dirt left behind hardened._

" It's called mud, Jumbo," Terk added.

" So you're telling me the water source is buried somewhere around here?" Selphie demanded.

" Is the water really still here?" Jane asked.

_It is_, Dream Heart confirmed. _Release it and after Kairi sees what she needs to see and speaks to those who must speak with her, this world will return to the real universe._

" Well, that's definitely good," Jane said with a nod and a smile.

" Question is, where did you plug the water?" Kairi said, looking around.

_Somewhere around here_, Dream Heart responded.

" I am not digging unless I know where," Selphie shot back.

" It's not that hard," Terk said, walking around with a huge branch. " You just poke here, and there, and here and there…"

She walked around, literally stabbing the ground with the branch like it was a dagger, leaving behind deep holes.

Trouble was, she was going to have to make a lot of holes in order to find the spot where Dream Heart clogged up the water.

_Merlin, I must go_, Dream Heart suddenly spoke and Kairi noticed that it was starting to fade. _Trouble has risen and I must answer to it. You know how dangerous the universe has become._

The Dream Heart faded into the gray and Kairi and Selphie were left alone with Merlin, Jane, and Terk bent on stabbing the good earth to death.

" It's gotta be here somewhere," Terk grumbled while she stabbed at the ground. " It's here or there or -"

" Or there," Jane stated, pointing at the far end of the pool, where the hard ground had begun to darken. " Terk, go back there and stab some more!"

Terk bounded back and began stabbing at the ground like mad. Splinters began to fly as Terk worked like frenzy to get more than just dark, moist ground.

" The water!" Merlin exclaimed while water seeped out. " Terk get out of there. Quickly, we do not want to dirty the water!"

" Are you saying we're dirty?" Selphie demanded while they scrambled up the side of the pool.

Kairi, who was carrying the jade box at the time, lost her hold on it and it tumbled down the side of the pool, stopping where the water was streaming out like a geyser.

" We can't lose the jade box!" Merlin shouted. " Kairi, grab it and get out! It's a very bad idea to stay in the pool; Terk you do know what I mean."

" Animals who go to the pool and go _in_? We never see them again," Terk said.

Kairi scrambled to the jade box and picked it up. But as soon as she picked up the box, the water sprayed out forcefully, as though it was angry to lose the touch of the container. The water level rose madly, creeping up above her ankles and towards her knees. She waded through the water, keeping the jade box as far away from the water.

" Is it just me or is the box glowing?" Jane wondered. She wasn't alone in this.

The box cast an aura of color around its surroundings and the gray of In-Between began to fade in Deep Jungle. The world seemed to be gaining a hint of a color not seen within for days.

" The water and the box working together to bring life back to Deep Jungle," Merlin noted. " Interesting."

Kairi, who now had water up to her waist, was no nearer to the side of the pool. " Something's holding me back!"

" Kairi!" Terk leaned over the side, holding out the huge branch. " Take this. We'll pull ya in."

Kairi grabbed at it with her right hand, keeping the jade box safe above water with the other hand. She could not get a grip on the branch, though, and the only way to do so was to use both hands. That would mean losing the jade box.

" I can't, not without letting go of the jade box," Kairi began to panic as the water level rose ever more furiously, reaching her neck.

" I think the water's trying to tell us something," Merlin mused.

" Merlin, get some sense into your head," Selphie snapped. " Water does not talk!"

" No, no, no, dear girl, I mean it quite differently," Merlin responded. " I think the connection between this world and the others in the real universe would happen only if Kairi was within it!"

As he said that, the water exploded, drenching everyone. It overflowed and slapped at their feet. Terk, shouting, lost her balance and fell in, only to be dragged away into the reviving river.


	37. A Friend is Precious

Author's Note: Its not Christmas anymore but merry Christmas anyways! I'm not saying it Christian-like, don't worry; I'm not religious. But it's a holiday for giving and crap so here you go, chapter 37. And yes, we're back to Sora & Co. now…and Aozora, too. Things will start getting interesting, I promise you. Or at least they are interesting…not as interesting as Chain of Memories! Well, on with the story! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 37: A Friend is Precious 

" What are we going to do?" Jessie whispered in fear as they retreated from the shut door. " Woody?"

" I don't know," Woody replied as he hopped through the luggage.

" No, not that," Jessie said. " I mean, what if Andy doesn't like me? If we make it out of here, will he accept me?"

" He's going to love you, Jessie," Woody told her firmly. " Both you and Bullseye. Besides, he's got a little sister."

" He does? Why didn't you say so?" Jessie was ecstatic. " Oh wow! Come on, let's get out of this plane!"

" Hey, check this out!" Sora exclaimed. He peered through a glass hatch down onto the wheels of the plane. " I think we can make it out of here."

" Come on!" Woody called to Jessie. " This way!"

He ran to where Sora was and pulled at the glass hatch. Wind blew up in their faces.

" This way!" Woody shouted and waved Jessie over. " Come on, Jessie! Sora, get down there and don't let go. That's the important thing."

" I'd hate to let go," Sora commented as he carefully slid down the metal gears to a safe spot above the rolling wheels of the plane.

" You sure about this?" Jessie asked fearfully as she followed Sora down.

" Uh, no!" Woody said cheerfully as he followed. They all stood balancing carefully as the plane turned and began to move down the straightway.

Woody fished out the loop behind his back and pulled it out. He then aimed and threw it down where the wheels are. The plastic circle caught on the nut that held the contraption together and when Woody tested it the hold, it held.

" You sure about this?" Jessie asked worriedly.

" You've got to be crazy," Sora added, shaking his head.

" No!" Woody replied. He was fearful, frightened like the others, but he knew this was the only thing to do. He'd seen Sora flying but he didn't think Sora could make the others fly. " Let's go -"

The plane jolted fiercely and Woody fell over.

" Woody!" Sora shouted and grabbed his right arm, the one that Prospector had ripped.

" Hold on, Woody!" Jessie yelled and bit back a scream as the rip on his arm got worse.

" Your hat!" Sora shouted as Woody's hat flew off.

" No!" Woody reached out with his left hand futilely as it blew away…

…into Buzz's hand.

" What's a cowboy without his hat?" Buzz shouted, astride Bullseye.

" Does Bullseye ever get tired?" Sora asked in wonder.

" We're toys," Jessie replied.

" Oh, right, I knew that," Sora grinned embarrassingly.

" Buzz/! Buzz!" Woody had an idea. " BUZZ, get behind the tires! Sora, take Jessie's hand. Jessie, let go of the plane."

" What? Are you crazy?" Sora and Jessie both shouted at him.

" Just pretend it's the final episode of Woody's Roundup, Jessie," Woody told her as calmly as he could.

" But it was cancelled! We never saw if you made it!" Jessie shouted. Sora merely listened, not understanding what they were saying.

" Well, then, lets find out altogether!" Woody shouted. Jessie looked to Sora, who nodded while taking a firm hold of her hand. Then they jumped off.

" Oh – oh – oh!" Woody yelled. Jessie screamed and Sora decided to follow her example.

They fell straight down and right under the wheels, passing inches between them. The plastic circle released its hold on the nut and fell after Woody.

Buzz and Bullseye, who had waited behind the wheels as Woody instructed, realized what was coming. " Uh oh."

The impact would have been horrendous if they were all real. Thankfully, they were all – er, most of the them were toys.

" Oh man," Sora moaned as he sat up on the asphalt. " I am never doing that again. I should just leave that to Tarzan."

" We did it! We did it!" Jessie screamed, jumping around and hugging Woody, Buzz, and Sora.

" Nice ropin', cowboy!" Buzz complemented.

" High five!" Sora said and Woody obliged.

" That was definitely Woody's finest hour!" Jessie jumped around madly and hugged Bullseye's neck.

" Your hat, partner," Buzz grinned and handed Woody his hat.

" Hoo – hoo!" Woody crowed.

A plane descended and landed right on them. The wheels passed over them and this time, they missed by centimeters.

When the plane passed on, they were all huddled in one shivering mass.

" Let's…go home," Woody said with a grin and everybody else all obliged.

" Aw great," Sora suddenly shouted, throwing his arms up in the air as a sign of hopelessness. " Donald's gonna kill me!"

" Andy, come on hon. Time to go. Hey, you fixed Woody!" Andy's mom said as she walked in.

" Yeah," Andy said proudly as he held up Woody and his bulked-up right arm. " Glad I decided not to take him to camp. His whole arm might have come off."

He set Woody on the table and walked out with his mom, closing the door behind him.

" Well, what do you know?" Woody said in awe, sitting up. " Guys, you can come out now!"

" And about time, too!" Donald shouted while Sora heaved open the toy box and fell out. " I thought I was gonna suffocate in there!"

" At least we didn't meet any Heartless or Nobodies this time!" Sora laughed. " This was a vacation, compared to everything else!"

" Like when you almost got flown over to Japan!" Goofy agreed enthusiastically as he jumped out and fell on his face. " Better than facing Jafar, right?"

" Don't remind me," Sora moaned.

" You coulda died!" Donald squalled.

" Aw Donald, get a life," Sora waved him away. " Maybe you should learn to play."

" Then can you come over and help me out here?" Hamm called out. He was playing the Buzz Lightyear game and was having a hard time.

" Jafar…I've heard of his name before," Bo Peep commented.

" Yee – hah! Oh, Bullseye, we're part of a family again!" Jessie shouted, showing the horse the underside of her boot, which had 'Andy' scribbled on it.

Bullseye proudly showed his hoofs, which also had 'Andy' scribbled all over it.

" Hey, Bullseye!" Goofy called. " Checkers?"

Bullseye jumped off the bed and Buzz approached Jessie, pondering on what to say.

" Uh, m – ma'am, I, uh – well, I just wanted to say you're a bright young woman with a beautiful yarnful of hair. Uh, a hairful of yarn. It's uh – whoo – uh – I must go," Buzz stumbled over his words and, embarrassed, tried to get away.

" Well, aren't you the sweetest space toy I ever met?" Jessie grinned and kissed him on the cheek.

" What's that?" Slinky asked Buster, Andy's dog, who was barking madly and scratching at the door, his tail tucked underneath him. " Bark bark? This fella says he needs to go out back for a little private time."

" That critter needs help! Yodel – ay – hee – hoo!" Jessie crowed as she kicked up a toy car into her hand and jumped on it like a skateboard. She hopped onto the racecar track that went at a loop before cutting off in the air and sailed through it. After jumped up into the air, she grabbed a hold of the doorknob and turned it, kicking off in the process. The door opened and Buster scrambled out with a bark.

Buzz's jaw fell open and his wings opened out, blinking like mad.

" You've heard of Jafar?" Sora asked Bo Peep suspiciously. In his mind, he thought, _Is she a member of that order Aozora and Cid was talking about? Aw man, why do I need Aozora now? He knows this stuff better than I do!_

" In the video Aladdin, of course," Woody replied casually.

" Video? What's a video?" Sora asked.

" Oh no…" Woody moaned.

" Woody, Jafar is real," Bo Peep said. " Sora, where's the Guardian?"

It was Sora's time to groan.

" Long story!" Goofy called out. The game of checkers over, he joined the others.

" I have a question," Sora asked of Bo Peep. " Why did we need to save Woody?"

" Oh, that," Bo Peep said with a grin. " Because of this. Sora, your Keyblade. Woody, stand right here."

She positioned him in front of Sora, from their position on the desk and their position on the ground.

" No way!" Sora exclaimed as the Keyblade appeared in his hand, generating a lot of 'Oooh's' and 'Ahhhh's' from the other toys. " You're a Keyhole!"

" Exactly," Bo Peep affirmed. " Not only did Woody nearly lose his arm and you guys nearly killed yourselves getting all of you to safety, let alone driving that luggage truck all the way here without crashing, Woody is this world's Keyhole. If you seal Woody, you will be sealing City Point and Andy's Room from Heartless and Nobodies forever…maybe forever. We can't exactly defend ourselves against them, Sora, and we need you to make sure we never have to."

Sora nodded, then looked to Woody. " This won't hurt."

With that, he jumped back, swinging his Keyblade around and pointed straight at Woody. Light glowed and streaked around, from the Keyblade to Woody and a Keyhole formed right in front of him. The light flashed in and filled in the vacant space of the Keyhole with light.

City Point and Andy's Room was sealed.

" Wow!" Wheezy, the rubber penguin, jumped up and down. " I never thought I'd live to see this!"

" What, you knew?" Everyone turned to him.

" This world was so big, we needed two," Bo Peep admitted. " But Wheezy started having problems keeping up with the Order and we were considering recruiting Buzz but Mr. Shark found a squeaker while you were out saving Woody."

" Awesome, Wheezy!" Woody and Buzz exclaimed. " And how do you feel?"

" Oh, I feel swell!" Wheezy said and added the words a professional toy singer would always say, " In fact, I think I feel a song coming on."

The speaker threw him a microphone and Wheezy began to sing.

" You've got a friend in me.

You've got a friend in me.

You just remember what your old pal said,

Babe, you've got a friend in me.

Yeah, you've got a friend in me!"

Woody, Bo Peep, Buzz, Jessie, and Sora heard Andy's mom say, " Come on over. Oh, you are such a big girl. Andy, you think she's ready to drive the car yet?"

" Yeah, and I can teach her!" Andy agreed excitedly.

" Innocence, in this world still," Sora felt oddly peaceful about it.

" You still worried?" Buzz asked Woody.

" About Andy? Nah, it'll be fun while it lasts," Woody replied confidently.

Sora and Bo Peep smiled at this.

" I'm proud of you, cowboy," Buzz said.

" Besides, when it all ends, I'll have old Buzz Lightyear to keep my company for infinity and beyond," Woody added, then looked to Sora, who was now looking at Wheezy. " What's more, I'd love to be around while he grows up. I know for sure he won't be forgetting us anytime soon."

" You've said it," Jessie agreed.

" You're gonna see it's our destiny

You got a friend in me.

(Yes, you do)

You've got a friend in me.

(That's the truth)

You've got a friend in me

Yeah!"

Sora felt a tear form in his eye. _Riku, I'll never give up on you. You've known it from the beginning. No matter what happens, we'll still be friends. And friends never give up on each other. We'll meet again, Riku; yes, we will meet again. Friends always find each other._

He still recalled what Geppetto told him months ago, deep within Monstro.

" You will meet a precious opponent, you once got separated from."

_But I won't be seeing him as an opponent. I'll look into his eyes and know he is still a friend._

" Come on, guys," Sora called to Donald and Goofy, who really was enjoying himself. " It's time to go."

Bo Peep watched as the Keyblade Master, the court wizard, and the captain leave.

" Will he be alright?" Woody asked her.

" That is something I can't say," Bo Peep admitted." We will meet each other again but what will happen before that, we'll just have to see."

Aozora glared at Phil, who returned his steely gaze. Aozora could see the anger within those eyes, an anger he definitely didn't' remember seeing before. It was the other guy, Hercules, who was angry with him, not Phil. But clearly, things change with age. It was Phil who now harbored the hatred, not the son of Zeus.

" Will you guys just quit it?!" Meg cried out in exasperation.

" Quit what?" Phil asked while Aozora kept silent.

" Staring at each other like that! For hours on end!" Meg yelled in return. " I can't stand this! Phil, that part of the past is over now; he's not here to harm anyone anymore, except for the Heartless and Nobodies! Aozora, get over it, too! Sure you did a whole lot of things but was it really your fault?!"

" I opened Kingdom Hearts," Aozora offered.

" You what?!" Phil started screaming at him.

Hercules and Pegasus stared at him, while Eucletes sat down on the temple ground heavily. Phil seemed to have suddenly lost his voice; he grew utterly speechless. Meg merely rolled her eyes.

" Yes, I know," she said. " Blown up this world, opened Kingdom Hearts, and survived that little stunt you pulled on the Society. But really -"

" Society?" Hercules was intrigued. " And what are they?"

" The Society is a group of people – well, they don't have to be people – but they keep the balance between the dark and the light as best as they can," Meg explained. " Well, they were supposed to, anyways, but somehow, while Aozora was a member of the Society, they grew…twisted. They no longer cared much for the balance; they wanted power. They have always worked in the shadows of our presence but now they sought to overthrow the shadows that enveloped them. They decided to make a name for themselves and basically went on a rampage. But it's not a rampage you can actually see. They still worked very subtly, very discreetly. You can thank them for destroying Ancient Greece. Of course they used one of their few masterminds of the Society to plan out a way to make sure practically nothing and nobody escapes the destruction of Ancient Greece. And had not the mastermind they chose be more human than them all, all four of us would not be standing here right now, breathing."

" Oh wait, I think I know who this 'mastermind' would be," Phil said in a sharp, sarcastic voice. His eyes never left Aozora, whose head was bowed in shame.

" What do you mean by mastermind?" Hercules asked curiously.

" I used the fire to set off the fissures in the ground," Aozora said slowly, solemnly. " The fissures were powerful when triggered correctly and they could tear a world apart. I used the fire to set off those fissures. The world tore apart."

" That's real good," Phil couldn't help but comment. This guy was a genius, albeit a rather 'evil' one. " A real good way to get rid of our home!"

" Well, explain to us very clearly why you opened Kingdom Hearts," Hercules continued his questions.

Aozora looked at the son of Zeus very carefully. How was he to explain why he opened Kingdom Hearts? They wanted to know, yes, they very much wanted to know. Did he have a choice?

They had a right to know. They had fought the Heartless and were happy when Sora and King Mickey closed Kingdom Hearts. They had a right to know why the doors were open again.

Aozora reached into the depths of his mind to pull out the memories he had shelved away, left alone to gather dust in the dark corners of his mind…

…_He stood before the looming doors, the bright white threatening to blind him. He was awestruck by the beauty, the stained glass that gave the doors true color. Light was made of all colors and the double doors of Kingdom Hearts easily were the epitome of that. But within, whatever was behind those doors, not many would want to know._

" _Heartless," he said out loud to no one in particular. " Behind the doors of white light lies the great Darkness of this universe."_

_He wondered why he had to open these doors. Why should he? Why should he let out the great evil that lay in wait behind those doors?_

The Kingdom Keys were not chosen to seal those doors_, the voice of his mentor whispered in his mind._ They are chosen to open the greater door, the Door of Light. Darkness lies behind those doors of light and only darkness can seal the doors. There is a king and a boy with him, who are trapped behind those doors, trapped among the darkness. You must save them, Aozora, save them before you go on to find the Keyblade Master.

" _There is a king behind these doors," Aozora mouthed aloud. " His name is King Mickey. Why does he sound so familiar? Why can't I remember? I'm sure I've met him before. But why is it that I only know that and nothing else?"_

_Aozora always wondered at that, at his amazing ability to forget in only a few short years. He had often heard whispers behind his back when he was part of the accursed Society, about how the explosion that destroyed his second home 'addled his brains'. He even forgot the name of his mentor._

" _If I open these doors," he continued to say out loud, " I'd be responsible for every evil in this universe. If I don't open these doors, I'd still be responsible for every evil in this universe. What am I to do?"_

_He could just reach out, use the powers he still retained from his months with the Society, and open the doors of Kingdom Hearts. It was easy; it was, in fact, one of the simplest tasks ever set before him. But the consequences were enormous. But then again, committing evil acts really were easy, much easier than doing good._

" _But I wasn't born to do evil," Aozora scolded himself, then the question bubbled into him. " But was I?"_

_He never knew his parents; nobody offered to tell him. That was a mystery he believed he would never solve._

_He knew vaguely about what had happened long ago; he had lived in a world of peace, rarely affected by warfare and disaster. He had two parents and he had a twin brother. He did not remember his brother's name but he only knew that the name was very similar to his. _

_When they were only two, the world that was never affected by disaster, the world that Aozora had called home, was destroyed. Completely obliterated. This was something he definitely knew; he was, after all, the only survivor. Witnesses from neighboring worlds all told of a huge explosion that lit the night sky like day, a fireball so terrifying many thought the day had doom had come. And when the clouds of the aftermath finally blew away by the cosmic winds, nothing remained. Nothing except him._

_He had been found on another world, one called Celt Circle. An odd name for sure but it was also a peaceful world. He did not know how he was identified as the only survivor of that world but whatever happened, he came to live on that world. For eight years, he lived in an adopted family, loved by his foster parents and well liked by the rest of the village he lived in. He had always wondered to this day why they liked him so much._

_He had two close friends, two who were not afraid by him or his bronze eyes. Many children feared him for they often heard their parents whispering about how he seemed to have come from the dead; he was always pale and thin. One was a boy named Kobi; he, too, was an orphan and lived with a merchant family. The other was a girl named Lorien, and she lived with her relatives; her parents were always somewhere doing 'something real important'. _

_For eight years they lived in perfect harmony with each other. They were always rivals yet they got along very well. Competition was high amongst them and many times it actually almost brought them face – to – face with death._

" _A friend is precious," he could still remember his foster mother's voice, " but two friends are worth more than anything in the world. You are very lucky, Aozora, to have such friends as they for in this universe, friends are no longer easy to come by that you can trust with your life."_

_When Aozora and his friends were ten, a stranger came into town. He was a very frightening one, ominous almost. He strode around in a long black leather trench coat with a hood and Aozora remembered quite clearly that the person had fearsome green eyes._

_Things grew upsetting when people began to note that the stranger and Aozora had very similar facial features. That was something he could not understand. The stranger kept to himself, however, and nothing came out of the whispers._

_It was weeks after the stranger arrived that Celt Circle detonated. Aozora was once again without a home. He was yet again the only survivor but nobody knew. He had become nothing, a nobody to the universe._

_It was then that everything grew blurry and he was unsure of this and that. He remembered staying somewhere for about two years, where he was trained to become what he was now: a dual-wielding Keyblade wielder and incredibly adept in magic and warfare. Then he was entrusted to a shadowy man who became known as 'Mentor'. For six months they lived in solitude, with Mentor teaching Aozora everything needed for survival in a universe that was gradually turning upside down. _

_Six months afterwards, Aozora was initiated into the Society and from there, his life tumbled downward. The Society, by then, had been through many upheavals and finally began a string of destruction. After Aozora masterminded the destruction of Ancient Greece, he attempted to escape the Society. They caught him, however, and he was branded as a traitor, ready to die._

_Mentor then risked his life to save Aozora and the young boy escaped, the only member of the Society to escape alive after the branding. He left with three Keychains and a host of instructions, with one of the first being to open Kingdom Hearts. Strangely enough, he was told to open those doors when he was nearly fifteen. He was ordered to open those doors when he was just shy of that number._

_Aozora wandered the corners of the universe, searching and seeking the owners of two of the Keychains he had been entrusted with. But nobody he knew seemed to be the rightful owner of neither the Oblivion nor the Moonbeam. Nor was he able to find the 'sky-child,' a mysterious person Mentor had ordered him to find and protect. There were vague details involving the 'sky-child' and Mentor had promised him he would be told who it was in due time._

" _But who is this person, damn it!" Aozora growled at himself. Then he looked up at the doors, the double doors. Perhaps it was nearly time; Aozora felt his senses tingling._

_Only a few more months and he would be fifteen. Now was the time to open Kingdom Hearts. He wondered who it was that first closed Kingdom Hearts. He knew the king he had to save was one of them. But who was the other?_

_Then, a voice came to his mind, the humble yet noble voice of someone he somehow knew to be King Mickey._

We are almost there, Aozora,_ the voice said._ Leave the doors open and we will find our way out. These doors will be closed later, though only the Door of Light can truly rid the universe of Heartless and other true minions of the Darkness. For now, just open the doors. But be sure to leave as soon as you do.

_It was time…_

" So you just used the powers you had to open those doors?" Hercules asked as Aozora finished his sorrowful tale of how he was responsible for the influx of Heartless in the universe. " I wish I could do that."

" Only those who have the makings of the power can do that," Meg explained. " Those who show the signs of the power can be trained to use it as they wish."

" Poor kid," Phil now looked at Aozora sympathetically. " You really didn't have any choice, did you? King Mickey told you to open those doors. What other choice did you have?"

" I don't know," Aozora replied. " I know I have an excuse but I never feel happy using excuses. Its either my fault or the other person just knows why it was done."

" A friend is precious…" Eucletes commented. " I've never heard a wiser woman speak than your foster mother. It is true that it has become harder to make friends that you can entrust your life with. The universe had been that way from decades ago. You were lucky to have those friends, Aozora. You really were."

" Your Majesty," Princess Kida said quietly, " the Master and the Guardian are no longer together. The Blinded One still wanders and every world in the Old Universe is vanishing. The Princess is no closer to finding out the truth than the rest of us are. What are we to do?"

" You must wait," King Mickey sighed sadly as he paced around the courtyard of the palace. He looked at the pool of water in the middle of the courtyard, at his tired reflection. " There is still time. Meanwhile, the Master is headed your way. Princess Kida, you must be prepared for whenever he comes, darkness comes as well. The darkness has never left him from the moment he gave himself to the Heartless. It is up to you to help him defeat the darkness around him. There is great evil coming your way, Princess Kida. You must be prepared for it."

" The crystals will help us," Princess Kida said staunchly, fingering the glowing crystal that hung around her neck from a string.

" Help will come in more ways than one," King Mickey said mysteriously. " But there is still something I worry."

" The darkness within the Master," the King of Atlantis whispered as he entered the courtyard. " It lingers though he never acknowledges it."

" Father," Princess Kida turned to him. " How will we defend ourselves against the evil coming our way?"

" That will depend on what course our future will take," the King replied calmly. " That alone could decide our future, the future of Atlantis and our people, and the future of the universe."

" Great power lies here," King Mickey said quietly as he looked pointedly at the pool of water. " We will see what happens when you are forced to resort to it."

" The crystals are unstable," the King agreed. " With the coming of greater power, we will have to see what will happen to our world."

" I will take my leave now," King Mickey said. " I sense darkness; the words of the Prophet are unfailing. Sally's words are right, too. The darkness will come but nothing has been said of the outcome."

" But the Master will survive it," Princess Kida said in a rather triumphant voice.

" But what will come after," the King countered slowly, " what Sally has also said, has also seen, can be much worse than what will happen in our world."


	38. Hidden Memories

Author's Note: This is one controversial chapter and the hardest I've ever written. Therefore, please bear with me here and hang on just a bit. I never intended for this chapter to come about but here it is and there you go. Things get a bit weird but in a little while, everything will clear up. Hopefully. Enjoy, anyhoo! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 38: Hidden Memories 

" What next?" Goofy asked as Donald and he stood at Sora's side.

" We've got maybe three worlds before we hit our side of the universe," Sora replied as he clicked a button and a holographic map of their surroundings appeared. " Yeah, we've got three more worlds here in New Universe before we hit Old Universe."

" Gawrsh, Donald, we can stop by Disney Castle, right?" Goofy asked as he pointed to a distant point between one of the three worlds and what all three of them knew to be Traverse Town. " The least we could do is say hi to Queen Minnie and Daisy, right?"

A look of longing came over Donald's face, something Sora had seen only once before; that was back at Twilight Town and it was something quite laughable.

" Yes, I think so," Donald agreed whole-heartedly. " I think we could stop by Disney Castle before we move on."

" Huyuk!" Goofy was excited. " Maybe Chip 'n Dale have somethin' new for the gummi ship! 'Member, Donald, when they had those huge engines for King Mickey's ship? It was real nice, real nice and real smooth. Wonder why King Mickey didn't use it ever again."

" I'm not sure either," Donald actually seemed to agree. " He used to use it all the time."

" One of the best gummi ships in the universe," Goofy added. " I mean, Cid had real nice gummi ships, kind of like his cousin's airships and all. But, huyuk, they were nothing compared to the gummi ships Chip n' Dale could make for King Mickey. And that one, the one with the big engines, that was the best gummi ship in the universe."

" The fastest," Donald acknowledged. " Fastest, safest, the most powerful gummi ship ever. So fast it could outrun that so-called Big Bang thirteen years ago."

" Big Bang?" Sora mused. Why was that name so familiar? Had he heard of it before?

" _The poor boy," the Mayor's wife whispered sadly. " He's gone, too?"_

" _The last one," the Mayor affirmed regretfully. " Survived the Big Bang, he did, but didn't make it through the next one."_

" _The others, the town must know of this," the Mayor's wife said decidedly. " At least the adults; they have a right to know. After all, many of them had relatives in Celt Circle."_

" _Break it them gently, dear," the Mayor told her softly. " Let the children be; they have the right to live life to the fullest. After all, with the potential heirs of the Keys all dead, it will not be long before the rest of us follows."_

_Keys?_

The wheels in his brain, long rusted over, began to work, began to turn. How did the Mayor of the town by the coast know of the Keys? What does he mean by Keys, though? Kingdom Keys? What other keys are there besides the Kingdom Keys?

The memories began to pour into his mind again, memories long forgotten, memories he thought were erased long ago.

" _I say we sneak into the town center," Riku offered his opinion as soon as Sora finished telling him what he had heard. " See what's going on."_

" _Are you sure?" Kairi asked worriedly. " I've heard of the Big Bang event before. It sounds like adult stuff."_

" _Hey, we're gonna grow up sooner or later," Riku replied as he turned to go. " Why not sooner?"_

" _I don't' wanna grow up," Sora muttered under his breath._

" _That's an inevitable fact of life," Riku shrugged it off. " I want to get older sooner, so I can do adult stuff."_

" _Like what? Try and get off this world?" Kairi replied. " You know most people never make it and the people who do are never heard from again."_

" _It'll be fun." Riku replied as he untied one of the boats from the dock and hopped in. " Come on. I want to know what this Big Bang is."_

_Sora and Kairi had no choice but to follow Riku away from Destiny Island and to town._

Wait a minute; Kairi knew something of the Big Bang? Probably; she did come from another world and probably heard of this Big Bang back there.

"…_we're all doomed?" the adults demanded of the Mayor and his wife as they stood at the steps of the town hall. The adults converged at the bottom of the steps, huddled, demanding, crying, shouting. Fear rose from them in clouds and cast a long dark shadow across town._

" _Calm down, everyone," the Mayor attempted to regain order. " Look, truth is, nobody knows what became of the rest of the family. We do have a recorded survivor but you know how it is with official reports; there's plenty left out."_

" _So you're saying there's more who survived the Big Bang besides that kid?" an adult shouted. " If so, how do we find out?"_

" _Look, when a world explodes, survivors are just thrown into other worlds," the Mayor shot back. " All we have to do is tell the other worlds to search for anyone who turned up in their world eight years ago, on the third Saturday of June. It's that simple."_

" _The barriers were down then," another adult replied, the voice sharp. " Plenty of people could get through. Spira alone received over a thousand people. How do we know who's from that world and who's not?"_

" _They were 'recorded'," the Mayor's wife spoke up. " If you hadn't noticed, _refugees_ are never noted on how they get from one world to the next. People who get through are recorded on how they get there. Usually its by airship or train and those thousand people got through to Spira by both forms of transportation. They didn't suddenly appear on their own by foot."_

" _Hey, wait a minute," the bartender of one of the town's inns suddenly seemed enlightened. " That kid, the one who appeared by the seashore, remember? He was on foot."_

" _What? Him?" the Mayor was surprised but the others quickly realized what the bartender meant._

" _Yeah, he just appeared out of nowhere," they were saying. " The day after that huge explosion in the sky and the meteor storm, we found him on the seashore."_

" _Little kid he was," Sora's mother was heard saying. " An orphan, to the most. He was the only one there. The footsteps around the beach, they were his and his only."_

" _Then what about the girl?" Riku's aunt was quite clearly heard. " The one who appeared at that other meteor storm, the one two years ago?"_

_Sora and Riku looked at Kairi, who shrugged and said, " I really don't' remember much."_

" _That was two years ago, Reba," the Mayor's wife countered. " We're talking about eight years ago."_

" _That kid, you know, I always thought he was strange," the same bartender was saying. To Sora, it seemed that he was hinting at something. " Don't you think so? I mean, he just seems…different, not one of us. He just stands out; don't you think? And those eyes, those bold, sky-blue eyes. You know, until he came along, nobody around here had blue eyes."_

" _Right," the owner of the stall agreed. " And nobody was around with blue eyes again until that meteor storm two years ago."_

" _I don't get it," the Mayor was befuddled. " What are you getting at? What's it with the blue eyes and all?"_

" _Listen Mayor," the bartender said. " Eight years ago, we've had an influx of people coming here, right? Well, not too many but enough people came to make this town bigger than it was back then. But did you notice that most none of them had blue eyes? And the only one that really did was the kid who showed up at the seashore out of nowhere. And to make things more interesting, all those who didn't have blue eyes didn't come from Deep Tranquility. Except for Reba's nephew but his eyes are more green than blue."_

" _Deep Tranquility did have several families with blue eyes," a merchant amongst them agreed. " I've been there before. I had never felt so out of place before. I mean, you see these people walking around with blue eyes…"_

" _Come on, let's get out of here," Riku hissed, suppressing a yawn. "This is boring. We still got that raft to start planning on, remember?"_

" _Oh, okay," Kairi was a bit reluctant to leave; she wanted to know more about people who had blue eyes. After all, all three of them had blue eyes, though of different shades._

_Sora made to go but he didn't follow the others. He stayed put because his mother was speaking up now._

" _You're saying he might be from Deep Tranquility?" she was saying, her voice rising strangely enough. " Ridiculous. You know nobody survived the blast. Well, except for that one child."_

" _But it all fits," the Mayor's wife admitted. " Chances are, whoever has blue eyes either came from Deep Tranquility or had family there. And besides, Yume, he did come here unrecorded, unnoticed until Bart found him."_

" _How do we prove he could be of the family of those Key Wielders?" the town historian suddenly demanded. " All we've proven is that he came from Deep Tranquility."_

" _Nobody can prove whether or not he is a Keyblade Wielder," an elderly woman stated. " It is impossible. Well, almost impossible, anyways. Keyblades did have a tendency to choose within the Keyblade Wielders' families, which are very few in number. However, Keyblades choose those who have the hearts to bear the enormous burden and responsibility each Keyblade carries. There really is no way to prove whether or not Yume's child is part of the Keyblade Wielders' families or that he will be a Keyblade Wielder himself."_

_The town center grew rather silent. Sora didn't' dare to breathe until the adults started talking again._

" _Then what of King Mickey?" Yume ventured to ask after such an awkward silence. " He's not from the family yet he wields a Keyblade as far as I know."_

" _He IS from the family, Yume," the merchant spoke. " His mother comes from the family. And do you remember those stories concerning the Big Bang and how Deep Tranquility exploded? They say that King Mickey went there when the world exploded and came back looking quite different from himself."_

" _Only Keyblade Wielders can use that curse on others," the elderly woman said calmly. " I suspect something had happened concerning King Mickey and the other Keyblade Wielder."_

" _Wait, wait, wait," Yume was befuddled. " What _does_ this have to do with my son?" _

" _Only that he could have come from Deep Tranquility," the Mayor said sadly. " It is a sad tragedy indeed that Celt Circle had been destroyed. It is even more tragic that the last of the family died as well. But considering all that had happened since the Big Bang, we believe that we still have a chance for survival, really. I'm not saying that Sora is the last member of the family but it could be possible that he is somehow related to that family. It is very possible – in fact, it is probably safe to say that Sora did come from Deep Tranquility, that he was a refugee that went unnoticed from the Big Bang."_

_Sora nearly uttered a loud, sharp gasp. He didn't understand much of what was being said but he did understand one thing: his parents Bart and Yume weren't his parents. He didn't have any parents._

" Sora? Sora, are you alright?" Goofy shook his shoulder, trying to snap him out of his trance. " Sora, are you alright? Hello?"

" Wha – wha – what?!" Sora jumped in his seat. " What? What's wrong? What's going on?"

" You went all pale and wide-eyed," Donald explained. " What's wrong, Sora?"

" Donald, Goofy?" Sora turned to them. " About you guys, King Mickey, and everybody else…please tell me you were always like this?"

" What do you mean?" Goofy asked curiously.

" Like – like animals, you know," Sora stammered, still stunned by his long suppressed memories. " Did you guys always look like animals or were you like something before that?"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other and Sora saw looks of worry and astonishment flash between their eyes.

" And what of Robin Hood?" Donald sniffed. " Really, Sora, where do you get these ideas?"

" I – I don't know," Sora replied, sinking low in his chair, wondering if he should be glad or extremely worried.

" _When you awaken sleeping memories," Axel's dark words echoed in his mind, " you may no longer be you."_

" My parents, were they really my parents?" Sora murmured to himself, unaware of the fact that Donald and Goofy could still hear him. " Were they really my parents or is it all just a dream? But if they aren't, then who am I?"

_He recalled how he decided to be tight-lipped about the whole situation, though he wanted to know very badly the truth. What was the Big Bang? And were his parents really his parents? But he had kept his mouth closed and locked away the words in his mind, until they faded into the dust and darkness within. Now he regretted not asking, not wondering. Now he would never know the truth behind it all._

" Donald, Goofy, what is the Big Bang?" Sora decided to find out for himself.

When silence seemed to be the only answer, he looked back at them, only to find them watching him in a harried sort of way.

" The Big Bang?" Donald was extremely hesitant. " The Big Bang was an event that took place thirteen years ago. Nobody really knew what happened but whatever did happen, a world called Deep Tranquility detonated."

" Exploded with a loud bang!" Goofy agreed. " It was so big and so loud people started calling it the Big Bang. With that huge explosion came meteor storms and you know what that means!"

" World barriers normally don't stay open for very long," Donald continued. " They usually close within months. And nobody knows when the meteor storms would come and go, which is why travel between worlds had never really been successful. Which is why you probably had no idea about it. If you, Riku, and Kairi had gone off in that raft had the Heartless not come, you would merely have circled the world; you would have gone nowhere."

" Oh, I see," Sora replied, not really seeing. His mind was always distancing itself again.

_I'm an orphan_, he thought. _I can't believe I forgot about that meeting, I can't believe I forgot about that. I don't have a family to call family and I don't have a home that I can really call home. I'm an orphan and the Keyblade just decided to choose me. Riku was supposed to get it but it was me it chose. But what could that mean? And are Donald and Goofy telling the truth? Donald was always hiding stuff, not like Goofy. But Goofy went along pretty well, like he knew what could happen, too, if it was true. I hope it's not true though; I liked how I was ten minutes ago._

As far as Sora was concerned, the memories that had long been hidden were already turning his world upside down. But how far the memories would go in changing him he did not know. Nor did he want to know.

" You really can't remember your past, can you?" Phil suddenly asked of Aozora as he lounged on a couch within the temple. Aozora paced the perimeter of the room, staring at his feet, not really thinking. " I mean, how could you forget the name of your teacher in like two years? A simple nobody, I understand, but this was your teacher, a guy who taught you all that you know now. And you remember all that but not your teacher's name? That really doesn't make sense."

" Clearly you have never been in the center of an explosion," Meg spoke up his defense. " Impact of that sort can mess with your mind to such an extent memories can vanish. Eventually you'll start to remember again but what I mean by 'eventually' means memories may take an actual lifetime to come back."

" Poor kid," Phil said sympathetically.

" I don't need any pity," Aozora returned stiffly. " When is Hercules done talking to his father, anyways?"

" You can't rush the gods," Phil answered calmly. " Just relax."

" Easy for you to say," Eucletes quipped as he came in carrying a large earthenware bowl laden with fruit. " Business is crazy back at my spot and Aozora's still gotta catch up to Sora."

" But not before we have a chat with several members of the Order," Meg countered. " Once Hercules is done talking to Zeus, we can use that same room to contact the Order. It's obvious we're no closer to transferring the Oblivion and the Moonbeam to their rightful owners and we've got to figure out how. It's gotta be soon, too, because we can't let the feathers fall."

" Wait, let me clarify something," Phil said as he snatched an apple from the earthenware bowl that Eucletes carried in. Eucletes threw a warning glance at the satyr but that went ignored. " What exactly happens if the feathers fall? I mean, you Navigators know it all but the rest of us sure don't! What the hell happens?!"

" The most enjoyable darkness comes, of course," an unknown voice wafted into the room. " That is what we live for and that is what we'll let happen."

A tall man in a long black trench coat strode in. He had long blond hair and cold earth-brown eyes that never left Aozora and Meg. He smirked when he saw Aozora twitch but Meg glared back at him coolly.

" What are you doing here?" Aozora growled.

" Oh, I don't intend to try and blast you into space and all," the man replied airily as he leaned on the couch Phil was lounging on, causing the satyr to back away quickly. " I'm just here to divulge in some 'privileged' information."

" And how is that going to help any of us for that matter?" Meg demanded. " You know _we_ can blast you into space right now, with you coming in here so boldly and without weapons."

" Oh I know that," the man answered. " I know the power of the Guardian; I've been witness to it before. But there's more to it then just power. The legend, the prophesy, the Guardian is weak without the Master."

Aozora twitched again. His bronze eyes narrowed dangerously.

" Why don't we take this outside, in front of all the other people, just to make sure that you don't pull any moves on us," Aozora hissed, his voice cold and severe.

_Knowing how much more humane you are than the rest of the lot…besides 'him'_, he thought. _At least you don't blast innocent people to bits and waste your energy doing so._

He then added, with contempt, " Vixen."

" Very well," the man identified as Vixen was not bothered by Aozora's request and strode out the door. Aozora followed him with his eyes staring at the floor. They moved up occasionally to glower at the man's back and it seemed to the others that Aozora was desperately trying to kill him with his glare.

Apparently he was utterly failing.

" What's going on?" Hercules asked loudly as he stomped into the room, wondering why the others were staring at the other hallway. " What are you guys looking at? And where's Aozora?"

" A member of the Society wants to have a little chat with him," Meg replied, her tone a bit cold. " Now if you all will excuse me, I must contact members of the Order."

With that, she strode out of the room in the direction Hercules had just come from.

They watched her vanish, then Hercules looked at the others. " What's eating her?"

" Alright, Vixen, what do you want?" Aozora demanded as they stood in broad daylight in front of the marketplace.

" You know, Aozora," Vixen drawled, " I always thought you were a simpering little twerp but never had I thought you'd be such a thorn at our side. Fleeing the Society, aiding the Keyblade Master and the King, and in general making life hard for us and hurting us to no end. But there is one question I've been wondering about for quite some time now. You were without a doubt one of the most useful members in the Society, something we utterly hate to acknowledge. But do tell me, why did you leave our wonderful Society?"

" I don't stay amongst corrupt people," Aozora answered calmly, his eyes gazing elsewhere. " They are fools."

" You know," Vixen gazed at the teenager with spiteful eyes, " I always thought you were trouble. You and Eldest both. But it was you I thought who would cause the most trouble. Even in our greatest accomplishments, I thought you were a sleeping storm, just waiting for the right weather to awaken in. How right I was."

" Your point being?" Aozora demanded impatiently, his temper simmering slowly but surely in the heat of the day.

" You know the power we of the Society have," Vixen whispered, leaning towards Aozora, intimidating him. "A slight twist of our hand, the snap of a finger, and everything you know and everyone you love will come crashing down upon you. From the moment you joined, you've known how carefully we've handled this situation, you've known that if we did everything all at once, loudly, boldly, everything will fall into ruin. So this is what I've come to ask of you: stop following the Keyblade Master."

Aozora looked at Vixen as though the man had lost his mind. " You're asking me to stop following Sora? Geezes, the evilest people can be so stupid. Waste their breath using fancy words to ask of people the stupidest things in the universe. Vixen, I've got to admit this: I always thought you were a lunatic. Well, Axel is _the_ lunatic but you're…"

He showed Vixen a thumbs-down.

" I'm trying to fix things," Vixen replied with a hopeless shrug. Had the person he be talking to not been Aozora, Vixen would have been quite convincing.

A pity he was talking to Aozora.

" You're trying to help tear the universe apart," Aozora replied calmly. " You guys should stop following Sora around. And seriously, that was the stupidest question you can ever question. Of course I'm going to chase after Sora until I catch up to him!"

" Not unless we try and stop you," another voice, a voice Aozora hated more, quipped lazily from the columns supporting the temple

Aozora grimaced. _Not you, too!_

" Your mentor had been apprehended, little one," Domitan said calmly as he seemed to flirt with every Greek girl that came their way. " His protégés will soon be killed. Once that is done, we will go after the Keyblade Master. And once we're finished with him…you're next."

" Eldest had protégés?" Aozora was stupefied. " But – but – but – "

" You are even stupider than Vixen," Domitan noted with a sneer. " You think you know so much, little one, but in fact you know so little. You know nothing beyond your own universe, nothing before your own eyes."

" Agreed," Vixen added with contempt, his casual expression now changing into a truly ugly sneer. Domitan was not spared this look. " So resistant to the darkness yet the darkness has always been part of your life. A fool you are to resist. Even the Keyblade Masters had not resisted."

" What?" this was new to Aozora.

" Where have you been looking for the Keyblade Masters, lost one?" Domitan mused. " Misguided fool, sigh…what are we ever to do with you?"

" I'm no longer one of you," Aozora turned to go. " Go away now; our truce is over. I have my business to attend to and you have yours. You've wasted my time."

Not even five steps later, he found himself on his back. Vixen had his foot on his stomach while Domitan looked down on him.

" Oh we have business to attend to, of course," Domitan began to drawl. " But that business involves you. See, our good friend Axel made a grand mistake and we have set out to fix it. Our good boss was mighty displeased with Axel and so we've set out to correct what's been done wrong."

" Oh?" Aozora tensed himself, feeling very naked lying on the ground, practically defenseless. He readied himself for a surprise attack to free himself and alert the others. Vixen responded by placing more weight down on him, making the teenager wince.

" You're not going away until we're done," Vixen hissed.

" Axel's got too much on his hands to deal with you," Domitan drawled, " so we're taking care of the business for him. The devise isn't needed any longer, especially since that dive you took in that cursed lake back at Sherwood Forest deactivated it. Stupid Axel, not sealing the device against all forces of nature."

" Device…" Aozora wondered at this. This had been mentioned before, hasn't it?

" _You need not know until later," the Emperor did not advance that subject. " You must know, however, that the incident back in Twilight Town was played out for a reason. That reason is very dangerous to this whole situation, Aozora. You must find out what they had done…or suffer the consequences…"_

The incident back at Twilight Town, did it have anything to do with the device? The beggar man…and Axel, yes the hooded Unknown _was_ Axel, they were talking about something, something suspicious…

… "…_Now, let us go place the device on our young friend…" …_

He could still remember those mysterious words, words that had never made any sense to him.

Until now.

" What is the nature of that device?" Aozora demanded, looking up at the intimidating faces of the two Unknowns.

The two looked at each other, then Domitan said casually, " The device is a sort of a stalker."

" We've been puzzling over why the Order's been able to find out most of our moves while we couldn't," Vixen continued. " So we decided to target someone we know enough who'd basically work for them. But we puzzled over who for years, that is, until-"

" You left," Domitan interrupted. " You left, so we began to plan a way to target you."

" Success was complete after Axel attached it to you back at Twilight Town," Vixen said, "but it was hard work anyways. We had to silence Grandmother Willow before she could warn any of the others about it."

" Oh we couldn't silence the Emperor," Domitan drawled. " He was practically untouchable; he woulda been a nice weapon for the Darkness but where did he go? The Order. Anyways, we were preparing for an attack at Sherwood Forest when our readings went haywire; we found out later that you decided to take a swim in that forsaken lake!"

" It was hard for a while," Vixen continued. " We tried to place another device on Cid but that stupid kid Orion screwed it up so that was a failure. We could've taken you and the Keyblade Master both out as well but Eldest's protégés interfered. And so I imagine the Keyblade Master and his simpering friends have met little competition in the next world, though we made sure they had trouble finding the heart and soul of that world."

" But we know which worlds he must visit next," Domitan had a dark look on his face, a dark and hungry look. " We are ready. But there is one thing, a flaw of sorts, that could impend us and our finale."

" I suppose that's me?" Aozora demanded. It was so obvious.

" We will not let you give the Oblivion to the one who needs it nor will you give away the Moonbeam," Vixen hissed at him.

" Nor will we allow you to save the Keyblade Master from doom," Domitan answered just as calmly. " So as you can see, Aozora, we need more than just the removal of that device, for that device is of importance in other matters. We need to 'detain' a certain someone, you see?"

" Domitan!" Vixen suddenly hissed, sharply. "Someone comes, one familiar with the Order."

When Hercules stepped outside the temple to call back Aozora to go meet with Meg, he saw nothing. There was no trace of the blond teenager anywhere…except for a peculiar spray of red liquid on the temple floor.

" No, its…" Hercules touched a dot of the liquid with his finger and sniffed it. " Blood."


	39. The Longest Story

Author's Note: Firstly, I will now try out page breaks with the " " or "" sign thingy. If that don't work, I don't know what will. Secondly, I decided to give Riku and Kairi different chapters to balance things out, as we're reaching an ending much too quickly to give their sides of the story. Thirdly, good ol' Riku uses some mild language but do forgive him. Fourthly….great, I forgot. Well, enjoy! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 39: The Longest Story 

"Damn right that's a long story!" were Riku's first words in the three minutes and a half that followed Sally's words. " What the hell's going around here?"

" He's right," Ariel agreed vehemently. " What is going on here? How is this person guarding Sora if he did a billion and one bad things to this universe?"

" Like I said, it's a long story," Sally replied calmly. " And a story that's still incomplete."

" Too many holes in this one," King Triton agreed just as vehemently as his daughter. " It may start fifteen years ago, or five years ago, or even a few months ago. It's a story that still is a mystery to us of the Order and it's a story we have been trying to solve."

" Why have you been trying to solve a story?" Tarzan wondered. " Stories always solve themselves; they tell themselves out."

" This is a story, like I said, that is incomplete," Sally repeated calmly. " We know only so much and that is really very little. We of the Order have been trying to sort out the past but to no avail; there are not enough books out there in the universe that have recorded fully the history of the universe. Hollow Bastion has an extensive library but the Heartless have once again taken over that world."

" That realm is cursed," King Triton commented. " It was once Ansem's kingdom and many that you know once lived under his rule. But it is cursed; the Heartless are attracted to that particular world and it will not be easy to force them to give it up."

" Riku, we need access to that library in order to achieve anything," Sally explained. " King Triton, are you aware of what is hidden around here?"

" Father, is it the Crystal Trident?" Ariel demanded. " I've heard you say something about it to Sebastian before."

" Indeed it is, Ariel," King Triton affirmed. " The library has sealed itself against the Heartless so that only the one with the Crystal Trident and a phial of fairy dust can get in. Quite an odd mix but sea and air are important to the universe."

" And we are trying to prevent the sea and air from destroying the universe," Sally said softly. " If Sora is enveloped by death, sea and air will be the only things left of the universe."

" What do you mean, 'enveloped by death'?" Tarzan asked.

" Someone's gonna die?" Flounder was horrified.

" That's basically it," Sally answered. " If Sora dies, all the worlds will collapse into a sea of loneliness. We will all drown in its dark depths. Light and Dark will exist no more. And there will no longer be a sun or a moon."

" All will be clouded sky, howling wind, and lonely sea," King Triton said. " It is a fate nobody would want but the Darkness does not understand, would not listen."

" You mean more like " Let's take the Light down with us", right?" Tarzan asked.

" You can say that," Sally agreed.

" Wait a minute…" Riku was basically being confused as hell. How was it that Tarzan could understand what was going on and he couldn't? Life was unbearably unfair! " How do you know what will happen if Sora dies?"

" We have people who can see quite well into alternate futures," King Triton was the one who explained. " Some can see how certain events can change the course of the future. But we cannot see enough, far enough to understand what the consequences are. And we cannot look behind us."

" Nobody can look behind us for that is the impossible," Sally put forward. " What is behind has already taken place and there is nothing to see back then."

" But there are the minor details, the small things that most people miss," Ariel objected. " Why can't you look to the past, if only to look at the specific stuff?"

" She's right," Tarzan nodded. " Can't we focus on a certain point in time? A time when this happened or that happened, something that we all really need to know?"

" I'm afraid it's quite impossible," King Triton replied. " The past has already happened and its story already written or at least witnessed by someone or something. As for the future, we cannot look into the specific, we cannot watch every detail, but we can see the basics of the future, we can see a stormy ocean and a clouded sky and we can see war."

" War?" Riku was surprised. " You can see war? How can that be? We're trying to prevent war! Does that mean we fail?"

" Fail or fall is the question," Sally said. " What troubles us is that no matter how hard we try, we can only see two things: fall and the sea and sky materialize; fail and war will result. Those are the two paths set out before Sora and we have yet to discover the third way."

" How do you know about death and failure?" Flounder asked a curious, disturbing question.

" Ah…." King Triton and Sally seemed pretty speechless. Either that or they didn't want to explain anything outright.

" You saw Sora die," Ariel stated matter – of –factly. " But I don't get it. If Sora fails, that means he dies, right?"

" That is the one thing we really don't understand," Sally replied. " That is something we're trying to put a stop to. Dying gives us two answers and so if Sora dies in the near future, one thing will happen or another. I suspect something must happen along the way for either one of those results to take effect. "

" It is also something we're trying to prevent," King Triton added. " We cannot allow Sora to die!"

" Well no duh!" Riku shouted. " Walking around with the guy who opened Kingdom Hearts! He's walking around with danger right there!"

" Actually, Riku- " Sally began to say.

" Really, how can Sora let someone like that near him?" Riku continued to rant. " The idiot; he should know better than that! I am quite certain Sora is smart enough to know who's right and who's not."

" It's harder than it looks, Riku," Sally managed to inject, " because the person is supposed to protect Sora. He had to open that door, Riku, or else you and King Mickey never would've escaped. He's not evil; he's actually a very lost human being."

" VERY lost, I must emphasize," King Triton agreed. " But Riku, that is something we cannot pay attention to right now. Sora's fate is the most important to us all but, Riku, there are things that only you can do. Only you can find what we are looking for."

" And it will be you who will close Kingdom Hearts," Sebastian added with arrogant finesse. It seemed he had nipped up that information from secret meetings.

" I close Kingdom Hearts?" Riku asked, his voice fading into the waters of Atlantica.

" That is something that will depend on Sora's guardian," Sally explained. " He is the only one who holds the key to you closing Kingdom Hearts for good."

" Why is it that nothing is resolved when Kingdom Hearts is closed?" Ariel asked curiously of them. " Sora and King Mickey closed Kingdom Hearts a year ago yet nothing much changed. And when that kid opened up Kingdom Hearts, everything got worse. I don't understand."

" We don't either," Sally replied. " But what I believe is that it takes quite a while for the Heartless to go away. They just don't die once you close Kingdom Hearts because they will still be able to feed off the hearts of people who have them. They will simply become 'freelance', if you call it, because they can no longer be controlled with the doors close. Well, that's what I believe but that's not always the case."

" What do you mean, that's not always the case?" Riku asked sharply.

" I've been here longer than you think, Riku," Sally replied matter – of –factly. " There are few of us who have been in existence longer than people can remember. I happen to be one of them. Kingdom Hearts have been closed and opened quite a few times. Most of the time the Heartless would be listless heart eaters and they are easily disposed off. But only once have I seen the Heartless become controllable monsters even after Kingdom Hearts was closed."

" There was a man named Crimson," King Triton began. " He was a wise and just ruler, a flawless leader of a world. But he had a fault, a shameful mark in his past. He may have been one of the best kings I've seen but he was not the rightful king of the world he ruled."

" It was King Mickey, wasn't it?" Ariel asked. " I remember this story; you used to tell me this story all the time when I couldn't sleep."

" King Mickey was the rightful ruler of the world Crimson ruled," Sally continued with a nod in Ariel's direction. " Mickey was the son of kings and his mother was a descendent of one of the two first Keyblade Masters. He was, and still is, one of the current wielders of the two Kingdom Keys in existence."

" You're joking," Tarzan stated. " King Mickey's a descendent?"

" Well, yes, he was," Sally affirmed. " But anyways, Mickey confronted Crimson and demanded to have his kingdom returned to him. Naturally Crimson refused, then told Mickey that if he closed Kingdom Hearts, Crimson would consider transferring power to this young heir and hereby erasing the mark from his record."

" But Crimson was in truth not willing to give up the kingdom he had created with his own hand," King Triton said. " He had been studying the Heartless as Ansem did and he was able to control Heartless with the greatest of ease. The Heartless were, you can say, the guards of the world and they were quick to hunt out any person who committed injustice and destroy him by taking his heart. Without the Heartless, Crimson was considerably weaker than he was."

" So Crimson sent the Heartless to kill Mickey before he reached and closed Kingdom Hearts," Ariel added. " They kept failing each time and then Mickey closed Kingdom Hearts, locking the door from Heartless and keeping new Heartless from entering the universe."

" When Mickey returned, he found his inheritance in turmoil, for Crimson would not give up the world," Sally said. " With only his friends Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy, and his mysterious ally, a man named Eldest, he fought his way past the Heartless that Crimson was able to control and confronted Crimson in the palace. The battle became a fireball – literally – and half the world burned. Crimson escaped, but was so badly burnt that most believed he later died. Mickey took back what was his and rebuilt the world, renaming it Disney and his home Disney Castle."

When Sally did not say anymore, Riku made a comment. " Bullshit, that's crazy."

" Is it?" Sally asked ambiguously. " King Mickey Disney later married Minnie, Donald became the court wizard, Goofy became the captain of the royal knights, Daisy became Minnie's confident, friend, and lady – in – waiting. Eldest remains King Mickey's friend to this day but…he's in trouble."

" What trouble?" Tarzan asked curiously.

" That is something we are working on," King Triton answered as ambiguously as Sally. " King Mickey rebuilt Disney and began to hunt out ways to travel between worlds without worrying about when the world barriers would suddenly shut."

" Then, quite suddenly, Heartless started pouring into worlds again and the world barriers crashed," Sally said. " King Mickey quickly rushed to Kingdom Hearts and found the doors wide open, darkness billowing out of it in ways he had never seen before. King Mickey could not close Kingdom Hearts, for Kingdom Hearts is a peculiar door. If you use one key, it will open and you will have to use one key to close it; if you use two keys to open it, well you're gonna need two keys to close it. King Mickey discovered that two keys were used in opening the door and suspected foul play of the very worst kind."

" That is all we know," King Triton sighed resignedly. " The story stops right there, of all things. Riku, you have to find out what happened right afterwards."

" Holes remain, for what we do know is that several worlds were destroyed and King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy came back changed, permanently changed. The last true Keyblade Master vanished and it was only last year that the Silver Kingdom Key reappeared, in the hands of Sora. That was why it took both Sora and King Mickey to close Kingdom Hearts, Riku. And now, because this certain teenager used a Keyblade of darkness to open Kingdom Hearts, we need you to use a Keyblade of darkness to close it. Darkness that seals doors of light to keep darkness within would balance the powers keeping the locks on the doors; after you seal it, Kingdom Hearts would never open again."

" The only way to get into Hollow Bastion's library, as mentioned before," King Triton said, " is to use the Crystal Trident and Fairy Dust, the symbols of the sea and sky. We have the Crystal Trident in Ariel's grove. Isn't that right, Ariel?"

" Father, are you sure its there?" Ariel was uncertain. " I haven't been to the grove in quite a while and I hope it hasn't been ransacked or anything."

" Ariel, the grove sealed itself when you left," Sebastian said. " Flounder and I tried to get in one time and we couldn't. There is no way anybody could've touched anything within because nobody could get in."

"Well then, its settled," Sally turned to go. " Ariel, we're gonna need help getting in to find that Crystal Trident. You wouldn't mind giving us a hand, would you?"

" Not at all," Ariel replied cheerfully. " It's of utmost importance so I can't refuse."

" There's only one little problem," Flounder offered timidly. " The dolphin that Sora used so that he could find the grove, too, it's gone."

" Gone?" Ariel was stunned. " Gone? How can that be?"

" Why, what's wrong?" Tarzan demanded. " What's so important about this dolphin-creature?"

" Usually, when someone other than us mer – people try to enter the grove, they can't," Ariel explained. " The grove seals itself against them and you need to have a ride around with this dolphin in order for the grove to unseal itself against you. Hopefully we won't need the dolphin."

" The only thing is that so far everyone had to ride the dolphin in order to enter the grove," Sebastian input.

" Aw who gives," Riku muttered. " Let's just try and get into this grove of yours, Ariel. Get in, retrieve that Crystal Trident, and then find some fairy dust."

And, as they silently trailed out of Triton's Palace, Riku was also heard muttering, " Fairy dust, my ass."

""

King Triton watched them leave the palace, his stern eyes never leaving Riku. He was disturbed, very much disturbed by the teenager.

" The darkness has never left him, has it Sebastian?" the king of the sea asked the crab wearily.

" I do not know, Your Majesty," Sebastian replied rather meekly. " I really don't like the looks of him."

" Look under the shark appearance, Sebastian," King Triton suggested. " Didn't you see the turmoil in his eyes? I hope he closes Kingdom Hearts in time."

" Agreed, Your Majesty," Sebastian agreed. His tone of voice suggested otherwise, however.

_The rebellious nature is still in him_, he thought. _How will that affect the future?_

""

" And why was that dolphin so important, may I ask?" Riku demanded half-impatiently and half-sullenly as he trailed behind the group. " I don't get it; why are we so worried over this dolphin? Can't Ariel just go into her treasure place and get the crystal trident out without us worrying over this or that?"

" Because, Riku, the dolphin is also a guardian of Ariel's Grotto," Flounder replied. " I say it's a magicked dolphin because it guards her grotto and only lets in certain people."

" What's so important about Ariel's Grotto?" Tarzan asked curiously.

" This world's Keyhole is in there," Ariel offered an answer. " Sora sealed it. But lately, Heartless have been coming in so I think something really is going wrong."

" We have yet to find out why the Keyholes are failing," Sally told Riku as they entered the Undersea Gorge. " We're hoping Hollow Bastion's library explains enough but we really need the Crystal Trident and the fair dust for that. But I just don't understand; why is everything getting so complicated?"

" Wouldn't we all like to know?" Riku muttered. " Makes this part of my life a pain in the -"

" You don't think the Heartless are behind this, do you?" Flounder asked nervously, his eyes roving around the rocky terrain of the Undersea Gorge. " Making everything all complicated for us?"

" But I don't see any Heartless," Tarzan countered, swimming just a bit more ahead. The silver of the fish part of Tarzan flashed as he moved forward towards the center of the Undersea Gorge. Somehow, for some reason, Riku felt naked, watching the silver glint. It was like a beacon, attracting all who see it, good and bad…

Riku felt a disturbance in the water like never before; it was a tingling sensation in the water that screamed into his brain. He wondered whether or not that came with being a complete shark but he didn't' have time to think about it much.

" Tarzan, pull back!" Riku shouted and quickly charged as a swarm of Screwdivers burst in his face. " We're under attack."

_As usual_, he added into his mind as he opened his jaws and charged – what?

Too late to pull off the charge, he smashed into the strange, green undersea Heartless, smashing one against the rock wall and throwing the others off course.

_What the?!_ Riku's mind screamed as he drifted away from the wall, slightly disoriented by the crash. _Why am I acting like a monster?_

" Riku, Riku!" Ariel rushed to the black shark's side. " Are you alright?"

" Just…fine…" Riku replied unevenly when his senses began to tingle again. His jaws sprung open and he charged straight down, his teeth digging into the round form of an ambushing Aquatank.

" Oh my, such brutal slaughter," Sally murmured as she watched a stunned Riku try to pull his teeth out of the dying Heartless.

" Ariel, go to your place," Riku told the mermaid awkwardly, his teeth hurting a bit from the impact. " Find that Crystal Trident! We'll hold off whatever Heartless is here!"

Ariel nodded and quickly swam to his left, descending to near the sea floor. Tarzan hovered a few feet above her, watching for any signs of Heartless and killing the occasional Sea Neon that approached her.

" I thought they were gone," Flounder whimpered while hiding behind Sally. " Why are they back? I don't understand."

" Neither do we," Sally answered extremely serenely.

Riku wondered at his suddenly aggressive nature as he rammed at a Sheltering Zone. He regretted that move less than ten seconds later as the Sheltering Zone died into a mass of Sea Neons. Opening the jaws of his shark form, he charged at them as they swam in their awkward way towards Ariel, who was headed straight for a huge round boulder that just happened to stick out of the sea floor of the Undersea Gorge.

Tarzan, who somehow managed to retain his long spear through the transformation from completely human to half human, half fish, had a more difficult time maneuvering to keep Sea Neons from interfering with Ariel's attempts to access her Grotto. That job became more complicated when Screwdivers and Aquatanks appeared en masse from a hidden nook to the left of the round boulder.

Much to Riku and Tarzan's surprise, Ariel calmly dispatched the Heartless – or at least dispersed them – with a Spiral Wave. She didn't have to go a long distance in using one of her special abilities but it was enough to scatter the Heartless.

" Tarzan, just keep them away a little longer," Ariel told him as she quickly swam back to the round boulder and scrutinized it. " Flounder, you think this thing's stuck or something? I don't know why but its not budging."

" Uh oh," the yellow and blue fish swam over to Ariel and looked over the boulder as well. " It does look stuck; how are we gonna get the Crystal Trident?"

" Make it soon, please," Riku replied woozily as he slammed into a Screwdiver headfirst, like he did with a whole pack of Screwdivers, who were currently swimming away as fast as they could, their armor dented all over.

" Sebastian!" Ariel spotted the red crab, who was scurrying towards them and cowering every time a shadow passed over him. " See what's wrong with the boulder; its not budging!"

" If I must," the crab replied with a rather resigned sigh and scurried into the tiny gaps between the boulder and whatever passageway it was blocking. " There's nothing blocking it, Ariel. You're gonna need someone strong to shove it along."

Tarzan quickly slammed himself against it but the boulder didn't budge.

" That hurt," was his only comment as Tarzan came away nursing his right shoulder.

Sally tried to push the boulder away but she failed as well, owing to the fact that sunfish are just very flat fish, like pancakes and therefore, while big, were not the strongest around.

" Tarzan, watch our backs," Riku ordered. " Let me try."

" That's gonna hurt," Flounder commented, having seen the black shark's earlier antics.

" It already does," Riku replied briskly as he readied for a charge. " Can't get any worse."

While Tarzan kept back the Heartless, Riku charged. Swimming at full speed, doing his best to stay aimed at the boulder and not swerve off to the right or left, he charged the boulder fiercely…until a Darkball ballooned up in his face.

" Wha?!" Riku screeched but couldn't stop in time. He rammed into the Darkball and, unable to stop, rammed into the boulder as well.

Stars danced in his mind and eyes as darkness, as black as the Darkball that interfered with his charge, swept over Riku.

" "

"…I hope that crash didn't addle his brains…" he heard Sally's voice say through the fog in his mind.

" Aren't they already addled?" Sebastian replied as Riku slowly opened his eyes and the world came into focus.

He was floating rather listlessly in a strange room, with walls that reached the surface of the ocean. The walls went in a circle around the room and the water carved shelves into them. Crammed to the top were miscellaneous items, from forks and plates to a broken mirror and an arm from what was apparently a stone statue.

Ariel, Tarzan, and Flounder were searching through each and every shelf in the room, while Sally and Sebastian were watching him. Riku shook his head a bit to clear his head and, much to his surprise, he could feel no pain, no pain at all.

" Nothing!" Tarzan reported from the highest shelf in the room.

" Nothing, Ariel!" Flounder yelled as he tried in vain to pull his head out of a rusted teapot.

" Where could it have gone?" Ariel was distressed as she sorted through a pile of miscellaneous objects in front of Riku. He then noted a rather huge dent in the wall that had caused several shelves to topple, resulting in the mess before him.

Riku had a very bad feeling that he was at fault for the huge mess.

" Where could've that crystal trident gone?" Ariel cried out in frustration as she tore at the pile.

Tarzan and Flounder helped her look through the pile but it was too big for all three of them and the work soon overwhelmed them.

" Did I create that great big mess?" Riku asked of Sally.

" Sadly, yes," she replied serenely.

Riku wondered at how it was that she could keep so calm in the most extreme and the most insane of situations. No matter what was going on around her, Sally just never seemed to panic or go wild.

However, that really was an understatement. If Riku had known what was going through Sally's mind, well, he'd probably be stunned into silence. For there are things in Sally's mind that could frighten the living daylights out of him. Well, they could frighten the living daylights out of anyone, for that matter.

" The slightest miscalculation can bring all down into death and doom," Riku heard her murmuring under her breath, something which sent shivers up his shark spine. " Darkness surrounds us all…the slightest mistake and we'll all fall."

" What are you talking about?" Riku demanded when Flounder shouted quite triumphantly, " I've found it! I've found the Crystal Trident!"

The thing was, they didn't know where Flounder was.

" Flounder, where are you?" Ariel asked.

" The Crystal Trident's underneath all this," his muffled voice replied. " I'm with it right now."

" Flounder," Ariel groaned in exasperation. " You're making it hard on us already…"

Riku merely rolled his eyes as he coasted over to help. He rammed his head at the pile in an attempt to shove everything over and that succeeded in an avalanche of miscellaneous items.

Flounder came flying out, lugging with him a three-pronged crystal figurine. It shimmered in the light of the waters and cast a white aura in the room. Riku wondered at this holy-like object.

" It's the Crystal Trident, Riku," Sally replied, as if she had read his mind. " It won't hurt you; it'll help you."

" Right," Riku said vacantly, staring at the Crystal Trident. " I knew that."

" Now what?" Tarzan asked as he touched the object.

" We have to go to Neverland next," Sally said calmly as Tarzan took the Crystal Trident from Flounder, who was getting very tired of carrying the object. " This world is safe from the Heartless; the numbers that manages to reach here are too few to cause any real damage at all. King Triton's trident guards this realm in ways we can only imagine. Neverland, on the other hand, is under attack, I hear. We should go there quickly and retrieve the fairy dust that we need from Peter Pan's companion. If we don't hurry, the world may fall and we may never reach the library in time."

" What's so important about this library anyways?" Riku demanded irritatedly. His mood had grown darker and darker by the moment, especially since he had to resort to using his head in many situations. His brain was starting to pound against his skull again and he now very desperately wanted to get out of Atlantica as soon as possible.

" There's a report there that we have to find," Sally explained with patience. " When we said there were books in the library that would help us, we were not telling you half the truth. There is a report in the library left behind by Ansem. I suspect this report could tell us of the truth behind the demise of Deep Tranquility, for that world is of extreme importance to us."

" Ansem wrote a report, eh?" Riku was rather displeased with hearing the name. " Why does he end up everywhere? Damn him."

" Fate's choice, I suppose," Sally said just as serenely. " But now we must go. Ariel, tell your father that he must be prepared for the worst until we manage to prevent it. I fear the feathers will fall…warn him."

Riku looked at Ariel's rather stern gaze. Something was going on that he did not know of and he could tell nobody was going to tell him, either.

" I will," Ariel replied calmly, " but I pray it will never come to pass."

Sally gave a sad smile as she looked at her, Flounder, and Sebastian. " We have but one life to give. Unless one breaks that rule, we must do all we can with this one life we have. Remember that Ariel, for you may be one of those who do great things to preserve the one life this universe has. Good bye…and good luck."

With that, she headed out of Ariel's Grotto, and towards the far end of the Undersea Gorge. Riku and Tarzan, who was carrying the Crystal Trident, turned to follow her. Riku looked back once, wondering when he could see them again. There was a sensation in his bones, something that told him but they all would go through very hard times before they would all have a chance to reunite. Sora and Kairi included.

_Sora, I hope this is helping you_, Riku thought silently as he followed in last behind Sally and Tarzan._ I know you have never given up and I hope I can do the same. I know Kairi's in good hands; now let us finish what's been set in front of us._

He didn't know that Kairi was somewhere way beyond this world. The universe, too.


	40. Things One Sees

Author's Note: Hey, another update! Yay! Okay, um…no idea what to say for this chapter, just that there's a lot of dialogue but that might be a bit of a bore….I dunno, a lot of things is all dialogue or at least it seems like its all dialogue…and who knows, I might have to go back and edit all that to fit in with changing and evolving ideas….but we'll have to see, won't we? Well, I'll just shut up now. Enjoy! And don't forget to review :D love reading your comments 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 40: Things One Sees 

_This must be surreal_, Kairi thought desperately as she tried to climb out of the spring with a fast-rising water level. She had yet to realize that Terk was in trouble; all she knew was that the others had suddenly vanished from view and she had been warned to get out of that lake as soon as possible, preferably dry.

_Well, now that's impossible,_ Kairi kept thinking as she clawed at the damp steep bank of the spring with one hand, the other clutching the jade box tightly in her hand.

Everything was starting to spin out of control. Like mismatched colors fitted onto a quilt, information was patched together in incompatible ways. The appearance of that huge strange creature, Merlin and his odd connections, the jade box, Ansem's other reports, heck she could go on listing things forever. But she had to focus on something right now and that was trying to get out of the spring with the jade box.

_Wait, just wait._

" What?" Kairi looked around quickly but the voice was coming from inside her head.

_Just wait a minute, Kairi,_ the voice continued to speak. _ There really is nothing to fear. Merlin's a bit of a loony sometimes and his information has a tendency to come from thin air. Not that he's been lying to you every minute but sometimes he misunderstands or misinterprets. This spring is here because we need a form of communication that is rather unnoticeable. Look into the waters and you can see and speak to faces. But if you enter the waters, well…you become an apparition of sorts in another world._

" In another what!" Kairi yelped but she picked up a mouthful of water instead. Sputtering, she took another deep breath and tried to launch herself out of the spring.

_Where are you going? We need to talk, Kairi. Just wait; let yourself drift. This is not an ordinary spring, Kairi, as I've already told you. Close your eyes, let yourself drift._

Kairi hesitated. Should she trust this voice in her head?

_You can trust me, Kairi, for I am one of you. We all are each other, for we are all united against the darkness of this era. Sora needs more help than you could ever think and so far we have been failing to support him. Let yourself drift and you can help us help him._

That was enough for Kairi. She knew that Sora needed help, as much help as possible to give to the young master of the Keyblade. Without further ado, she took a mouthful of air and relaxed, letting her body sink.

The world seemed to truly darken into silver mist and Kairi began to wonder if this was a good idea at all.

_But the voice, I know it's telling the truth_, Kairi thought, surprised by the sincerity her heart could feel. _She is telling the sincere truth and she knows Sora needs help, lots of help. And I will give him whatever I can._

The silver mist fogged her mind and the water seemed to vanish. Kairi felt herself floating in nothingness, until a voice whispered in her ear, " You can open your eyes now."

Kairi peeked through her eyelids at this, then opened them wide in astonishment, absolute astonishment.

" "

As Merlin and Jane pulled a drenched and sputtering Terk out of the flowing river, Selphie gave a squeal and ran splashing into the waters. She plunged her arms into the roaring current and fought out the jade box, clean but alone.

Where was Kairi?

" The jade box!" Jane exclaimed.

" But where's Kairi?" Merlin demanded.

" You think I'd know?" Selphie snapped back as she looked up and down the river wildly, unable to see her friend. " You don't think she drowned, did she?"

" Can she swim?" Merlin asked in an amiable tone.

" Um…yes, we lived by the sea," Selphie replied.

" If she can swim," Jane said, " then do you think she made the waterfall over there?"

She pointed to their right and their eyes followed the river until it came to a very sudden drop.

" No, I don't think so," Selphie decided staunchly. " No, I definitely don't' think so; she really is a good swimmer."

" Well, we might as well see if that did happen," Terk said with a shrug and made her way to the edge. " Nope, I see nothing, nothing besides all that white water."

" I'd say we go and see if she somehow made her way into the Waterfall Cavern," Merlin said just as calmly as before. " These times are strange and things happen that normally are preposterous. Not that I'm saying that Kairi really did go down the waterfall, which would be a nightmare beyond reckoning."

" And how's that possible?" Selphie asked curiously as they made their way down at a brisk but cautious pace.

" A spider web is made of many silken threads spun together into an intricate work of art," Merlin stated. " Sever a few and the web falls apart."

" Um, no I don't' think so," Selphie had done something like that before and the spider web she bothered still stood upright and strong.

" It depends on which threads you sever," Jane spoke as though she was giving Selphie a hint. " There are a few threads, few and strong, who keep the web together. Sever them and all falls apart. I'm guessing Kairi's one of them?"

" You could say that," Merlin answered calmly as he turned left into the cavern, now dripping with newfound moisture. " Watch your step, please."

" Merlin, I don't' think Kairi's around here," Selphie said stiffly as she followed the wizard. " I have a very dark feeling that she's not here."

" I have a feeling she's not _here_ as well," Merlin agreed, putting a very strong emphasis on the 'here'.

" Well then," Terk said as she hopped to the side to avoid a pool of water, " We might as well get that green box opened up, shall we?"

She hopped over to a vibrant green vine and grabbed it, pulling herself up in the process. Halfway up to a cliff that jutted out to the left of the vine, she looked down and hollered, " Well!"

" I don't like heights," Selphie said nervously while clutching the jade box tightly in her hands. " What if I fall?"

" You won't fall," Jane replied calmly yet briskly while taking a hold of the vine and pulling herself up as well. " Don't worry; as long as you don't let go, you'll be fine."

Selphie looked around her nervously as Jane pulled herself up after Terk, who had reached the cliff. She looked to Merlin who shrugged and said, " After you."

_I've no choice_, Selphie thought, as fear poured out of her in beads of sweat. _But I have to do this. I know I do._

Selphie looked up to Terk and shouted, " Catch!", throwing the jade box up to her. Terk snatched it and Selphie, blanking out her mind, grabbed the green vine and pulled herself up. She tried to not look at the floor as she pulled herself up and moved even faster when her eyes caught a glimpse of Merlin watching her down below.

" Take my hand," Jane ordered from her position at the edge of the cliff and Selphie took it gladly. Terk, by then, had the jade box in one hand and was climbing sideways, clinging to even brighter green moss that spread like a lush carpet sideways to another cliff edge. Selphie gulped upon seeing this, then looked down the cliff she was on to see Merlin climbing up the green vine. And all around them, water roared and splashed through the Waterfall Cavern.

" It's not bad," Terk commented as she made it safely to the next cliff. " Come on you guys."

Selphie gulped and inched to the next vine, beginning a rather painful (mentally) trek to a certain cliff edge that opened up on a pathway deep into the Waterfall Cavern.

" "

" Finally I have the chance the get a good look at your face, Kairi," the silver-haired, darkly tanned woman spoke with a smile before her. She wore sparingly in blues and red, and a crystal that hung around her neck glowed softly. " So it is true. The eyes, the face, the hair, I see it all…"

Kairi was utterly confused. " Who-who are you?"

" She is Princess Kida, dear," another woman's voice spoke behind her. Kairi turned around to see a rather cynical-looking woman behind her. She had reddish hair and was adorned in purple robes. The rather pessimistic look on her face was warped by weariness, worry, and…fear.

" That's Megara but you can just call her Meg," the woman named Princess Kida said. " Where are the others?"

" I've contacted them," Meg replied as calmly as possible, though Kairi could hear that her voice shook. The silver mist that rose from nowhere obscured the woman's face but the fear radiated from her in other ways, particularly her voice. " Friar Tuck should be the first; he's the one near the lake. However, I have more important news-"

" Someone called?" a kind voice ringed out as a portly man – or was it an animal? – appeared from the mist as well. " I was just taking care of some financial – oh! Kairi, is it?"

" That's Friar Tuck," Meg told her.

" A pleasure to meet you face-to-face, Kairi," Friar Tuck said with a bow. " A Princess of Heart, no less."

Kairi felt herself pale slightly as those words echoed in her mind, bringing forth memories she'd rather not recall, but she kept her stature as Princess Kida addressed to the one called Friar Tuck, " All's well?"

" All's well, Princess Kida," Friar Tuck said rather solemnly, suddenly serious. " But why am I here?"

" That's after others get here," Meg answered as a woman who looked like she was made of porcelain of sorts appeared as well. " Bo Peep, the Shepherdess."

The delicate woman bowed in acknowledgement but her eyes never left Kairi. " Well met, Kairi. Well met."

" Ah, the Emperor," Princess Kida smiled as an old man with long gray beard and adorned in gold and red robes appeared from the mist. " Welcome, Your Majesty."

" Thank you, Highness," the Emperor bowed in return. Kairi peered at his face. It was strange to her, that his eyes weren't even visible between his eyelids; he seemed blind but did not walk like one. " But why was I called away? I was just about to enjoy a nice hot cup of tea."

" Apologies, Majesty," Meg replied respectfully, " but Merlin has managed to send Kairi to us, one of the strongest of the Princesses of Heart. I suppose it is time to aid her and to tell her…what must be told."

" Indeed."

It seemed to Kairi that the Emperor was quite revered amongst those gathered around her. She assumed that he was the one who would lead this ' meeting', if that's what this was called.

" Now," Princess Kida said, turning to Meg, " you were about to say something?"

" I'd hate to," Meg replied with a rather wry smile. " It's something nobody would want to hear."

" More bad news from Meg, I see," Friar Tuck sighed. " Why me? Why does she get to face all the bad stuff and I don't?"

" Would you really want to?" Meg answered rather sharply, giving Friar Tuck a sharp eye. She then turned back to the rest of the people, composed herself, and said, " It's the Guardian. He's -"

" Not again," Friar Tuck groaned. " That boy's always getting into fishy business."

" This boy has trouble following his shadow," the Emperor added.

Meg was very put-off. " I wasn't done yet."

" Very well," Princess Kida heaved a heavy sigh. " Finish. And anyone here who interrupts will have me to deal with."

Meg added to that threat with a hard eye, then said, " Not too long ago, one of the Society walked into the temple. The Guardian called him Vixen. I don't know how the guy got in but we called it a 'truce', if you call it, so there'd be no trouble. They both went out to talk about something. After waiting for nearly an hour, I had Hercules see what was taking the Guardian so long and if there was trouble, Hercules can help the Guardian dispatch this member of the Society. However, all Hercules found was blood. The Guardian's been abducted."

" Damn it!" Princess Kida groaned while the others either swore or reacted in extremely negative ways to this. " I don't believe this!"

Kairi was quite taken back by her reaction. Who was the Guardian? And why did the Guardian seem so important, so special?

" Who's the Guardian?" Kairi asked tentatively.

" Oh, I apologize, Kairi," Princess Kida said. " I forgot. We didn't tell you who the Guardian was. Or is."

" The Guardian is a child of darkness," Friar Tuck began solemnly. " His life is tragic, most tragic. He's never known the simple pleasures of childhood for he is one of the Keyblade Wielders. And those fated to wield the blades are doomed to a childhood so brief it is all but a dream."

" His name is Aozora," the Emperor continued. " A fair child with fierce bronze eyes. He looks very similar to Sora, very, very similar. He is important to us, for he knows much that we do not, and he has an appointed task, a task that is important as well."

" He is the Guardian of Sora, the Keyblade Master," a new voice spoke, one stern yet kind, commanding, noble, regal in other words, as a new shadow appeared from the mists. " It is his task to see that Sora makes it to the door. But clearly, Kairi, the Society now has the upper hand in stopping Sora from reaching that door. Without the Guardian, Sora is more vulnerable to the dark machinations of the Society. Perhaps Ansem has written something about the Society, something secretive, or something that can at least help us counter them. For every member of the Order is a member of the Society."

" Your Majesty," everyone bowed, though the Emperor merely gave a short nod.

And King Mickey appeared in the mists.

" "

" Almost there, Selphie," Jane said, clenching her teeth as she pulled herself up on the ledge that led to a path deep underneath the waterfall. " Here, take my hand."

She leaned over and reached out her hand to Selphie and the young teenager took it.

" Hey, check this out," Terk's voice boomed through the tunnel. " A wooden box, how interesting."

" A wooden box?" Selphie demanded as she pulled herself up the ledge. " Terk, let me see that."

" Why sure," the young ape said as she hopped over and handed Selphie the box the Queen of Hearts had given to her and Kairi earlier. The lacquered box seemed unharmed, though Selphie had no idea how it got there. She shook it and felt relieved to hear the single sheet of parchment paper shake lightly in its dark confines.

" So you have found the other box?" Merlin noted as he suddenly appeared and scrutinized the chest in her hands. " Well, that is very good, very, very good. Shall we move on now?"

" But…but what about Kairi?" Selphie asked. " We haven't seen her anywhere. I don't think she's in the Waterfall Caverns."

" No indeed," there was a secretive smile on Merlin's face. " My dear girl, there are many things an old man has yet to recall and many things an old man must correct. And then there are many things only an old man can sense, such as Kairi being somewhere. And all I can say now is that she is, at present, not in this world. She still is, but not her heart and soul. And as I recall, Keyblades choose their own masters, though they have a tendency to choose within a family. Forgive my earlier mistakes, I was being careless and assuming."

" Uh…right," Selphie wondered if it was Kairi who should be hearing. _Oh well, I'll just tell her when she comes back._

" Merlin, even if we find the tree and stuff, how are we gonna open the box?" Jane asked curiously as she looked over the jade box that Merlin had given her. " I've yet to see a key shaped like a butterfly."

" Who knows," Merlin replied with a shrug. " I've never been to that tree before and since you were only concerned about sealing the Keyhole to Deep Jungle a year ago, you have seen nothing else besides the tree, the butterflies, and the Keyhole. Perhaps if we look around quite closely, we'll be able to find something of great importance…such as the key to this jade box."

" Whoo hoo!" they heard a shout from far into the cave. " Would'ya look at the butterflies!"

Immediately following the cry of joy, luminous blue butterflies came streaming out, glowing incredibly blue, and fluttering out into the dreary gray world beyond the waterfall.

" Oh my," Jane gasped, stunned by this sudden show of life. " I haven't seen these butterflies in such a long time."

" Wow," Selphie was astonished. " They're so beautiful."

" Very pretty, yes, yes," Merlin said briskly. " I, however, can conjure up a potion that could make one glow like they. I mean, not as in completely blue but I can create a potion that would give one the glowing wings of the butterfly. Shall I do that for any of you, once peace has been restored to the Universe?"

Selphie and Jane looked at each other. " Uh…no thanks, Merlin."

" Very well then," Merlin replied as he marched in after where Terk had gone into. " Let's carry on now."

" He does act like the eccentric old man he's dressed up as, doesn't he?" Jane muttered to Selphie as they followed Merlin.

" What, with the pointy hat and the long blue dress?" Selphie replied. " What do you think?"

" "

" King Mickey?" Kairi was stupefied.

Before her eyes stood the _one_. King Mickey. King of Disney. One of the most revered people – if you call him a person in the first place – in the Universe as far as she knew.

" Well met, Kairi, Princess of Heart," the King said with a kind smile. " Princess Kida. Megara. Friar Tuck. The Emperor. Bo Peep. Oh, and we're still missing some people. What of Dream Heart, Gill, Cid, Sally, and Merlin? Oh that is right, Merlin is trying to unlock another piece of Ansem's Other Report."

" Your Majesty, Dream Heart has business to attend to," Bo Peep reported quietly in her lovely voice. " Namely rebuilding some barriers on my world."

" Ah yes, after all City Point went through, I should imagine," Friar Tuck could not resist adding a comment. " As for Gill and Cid, Gill's got some trouble of his own. He can't keep contact with others because he's in a situation concerning a 'prison' of sorts. Cid's place – the pilot one, I mean, the one in Twilight Town – been vandalized by Ansem's cousin's son, Heartless, and an agent of the Society. His daughter and her two friends are rebuilding the barriers there. And Sally…we have not heard from her in a while, actually."

" We are certainly in plenty of trouble," Princess Kida groaned, covering her face with her hand. " But the most pressing matter as of now is Aozora. Your Majesty, have you any ideas?"

" My cover's been blown," King Mickey replied, tugging at the strange black trench coat he was wearing. " It seems some 'secret' members of the Society truly have eyes. I have a layout of the Society as of now. There is a society within the Society and those who dare to mention of them call them the Elite. Then there's something like two divisions. One division is quite shadowy, not exactly living, and they monitor the Nobodies and outside forces. The other -"

" Um…King Mickey, Your Majesty?" Kairi asked nervously. " What is the Society, exactly?"

" The Society was once a shadowy group of people," King Mickey began with unlimited patience and consideration. " Well, they weren't exactly people because most of them could only see and identify the trench coat. But they wielded great power and they used that power for good. Well, that's too cliché, so to speak. They use their powers to balance the forces of good and evil. But after events concerning certain people of incredible darkness, namely Ansem and a certain person named Crimson -" it seemed strange but King Mickey said that name with a hint of contempt "- the Society changed, distorted. It became a shadowy group of evils and dark magic. Members that resisted this new change were murdered or tortured into accepting darkness. Either that or they merely hide their true allegiance. Anyhow, the Society began to seek a power of its own, power to rival the Heartless. They became allies with Nobodies, mysterious monsters of the dusk, white with a heart-like symbol, who's purpose is just as dark as the Heartless. Nobodies come where someone is soulless, for the heart is a part of the soul and someone who is truly cruel to 'man'-kind brings these white evils to where they may go. But now…the Society is allies with both the Nobodies and the Heartless."

" All three forces, all three enemies," Princess Kida spoke softly. " We face three enemies and only the door will rid the Universe of them all."

" But the Society is extremely cunning, unlike any enemy ever met," King Mickey continued. " For among them are humans; they have minds of their own, souls, hearts, speech, and magic. This is what I was trying to get to: the other side of the Society consist of members like ours. They are all human, or human-like, and for each of us, there's one of them; I've a bad feeling, however, that this other division may well be the Elite I just mentioned earlier. That is all I managed to find out, though I doubt the source of this information. I wonder where Maleficent fits in but no doubt she is becoming of little use to the Society; before my cover was blown, there was talk of throwing her out of the Society. In other words, hold a 'ceremony' in which she is announced to be cast from the Society, be branded with the brand of the traitor, and killed."

Kairi was horrified. What was the Society, a cult?

" Only one person ever survived the branding and the casting," Meg said. " Aozora. The scar still remains. But I at least am surprised that the Society is very interested in him. Very surprised. And curious of course, though I have no doubt I know the reason why they want him."

" What of Eldest?" Bo Peep asked quietly. " What of him?"

" Eldest?" Kairi wondered. She had heard that name before, a single leaf from a tree of past memories. Forgotten memories.

" I think you've met him before," King Mickey looked at her rather sharply. " Though perhaps you do not recall it. He is one of the forces of the Universe, and once one of the greatest members of the Society, though he has always refused the position of leader. And he was one of those who's true allegiance remained in balancing light and dark. But in order to erase the permanent darkness, he must become part of the permanent light."

" And what of his protégés?" the Emperor asked tensely. " Haven't we heard that they were captured, too?"

" All four are in danger," Friar Tuck said thoughtfully. " Perhaps we should send someone in -"

He looked to King Mickey but the mouse king shook his head. " No, he has business elsewhere, as you should know. We must be glad at least that he is saving the peoples of the worlds. Let him do that job; I cannot risk sending him back to the Society. After all, he must reach Twilight Town. The Oblivion as need of him."

" And I suspect," Meg sniffed, " Riku would just hate it if someone told him Aozora was responsible for opening Kingdom Hearts, though it saved his life and yours, Your Majesty."

" What!" Kairi demanded.

" "

" Wow."

Selphie was absolutely stupefied by what she had just seen. A great tree, gnarly, majestic, grown on age, thrived in this little sanctuary. Green moss cushioned her feet, crept up along the walls of the cavern. Tiny purple flowers dotted the walls and the moss-covered rocks, worn smooth with time, and water dripped in harmony. Butterflies were _everywhere_ and though when Selphie looked up and saw that outside the world was grey, here in this sanctuary, all bloomed with life.

" Its, its beautiful," Jane said with a gasp. " More beautiful than the last time I've seen it."

" I know!" Terk was quite cheerful as she bounded towards them from where she was playing around in a small pool nearby. " I could live here forever! Good bye gray world!"

" We've business to attend to, first," Merlin said calmly. " We need to find a way to open that jade box."

He pointed at the box in Jane's hand, which was glowing. But this time the glow was stronger, much stronger, and color was creeping back from where they came. Color was coming in, the color of life and light.

" Well…" Terk mused as she scrutinized the tree. " I have no idea."

Selphie, in the meantime, had walked up to the tree, touching it gingerly, caressing its bark with her fingertips. She could feel it, the ageless tree, the life of it just vibrating underneath the bark. She felt the cracks on the tough hide of the tree, the indents and butterfly-shaped bump on the bark with a hole in the middle-

Selphie froze and retraced her fingers' trail. It was butterfly-shaped for sure, there was no doubt about it. She looked and scrutinized this strange oddity. Yes, there was a bump on the tree shaped like a butterfly, with a peculiar hole in its middle.

" Jane, give me the jade box," Selphie requested as she carefully placed the lacquered chest down on the floor. " I think I found something."

Jane did as asked, then watched with the others as Selphie felt along the bulges for the butterfly-shaped one. " I think I found the key."

With that, she carefully tried to fit the butterfly-shaped indentation on the jade box onto the bulge on the tree.

It fit perfectly and Selphie let loose a smile as she heard machinery in the jade box at work, with clicking noises abound.

"Well done," Merlin nodded as the noises stopped and Selphie carefully pulled the jade box from the tree. She opened the box gently, gritting her teeth as the hinges screeched; it seemed the jade box had not been opened in years and the hinges were rusting.

Inside was a parchment piece of paper not unlike the one in the lacquered chest.

" What does it say?" Terk asked. " I can't read human. I can't read at all, actually."

" Interesting," Merlin mused.

" More information on the Heartless and the Nobodies," Selphie groaned.

" No, not true, not all of it," Jane noted.

" I've watched and noted. Many peculiarities have been found between now and the last I've written. It seems Nobodies are 'created' at dusk, how strange. They are the creatures of the dusk, white, quite the opposite of the Heartless but not so in malice. But light can fight them, light and night. But not darkness, darkness will help the Nobodies grow the same way the Heartless would grow. You would need night and day to fight these creatures of the dusk.

Keyblades choose their own masters, yet they have a tendency to choose within a family. How very strange. Meaning those sons of the last Keyblade Master aren't necessary heirs at all. Or one of them could be. But what does that have to do with King Mickey? All that can be proven of this is that his mother comes from the same family as the last Keyblade Master and several past Keyblade Masters. But that won't support the hypothesis of heirs and such in the matter of Keyblades would it? No, I don't think so. I must look further.

The Heartless are leaderless. If I could harness them, become a leader for them, there is much I could do with their power. Crimson thinks he may be so great but I myself can build up a force to counter his. Perhaps I will enter the darkness, the great darkness that calls to me."

" "

" Every person who knows of Kingdom Hearts and is not a casual passer-by always has the same reaction," Princess Kida said amusingly as soon as all present members of the Order finished explaining to Kairi what Aozora had done. " But you must understand, Kairi, that Aozora had set out not to do evil. He did a great good in opening Kingdom Hearts but now it will take a blade of darkness to seal the doors made of light."

" Two blades," King Mickey interrupted. " It must be two blades. I will be there with him. Two blades to seal the doors, one blade to open the door of light. The rules are more complex than you think, you see-"

" 'Two keys, a key of darkness, to open and close Kingdom Hearts," a gentle voice spoke in a monotonous manner. "The dual blades of the crownless king will open the door of light from dark depths.' Many things will take place, Your Majesty, which contradict what was known and believed earlier. Times change, but now rapidly. And Kairi, hearts will change as well."

" Welcome, Sally," King Mickey acknowledged the tall willowy figure from the shadows. " You have yet to miss anything."


	41. The Princess, the King, and the Society

Author's Note: So…I was reading your reviews (as any author would and should) and some wonderful reader asked me some direct questions (besides Tina because I tell you everything all the time…sort of. Not that you remember every question of yours in art class but still…but anyways, back to the point. DazedxConfused asked some lovely questions so I might as well try and answer. :D 

1. when's Sora and Aozora coing back into the picture? they'll always come back so relax. Its only a question of as in which chapter and in which situation  
2. what does Sally mean by 'The dual blades of the crownless king will open the door of light from dark depths.'? for me to know and for you to find out. So clique its stupid but that's the only answer I can give right now  
3. great story even tho it is seriously confuseing me rite now, but i have alot of time for pondering stuff like this. it's great 2 have a story where u kinda have to boogle over things like what Sally said... it makes u use your imagination. not a question, lol. Sorry for the confusion but it can't be helped  
4. update soon or i will send my army of killer bunnies, mutated beanie babies, freaky flying freckled monkies, and a giant-man-eating-marshmellow after you! that I'm officially afraid of, so here's chapter 41

Secrets of Memories Chapter 41: The Princess, the King, and the Society 

" Der…still musing?" Goofy asked tentatively as they began to sight a world teeming with life yet surrounded by vast bodies of water. " Sora?"

" …huh, wha, what?" Sora jerked at his name. " Someone say something?"

" We were wondering what's up with you," Donald replied as patiently as possible from the back of the gummi ship. " Daydreaming at the controls; you'd make a pilot yet."

" Well I'm sorry," Sora replied, scratching his head in the process. He sighed, then said, " I was just thinking…"

…_about some pretty weird stuff_, he added silently and mainly to himself. _A whole bunch of nonsense rolled into one. If someone were to try and prove that adults can go lunatic, well I've got the proof._

His memories were fading from his mind now and he was now focusing on the task at hand. " What kind of world is this?"

He was staring at a world surrounded by vast bodies of water, with continents dotting the blue. In one particular place, there was a huge sleeping volcano that rose up high; it sputtered moist air constantly.

" How curious, very curious…" Sora had never seen a volcano of any kind behave that way before. " I'd like to see…"

" Donald," Goofy had gone to the back to join the wizard. " We're approaching Atlantis."

He gave a wary glance at Sora, who was busy musing over the odd volcano.

" Already?" Donald asked, quite surprised by this. " I didn't think we'd reach Atlantis so fast."

" Well – der – now, we have," Goofy answered. " And Sora's found the other passageway, the one by the volcano. Should we go in that way?"

" Why not?" Donald replied. " It's been years since we've all done that together, you, me, and Mickey – King Mickey, I mean."

Goofy gave him an odd look but let it pass. " It was fun but Donald, we nearly crashed – huyuk – remember?"

" Yeah, thanks to your piloting skills!" Donald shrilled back at him. " We could've crashed if King Mickey hadn't interfered."

" All the same, we nearly crashed," Goofy was still unfazed by Donald's fits. Sora, listening from the front, still marveled at the knight's patience. " But do you remember…Pete?"

When all that answered Goofy was silence, Sora turned around to see what was wrong.

" And why should I remember him?" Donald asked carefully, his voice shaking slightly. " Goofy, give me just one good reason why I should remember him!"

" He's still at large – huyuk?" Goofy suggested.

" Who's Pete?" Sora asked curiously. " I've never heard of him before. And you guys never told me."

He gave them an accusing stare.

" What's the use," Donald finally sighed after giving up on the staring contest. " He'll know everything eventually anyways."

" Besides," Goofy added, " Pete, he…der…didn't he work for ol' Crimson that King Mickey beat years ago?"

" Crimson?" Sora was curious. " Do tell. But first: who's Pete?"

" Pete's what you call a real villain," Goofy explained. " Real evil guy, black at heart. He wanted to be king but he wasn't made of the right _stuff_ and so he worked under the king, wanting to overthrow him. Not too long ago, we found out he was in league with the Heartless and forced him out. Never heard from him since."

" Okay…" Sora had never heard of this before. " How come I never heard of this before?"

" You were too young, Sora," Donald answered as though it was obvious. " Use your head!"

" I've never heard of Crimson either," Sora replied. " Why don't you tell me about him, since Goofy said this Pete of yours worked for Crimson -"

The gummi ship dipped violently all of a sudden and, yelling, Donald and Goofy slid right into Sora.

" Sora, you idiot!" Donald was shouting. " You didn't put the ship on 'Auto-pilot'!"

" Sorry!" Sora climbed over Donald and Goofy and reached for the controls, only to find them locked into position. " Hey, I can't move this!"

" Atmosphere," Goofy said rather pleasantly and disturbingly, as the ship seemed to hit into some weak resistance of sorts. " And gravity!"

The ship was pointing downwards towards a volcano. Towards the looming maw of the great silent mountain in the middle of the sea.

" That's it, we're gonna die," Sora grumbled as he fought with the immobile controls. " What's wrong with this thing? What's going on? Why doesn't this stupid piece of junk work!"

Sora banged at the controls and one of the joysticks clattered to the floor.

" Oh great move, smart guy," Donald snapped. " Now look what you've done!"

" I'm sorry!" Sora shouted back, fury growing in him. " Damn it! Damn it all!"

Very quickly they found themselves facing the great jaws of the volcano. It was very black, nearly as black as the heart of the Heartless – darkness.

" Darkness…" Sora whispered as the gummi ship somehow, and with perfect precision, dove downwards into the very center of the volcano.

"…so we may have been getting wrong information?" Princess Kida was not happy, not happy at all with this. " How can we get our information wrong? That doesn't make sense!"

" Darkness is strange and twisting," Sally answered calmly and patiently. " Warping its way into even our pure minds, darkness seeks ever to separate us from what is true. If only she was here…"

King Mickey suddenly jerked. He looked at the glowing, rippling wall right behind Princess Kida and his eyes narrowed. Everyone noticed this and that meant only one thing: wait for King Mickey to speak.

" Kida, Princess," King Mickey said, his noble voice terse and alert. " You have to go back now. Something of immense power has entered your home. You must look to it immediately."

Princess Kida looked at King Mickey in surprise. She had not felt anything at all and neither had the others.

" Power…" the Emperor mused. " Perhaps…the Keyblade Master?"

There was a gasp and everyone turned to Kairi, the young Princess of Heart and by far the strongest of the Seven. Her face had grown ghostly and she trembled.

" It could be," the Emperor agreed. " Or…it could be the Guardian."

" The Guardian escaping so soon?" King Mickey was skeptical.

" No, it is not the Guardian," Sally answered. " It is the Keyblade Master. Princess Kida, you must go. The Heartless and the Nobodies have invaded your home."

Princess Kida felt her face drain of blood. _No, not now. It can't be now! She was too young and her father was too old. Atlantis had been crumbling; if the Keyblade Master fails in his mission on Atlantis, she would lose everything to the Heartless and the Nobodies…_

Princess Kida nodded to King Mickey, then gave a half-bow to all the others gathered, as was the custom of the Order. She then gave Kairi a kind, reassuring smile.

" Do not worry, Princess of Heart," she told the teenager. " You will see him again."

Prophetic words, perhaps, but nobody thought about it now as Princess Kida gave everyone one final nod and then walked straight into the rippling wall behind her.

King Mickey watched her, then turned to Sally, who spoke with sadness, " All things change, dark and light. Lost the heart will be, gone be the white. Sadness trails the lonely royal, blue will be her days. Let fire be buried in ashes and the old order will fade away. Dark times are still coming, Your Majesty. They are still coming. We must prepare for the darkness."

The first thing Aozora noticed was the breeze. There was a breeze wherever he was and with it drifted a rather familiar scent of a strange sea from a distant memory that still haunts him.

_The shadows of the people loomed before him. Scrambling backwards as fast as he could on his back, he took a quick look behind him and silently cursed as he saw others closing in on him. He was encircled, trapped. And everywhere was the smell of the accursed sea…_

He opened his eyes slowly, unsure of where he was. He blinked several times, as everything was blurry and he waited for his vision to clear. He did grow a bit worried when everything was still a bit fuzzy but by the time his vision cleared complete, he knew where he was.

" The Gathering…" he murmured to himself, his face dark. " But…why?"

" Well," a surprisingly cheery voice spoke up behind him. " About time you got up."

Aozora whirled around and had his arm around the speaker's neck in no time.

" Who are you?" Aozora hissed. " And where am I? Why am I here?"

" Just the thing I wanted to ask," the person gasped out, his silver hair rather glaring in this dark world. " If you let me go, maybe we could all sort these things out."

Aozora was rather hesitant but the person's reaction to his demands, " Just the thing I wanted to ask" , confused him. He slowly and very cautiously let go of the person's neck and backed away, suddenly noticing that they were sitting in a very large, crude prison of sorts.

" What's going on here?" he whispered as the person, rubbing his neck painfully, sat down opposite of him. Aozora turned and scanned the person.

The person sitting in front of him was his own age, fifteen. He was pale like Aozora but he had icy green-blue eyes and brilliant silver hair. A band of navy blue wrapped around his head and kept his long silver hair out of his face. He, too, was wearing the black trench coat of the Unknowns but Aozora suspected that the person was in trouble with the Society like he was.

" I honestly don't know," the person answered amiably. " I suspect we just weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing. But that's not why I'm here, I believe. They, the Society members that are corrupted, suspect that we're in league with the Keyblade Master."

Aozora twitched but the person did not seem to notice. " I wonder who blew our cover…"

" Wait a minute," Aozora said, staring at him. " What do you mean by 'we'?"

" Oh, I mean by our mentor – oh, I see what you mean," the person replied. " Its me and my friend; we've been trying to clear the path for the Keyblade Master for a while and then some members of the Society just snatched us and dragged us back here. I'm Kobi; what's your name, Guardian?"

He held his hand out to Aozora but he found himself too hesitant to take it. Well, maybe not hesitant, stunned shitless.

_Kobi? Did he just say Kobi?_

" Um…hello?" Kobi waved his hand in Aozora's face. " Do you want to be called Guardian for some time or would you like for me to say your name?"

Aozora stared at him. Yes, yes, I could recall it all. Silver hair, the icy sea-colored eyes, the pale skin, the cheerful personality…

" Kobi?" Aozora whispered. " Kobi, is that you? Is that really you?"

" I'm – I'm sorry?" he was confused. " What do you mean?"

" Kobi," Aozora exclaimed, his heart beating furiously with hope. " Kobi, its me, Aozora. Remember? We were friends on Celt Circle."

Kobi's rather pleasant smile faded from his face. His face, already pale, grew whiter, draining of blood.

" Oh my god," he murmured, his hand dropping to his side. " Aozora? But you're dead!"

Aozora shook his head. " I've never been dead, Kobi. But – but what are you doing here? In the Society, I mean. How'd you – how'd you still stay alive?"

" I don't know," Kobi replied in a whisper, staring at the hard, uneven ground. " The explosion, when Celt Circle was destroyed, I woke up…at another world. I forgot the name; it exists no longer now, but I stayed there, until the world was destroyed. But I was still alive…and I found myself here. This dark place and the funny-smelling ocean…and the Society found me. I've been with them ever since."

Aozora still stared at him. " I thought you were dead. You and Lorien."

" Lorien…" Kobi's voice faltered and faded, and Aozora thought he saw his childhood friend's eyes harden. " She was with me…the whole time, every time. She's part of the Society, too, and she's also here in this cage -"

" I want to see Lorien," Aozora demanded, rising to his feet. But he didn't need to.

A figure stood a little way from where the wall of the prison angled into the room violently, as if it was built there in an attempt to create two different rooms. Aozora froze and Kobi looked behind him, as someone stepped into whatever light was there.

She was taller now, taller than what his memory recalled. Her hair was long and red, like satin; she had bangs that stood out rather harshly against her hair. Her eyes were stormy blue, hardened with whatever she had to face in life. She, too, was wearing a long black trench coat.

_Her eyes, they were still lonesome…she's faced a hard life, like Kobi did, like I did…_

But now she was staring at Aozora, as though she had seen demons.

" Its – its you," she stammered, in the same voice Aozora heard quite some time ago.

" Lorien," Kobi said softly, looking to her. " Lorien, this isn't the Guardian."

" What?" she gasped, confused. " What do you mean he's not the Guardian?"

" Its Aozora, Lorien," Kobi answered carefully. " Aozora's the Guardian."

The look on Lorien's face was full of astonishment, shock, and…nervousness.

" Aozora?" she whispered. " Is it really you?"

He nodded slowly, speechless, for he was seeing a new Lorien, a total surprise to him. His heart was beginning to beat loudly and, to his bewilderment, faster.

" It's come down to this…" Kobi sighed. " Us three, from Celt Circle, in a prison, after half a decade of absence from each others' lives. Here when we shouldn't be here."

He then slammed his fist onto the floor, which not only made a loud sound and cracked his knuckles in the process, it woke Aozora from a trance. Lorien, in the meantime, had drifted to one side of the prison and leaned against the wall, her eyes never leaving Aozora.

" We were supposed to keep Pete from getting to Atlantis, too," Kobi continued to talk with a scowl. " Now that the Princess of Heart is finally starting to revive the worlds the Nobodies and Heartless - " he spat out the names like they were venom " – we're supposed to be there to safeguard the worlds against Pete. But we're not there! We're here! If Pete gets a hold of that stupid lamp in Agrabah, we're in for some serious trouble."

" And Sora hasn't reached the next level of power yet, either," Lorien added calmly. " Trance is still out of his reach. And that power will not stay with him if he loses memory. Just like before."

" Trance?" Aozora asked, puzzled.

" The ability to combine with others to use double the power and a different set of weapons for a set time," Lorien replied. " Powerful, but risky, very dangerous. If you use this ability too much, it will drain you to the point of dying. If you forget…you will lose the power forever."

Aozora nodded slowly. " This is new."

" That's because you weren't here long enough to learn more of the Keyblade Masters," Kobi answered. " Trance is powerful but it has plenty of drawbacks, so I don't know how much it can benefit the Keyblade Master. In the meantime, we should do what the mentor had told us to do if we get caught."

" Mentor?" Aozora was curious and suspicious.

" Why?" Kobi asked.

" I knew of a mentor once, long ago," Aozora answered carefully, cautiously. " His name was Eldest."

" As is the name of our mentor," Lorien replied. " It seems he was doing this on purpose, teaching all three of us what we are supposed to know."

Aozora stared at them once again. Their teacher, their mentor, was his? Eldest?

_Do not be surprised at this, my protégé¸_ he heard his mentor's voice chuckle in his mind. _Great students they are but you are still my protégé. However, now is not the time to dawdle. Danger is surrounding you in every way imaginable and you must get out of here. The Gathering is set to begin soon. Perhaps you should stay a bit before taking your leave and following the Keyblade Master again. Listen to what they have to say before leaving. The Peg-leg is abroad, Aozora, Guardian. Sora is still in great danger but the danger is now magnified perhaps tenfold. Oh, and if you have trouble leaving, look to your friends for help. If all three of you cannot make it, then we shall see…oh yes, we shall see…_

The voice faded.

" Tell me," Aozora turned to Kobi and Lorien. " What exactly is The Gathering?"

" And _where_ are we?" Sora demanded while rubbing the painful spot on his head.

The landing was a hard one. Dropping down a volcano, the gummi ship ricocheted off the sides in the process, finally coming down with a crash and expelling Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the process.

" In a volcano!" Donald shot back, lying on his stomach.

" My back…" Goofy moaned; he was sprawled on his back over Donald. " There's something underneath me…"

" That's me, you oaf!" Donald exclaimed.

" Oh, I knew that," Goofy replied and he rolled off the indignant duck. " My back…I think I broke it."

" That was a hard landing," Sora said, also rubbing his back. " Some volcano."

" The gummi ship," Donald wailed, gesturing to the dented, smoking sorry piece of metal.

" Oh man…" Sora groaned. " We've got to fix that up."

" You know," Goofy said, while on his back. " This really is a very nice place. I mean, its so empty, so calming; you can see the sky up there through the hole and the footprints on this sandy floor. Real lonely footprints at that; kinda like peaceful isolation, you know."

" Footprints?" Sora was intrigued. " If there are footprints here, then there must be a way in and out of here."

He leaned over to look at the floor and immediately regretted the move. " Ow, my…back."

He did, however, see the footprints Goofy mentioned moments earlier. They seemed to be headed down a gently sloping floor into the shadows of the inside of the volcano. He stood up again, wincing slightly at the pain but intrigued greatly by the direction the footprints where headed towards.

Donald, in the meantime, had spotted several different sorts of footprints. He scrambled over to see these isolated sets of feet imprints. They were…human footprints, three different sizes but apparently belonging to humans. And as Donald looked closely, the unique designs of the soles of the shoes on each foot became rather familiar, jogging his memory and making him recall another day, when he and Goofy crash-landed into this world the same way, with another Keyblade Wielder…

" I think we should follow these footprints," Sora announced, gesturing at the footprints he was staring at. " Maybe there's a passageway underneath this volcano."

" I think there is a passageway," Goofy agreed as he slowly turned over and pushed himself up. " I remember there was a passageway in a volcano once…we had to follow footsteps, too; huyuk, remember?"

" Of course I do!" Donald shot back. " Now come on, let's see where this passageway leads to!"

Sora, no longer as disturbed by the two's mysterious conversations, carefully followed the footsteps, walking into the shadows of the volcano. Goofy kept looking back to the still-smoking gummi ship, while Donald stared intently at the one spot where he had found three different sets of footprints, old but untouched by the forces of nature. His mind kept racing, kept remembering the dark starry night, the hard breathing, the sound of footprints racing across the sand, heartbeats that sounded like great gongs, the fear, the insane fear of darkness…and then there was the betrayer, the one Donald firmly believed began the decline of this Universe, the Old Order.

_Somehow I think Pete's deep into this,_ Donald thought as he followed Sora deep into the shadows and into a very inconspicuous passageway. _All this enigmatic, confusing talk; the ways the Society seeks to stop Sora…why does it seem like Pete is conducting all this? Does he really have power over the Heartless and the Nobodies, the Society and Ansem and the others? Where is King Mickey when you need him!_

_Der…maybe it is Pete who's doing all this, ol' Peg Leg,_ Goofy thought. _It seems kinder weird that the Heartless and Nobodies and them Society persons attack in the same way Pete coordinates it all. Some special units in this part, some in that part, and some spread out in the middle. Sounds just like Pete! I wonder why Pete came to my mind in the first place, der…_

Sora was also perplexed as well. _Pete? Who the hell is Pete? Why haven't they mentioned this before? Why are they keeping this type of information hidden from me? Why are they still hiding from me what they don't want me to hear? Why don't they want me to hear? I don't understand. I just don't understand._

But he decided not to ask Donald and Goofy. He didn't trust them anymore; they hid from him what they had not wanted him to hear and if he found out and asked, they would not tell him. Or, they would dangle tidbits of information in front of his nose, to the point that he thought he would have to get down on his knees and beg for the knowledge that laid just beyond his reach.

_There's gotta be someone who knows just as much as they do_, Sora reasoned to himself. _I mean, how many people out there know as much as Donald and Goofy? Well, I don't exactly know what it is that they know but still…sigh…I wish somewhere out there, there would be someone who could at least tell me what I NEED to know._

And then he noticed the faces staring at them. Well, okay, they weren't exactly faces; they were masks. But they were still staring at them. And Sora took this to be a bad sign.

" Father," Princess Kida paced in front of her elderly father as he sat on his throne. " What ARE we supposed to do? Sally says we might've gotten our information wrong…or that the darkness purposely twists them in our minds. How is it that she is unaffected? And how do we know what is the truth? If Sora or the Guardian comes here, what are we to tell them?"

" Calm down, my daughter," the ancient King Kashekim Nedakh said in his deep regal voice. " You think too much about this. Calm yourself and think more rationally, more reasonably. It is true that the darkness can twist whatever we know. But that is where our hearts come into play. What our minds don't know, our hearts know. Say whatever is closest to the heart and perhaps we may be right. And when in doubt, look to the books, to the written facts, and the prophecy."

" I almost forgot about that," Princess Kida said with a smile. " But still…something bothers me. I don't know what it is but it bothers me."

" Speak your mind, Daughter," King Nedakh said calmly.

" When Sora comes," Princess Kida looked to her father intently, " he brings darkness with him. The meeting I had with the Order…it seems strange. When the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the Society appear, Sora appears. And when he leaves, so does the darkness. But there's always the remains, the residue, the echo. If he comes here, Father, what then? Our world is dying and we know it. The crystals, we've forgotten what their uses are, and our people, every year we lose someone, every generation, there are less of us. What can we do, if Sora comes here?"

" The Crystal force has never abandoned us," King Nedakh answered. " They will help us."

" But not all the way," Princess Kida added. " The Old Order is finished. Sally said so herself. Well, not the exact words but she means the same. The Old Order from the very beginning was doomed to some extent. But the darkness had kept us blind to it for the most part, until Dragon and Phoenix were chosen by the Keyblades."

" The Old Order will die," King Nedakh agreed. " It has been that way ever since Sora was born, Sora and the Guardian."

" And with his coming comes the death of the Old Order," Princess Kida mused. " And our home will go down with it, won't it?"

" Such is fate," King Nedakh said solemnly, sadly. " Our world is as old as the Old Order; the downfall of the Old Order is the downfall of Atlantis. Our world will die but perhaps our people will still live to see the coming of a New Order."

" If the New Order can survive its birth," Princess Kida said. " Fate is still hidden from our eyes. The feathers, will they fall or not?"

" I prefer that they never fall," King Nedakh told her. " And that's when you get involved. Don't let anything happen to the Keyblade Master when he comes. Do you understand Kida? Now we must be careful with every step we take, every step we make. The time is drawing near; Sally was right when she said the era of the Old Order is drawing to an end. And when it does come to an end, we shall make it the most glorious ending of all Time."

Princess Kida bowed at these noble words.

" Your Majesty," a messenger bowed and made his presence known from the doorway of the decaying yet graceful palace. " Our scouts found strangers wandering on our lands."

" Is that so?" King Nedakh said, sitting straight on his throne. " Who and what are they? And where are they from?"

" Well Your Majesty," the messenger said, a bit hesitant. " Thing is, not only did they come from within the inactive volcano, they're at a stand-off with our scouts. And not only that, we've got reports of a disturbance beyond the great walls that enclose us. Something's trying to get in here and its something of power."

Princess Kida looked to her father, alarmed. " What do we do?"

" I think, Daughter, it is best that you see to this source of disturbance," King Nedakh counseled. " We do not allow strangers into Atlantis; they are to be killed as soon as they are beyond the walls that hold us. However, the ones at a standoff with our scouts, bring them here. The scouts are to kill them; those who can face us…bring them here, immediately!"

Princess Kida was bemused by this breach of ancient law but she did as told. The messenger, in the meantime, had bowed and backed out of the throne room, carefully avoiding the intricate patterns of the pool of water in the middle of the throne room.

" We extend a hand of peace," one of the strange people said in perfect Common Speech. " Our King Kashekim Nedakh welcomes you to Atlantis."

The person then turned his gaze to Donald and Goofy, who were quite calm but still on their toes. " And sirs Donald and Goofy, welcome back."

" Why are you giving them star treatment?" Sora demanded with narrowed eyes.

" They have been here long before you, stranger," the man answered. " We are familiar with them, their friendship, their authority. Not you. But to you King Nedakh extends a hand of peace, at least until he knows who you are."

" Fine then," Sora grumbled darkly. He gave everyone angry blue stares and prompted the group of people to lead them to the palace of King Nedakh.

" What were they talking about, Goofy?" Sora questioned the knight, ignoring Donald, who was becoming rather infamous on Sora's list of people as tight-lipped.

" As in?" Goofy asked curiously.

" How do they know you?" Sora drilled. " Why did they call you 'sirs'? What do they mean by 'friendship' and 'authority'? What in hell are they talking about?"

" We came here before," Goofy said, though his tone was a bit evasive. " We came here with King Mickey on some very serious business. Very serious business."


	42. The Prophet and the Old Order

Author's Note: Woohoo, Chapter 42! Just a couple hundred more to go – no, no, just joking, just joking. Okay, now please put away your knives and take those killer monsters out of here. sweatdrops well, here's the next chapter and the last chapter that tells the stories of both Sora and Aozora, as I decided its sooo much easier to give each of the main characters and their stories their own special chappies…now don't you feel important? Okay, enough with the chatter, have fun trying to figure out if anything makes any sense while I try and make some sense and on with the story! runs from a chucked Keyblade 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 42: The Prophet and the Old Order 

" The Gathering…" Kobi mused, his eyes troubled. " Now how do I explain that? Well Aozora, the Gathering is something like a meeting. A meeting of the Unknowns, the members of the Society. And from what we know, there will be some of the elite you would be familiar with."

" Axel, for one," Lorien said calmly, though her voice shook with violent hatred. She then muttered some choice words. " Domitan, too. Damn them both!"

Aozora was quite taken back by her show of anger. Kobi only sighed. " It's over Lorien. Besides, Aozora here is still a bit in the dark of things."

" I _know_ Axel and Domitan," Aozora countered. " They always treated me like dirt."

" And there's Vixen," Lorien input. " Gods, he's as ridiculous-looking as ever. A mohawk and now long hair; a monstrosity."

" But as deadly as ever," Kobi added. " Then there's Roxanne. We all know Roxanne; that evil bh of ice. She looks all nice and sweet but that's one way of deceiving others."

Aozora contemplated asking his friends about their choice of words.

" And Marucia," Lorien said. " He's the quiet one but he's kind of at odds with Axel over the leadership of this group of Elite."

Aozora nodded. _Marucia must be new_, he thought, letting the foreign name lock onto a place in his mind. _Either that or he just wasn't around when I was. The same thing with Maleficent. When I was around, she wasn't around. Either that or I just never was aware of him. I'd like to know who he is for sure._

"Then there's the Elite, the one Marucia's boss of. You should know who is in the Elite. Then we got other Unknowns," Kobi continued to explain the meaning of The Gathering. " They're just busybody nobodies, quite literally, and they do a lot of the usually-nonimportant tasks. They're the foundations of the Society and they do everything."

" Except for jobs and such that are for only the Elite," Lorien added. " Either the Elite or those who are like intermediates between the Nobodies and the Heartless. Either one or both, it's the same thing. Maleficent's an intermediate between the Society and the Heartless. There's someone else that acts as an intermediate between the Society and the Nobodies; he's never revealed himself but from what Eldest has told us, he is a man, a human. As for the leader of the Society itself, we never got to know him _personally_. All we have are texts and facts and words-of-mouth from Eldest."

" So basically, we've got an evil witch named Maleficent and two shadowy people leading the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the Society, right?" Aozora tried to put two and two together. " Am I right?"

" Well, Maleficent is an intermediate of the leader of the Heartless," Lorien corrected. " Ansem, Aozora; surely you haven't forgotten about Ansem already!"

" Oh right, him," Aozora sighed, then looked up at his friends, his bronze eyes blazing. " Him…so we've got Ansem, the boss of the Society, and the boss of the Nobodies. What do we know about all of them?"

" Ansem's not going to be here," Kobi stated. " This all of us knew, which is why Maleficent's here instead. He'll appear eventually, and in a body all of his own. We still don't know where he's located; I don't think anybody here in the Society knows. I've a feeling he's still somewhere at Hollow Bastion. I've been sifting through all the texts and reports he left behind in the library and man, he's practically devoted his entire life to studying Heartless."

" Or leading the Heartless," Lorien said. " As for the Society, we don't know much about him. He goes around by the codename Crimson and that's what we call him by. They say he was responsible for a surge in Heartless activity some decades ago. He was also said to play a key part in Disney's history."

" King Mickey's kingdom?" Aozora questioned.

" The one and only," Kobi confirmed. " Then there's the other guy, the one in charge of the Nobodies. Eldest knows more than he tells us but its just that he's not willing to tell us. I don't know why. Maybe it's just bad for us to know but from what I do know, it's a guy and he might be here at The Gathering, too."

" They say he goes by the codename Advocate," Lorien said quietly. " Eldest's was Prophet, if you don't remember. If they keep mentioning Prophet, you'll know what they're talking about."

" But why The Gathering?" Aozora persisted in asking. " What exactly are they going to do at The Gathering?"

" Not all the Unknowns will be here," Kobi informed. " Only the biggest, most important guys will be here. Its like a council of kings, except there are like only two real kings, a representative of a king, and some Elite dudes."

" They would probably be talking about Kingdom Hearts," Lorien added. " They don't want Kingdom Hearts closed and Crimson must be quite glad you're stuck here. You're the one who opened Kingdom Hearts with the Oblivion and the one who would close it needs that same Oblivion. I'm guessing you haven't found either the one who needs the Oblivion or the one who needs the Moonbeam, right?"

Aozora sighed and winced at the same time. " I. Haven't. Don't. Remind. Me."

" I think that means " I am royally pissed right now; please shut up", " Kobi informed her.

" Well, not only that but I think they're going to talk about what to do about Pete," Lorien pressed on. " He's like a rogue force. He used to work for the guy who usurped the Disney throne and he's been against most everyone. He does everything to his own advantage but he still makes alliances, if only for his own gain. He's a source of power; he's got Heartless working for him. He's like a separate faction of the Heartless. Maleficent leads one with the others and Pete leads the other. But Pete's more than that. He's one of the main reasons why you and Sora first had some trouble with things. But with you around, he didn't have much of a free hand. Now that the Keyblade Master is alone…he'll probably try and bring down the world that Sora's on right now."

Aozora merely nodded at this. This was a very large intake of information.

" I think they haven't been very happy with the way things were turning out," Lorien continued, as serious as ever.

" Yeah, you guys' been wupping their asses!" Kobi exclaimed rather cheerfully for this cheerless world. " They've been trying to stop you and they've been failing constantly."

" Except," Lorien countered, " for the Old Universe. They've been successful there."

" Then explain how Wonderland popped up near Traverse Town, Lorien," Kobi shot back. " The Princess of Heart's been doing her share of the work, too."

" But they've got something the Light doesn't have," Lorien said. " We've been achieving these sorts of victories but the Society's been doing things the Heartless and the Nobodies have never been doing. First off, they've got the Prophet, Mentor, Eldest."

" Ah…I see what you mean," Kobi said, a bit abashed. His cheerful light had been extinguished by this mere fact.

" Yes, Kobi, they've got Eldest," Lorien said. " I don't know why Eldest hasn't broken out yet; he's got enough power to wipe out at least two-thirds of the Society."

" True, true," Kobi continued.

" Secondly," Lorien said and her eyes turned to Aozora. " They've got you."

" So it seems, my little sweeties," a chilling woman's voice said amusingly behind them, outside of their little prison. " Not only have we got the Prophet, the old filthy traitor, but we've got his three protégés. And one of three grand prizes: the Guardian. Imagine how happy Master would be if he knew that his stray birds had come back to the flock."

" I went astray for reasons," Aozora muttered, while turning around to look at the owner of the voice.

She looked like a doll, almost, with a sweet face, blue eyes, and short blond hair. But he knew that underneath the kind exterior was a fierce, dark soul.

Aozora blinked and looked more closely. Why did she look so familiar…

" Roxanne…" Kobi groaned. Lorien cast her a hateful stare.

" Oh relax, you two," Roxanne said, her blue eyes glinting with cold darkness. " I'm not playing with your man, Lorien. I'm just seeing Aozora as he is now, the pathetic defector."

Lorien colored fiercely at this. Aozora had turned slightly red as well, though he did not know what it was that was between these two. Kobi, on the other hand, had turned hateful and…

" Amusing, isn't it, Roxanne," a voice drawled. " Three best friends, betrayers, doomed to die, and in the moments before their deaths, they get into a fight over who loves who."

" Domitan," Aozora growled while the blue-haired man appeared next to Roxanne.

" Oh I just love this," Roxanne smiled quite pleasantly at the man. " The joy of spreading discord."

" Indeed," Domitan agreed. " Now shall we go, my darling? The others are waiting and then there will be The Gathering. You can mock them later."

Aozora's eyes narrowed as those two sauntered off.

" Spreading discord?" Lorien muttered. " Say that to my ass and my sword."

Kobi, in the meantime, was muttering something quite unintelligible. " She knows…she knows…how does she know…"

" Spread discord…" Aozora was musing. " What would happen…if one of them dies…then what would happen? But first, we have to know of all their relationships with each other. Perhaps there's something here I've always missed out on…"

And his memories fled backwards, crossing over the great wall uninhibited, into the swirling, violent spiral of hateful memories of his time in the Society. There was Axel, Domitan, Roxanne, Lexeus, Vixen, and the young Zexion, who he bonded with quickly because of his young age. Axel and Domitan, best of friends, always focused on Roxanne and power, while Lexeus and Vixen focused on the goals of the Society. And Zexion, the youngest of them and the younger brother of Domitan, was something quite different. Aozora knew he had a sense of justice, unlike the others. And where did Marucia come into play?

_Spreading discord,_ he thought, dots connecting into lines. _I wonder…_

" I. Don't. Believe. This," Sora growled under his breath along the way. " I. Can't. Believe. THIS!"

" That means " I am royally pissed right now; don't talk to me"," Donald informed Goofy and the people escorting them, who were giving Sora rather curious stares. " Don't worry, he gets in the mood at times. Goofy, _why_!"

" He asked," Goofy answered." But don't you worry; I told him nothin'!"

" Exactly," Donald shot back. " He wants the information. We just can't give it to him, can we?"

" But…der…Donald, I really don't' get it," Goofy said, scratching his head. " Why _can't_ we tell him?"

Donald was at a loss for words.

In the meantime, Sora chose to ignore his two 'comrades-in-arms' and chose to see where it was they were. As far as he was concerned, they've been walking deep in stone and they've been going _down_. He was very sure they were far, far away from the lonely volcano and that meant they were deep underneath the sea.

" Where exactly are we going?" Sora asked of one of the people.

" The city of Atlantis, home of our people," was their answer.

Sora scowled. " I _know_ that!"

" Then what is there that you need to know?" he asked curiously.

Sora was very much tempted to say, " Your ass!" in a very scathing voice. However, he decided against it. Not only was it rude but just wasn't very unkindly for a visitor…er, say it to the ones taking them to a king. And all the while, he listened in on Donald and Goofy's conversation.

"…so we've been making him mad for no reason at all?" Goofy demanded of Donald.

" I guess…" Donald was suddenly not the fiery powerhouse he was. He seemed very uncertain, unsure of himself, confused. " I'm not sure, Goofy. I guess there are some things we can tell him but not everything. No Goofy, we can't tell him everything. Imagine how much of a shock that would be on his mind, to find out who we truly are."

" So what _DO_ I tell him?" Goofy asked. " You know he'll always ask."

" Just tell him…maybe you can tell him why we came here long ago," Donald suggested. " That can't be harmful, can it? I mean, it was all business and all…"

" Alright, I'll ask, huyuk!" Goofy exclaimed. " Hey Sora, Donald just said-"

" Goofy!" Donald hollered at him. " Only when he asks!"

" You said something?" Sora asked of them. He had heard their entire conversation but chose to act dumb about it. Perhaps then they would let on more information than they intended to hide. Such as " find out who we truly are."

"Oh no, we didn't say anything at all," Donald answered hastily, before Goofy could have his say.

" Why don't you tell them about the important business you came here for once long ago?" one of the scouts asked of them curiously. " I mean, he doesn't know so why try and hide it from him? Perhaps he can understand the doom that has fallen on this world."

" What doom?" Sora demanded fiercely.

" When the Old Order collapse," the scout told him, " our world Atlantis will fall with it."

He strode onwards but Sora was frozen still, staring at the man in stunned silence.

" The Old Order is what you live in now, Sora," Goofy offered an explanation in case Sora had no idea what 'Old Order' was. " It is all the worlds, Old Universe and New Universe, all the other worlds and universes out there, the state of things, the Heartless and the Nobodies, the rule of King Mickey and the rule of others in their respective worlds…its just the now, Sora. This is Old Order, the one you were born into. What he's trying to say is that you are the one who will bring New Order to all but Atlantis will fall in the process, one of many worlds who many be destroyed in the transition from Old Order to New Order."

Sora stared at Goofy. How'd Goofy sound so smart all of a sudden?

" We maybe some of the lucky ones who will see to the flowering of the New Order and a new peace," Donald added. " No more Heartless, no more Nobodies, no more Society. The Darkness would be silent forever if you find the door."

" Indeed," the scout said. " They, knight and wizard of Disney's court, had come here once long ago with their king to discuss with King Nedakh the fate of Atlantis and its people. If all else, our great and noble king fear for his people. And they had discussed where the people would go, should the fall of the Old Order be successful and our world be destroyed. None of us wants our home destroyed but such is fate. If only the Fates could answer to us, or the great gods of the skies, Oranos, Kronos, and Gaia the most noble amongst them."

_This world is doomed to die?_ Sora wondered with shock and pity. _How can that be?_

" Wowee," Goofy whistled, clearly impressed by something. " Looks even better with age, I tell ya!"

Sora stared; he must be dreaming.

There were great bridges all around an island nation, where half-decayed buildings still stood retaining the glory of the former days. Waterfalls gushed down into water underneath the bridge and waterfalls flowed around the island, a curtain of glass that kept this realm separate from the rest of the world. Greenery blossomed amongst the ancient ruins and the aura of it all was ancient, ancient, elderly, and of the days bygone and lost to all but memory. And there was power; oh yes there was power. Sora could feel the sleeping power that lay within this great city.

" Welcome to the city of Atlantis, new comers and old," the Atlantians introduced them. " Now come, for King Nedakh is waiting. No doubt he will gladly greet you once more under his roof, Sirs Donald and Goofy. But young child, we shall see of his judgment upon you."

" He's with us," Donald said stiffly. " Period."

" So it seems," the Atlantian scout said. " But we shall see."

"…we will give you one night, and one night only," Sora caught an old, noble voice speaking from what he guessed to be the throne room. " Tomorrow you must go, with no exception."

" We thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty," another voice spoke, a voice rather haughty, if not arrogant. Sora thought it sounded like Clayton.

Sora raised an eyebrow as an unusual troupe of people strode out of the throne room. One looked oldish but was big and buff, too. One was a blond woman, with a very dark look in her eyes. One _was_ an old grandma, who was puffing away on something. One was big, buffer than the first guy, and dark-skinned, not to mention bald. One had a very large black moustache. One was portly, wearing strange glasses and covered in thick clothes. One was white-maned, wearing loose overalls and with a rather insane look on his face. One had thick lips and long black hair, and grease covered much of her clothes. And one looked really odd, completely different from this odd troupe of humans. He was dark blond, with huge glasses with circular frames, and he was wearing a long green coat and toting a leather-bound book inlaid in metal.

" And who are they?" Donald asked one of the escorts.

" We had sensed two disturbances earlier in the day," they answered. " One came from the sleeping volcano, where you had once come with King Mickey; the other came from far beyond, deep in the rock walls that protect us also from the outside world. I believe these outsiders had penetrated our rock walls and had received judgment from King Nedakh."

" Judgment, eh?" Sora said, amused by this. " Interesting…"

The man with the glasses looked back into the room, then stood still and waited, while the others left for wherever they had to go. He then looked towards them and Sora had the impression that the man would've wet his pants if he had not kept to his senses.

" Incredible," he murmured as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Atlantians with them approached. " I don't believe this…"

" Why don't you?" Donald muttered under his breath but sadly everyone heard him.

" You talked!" the man exclaimed with astonishment. " A talking duck! Oh my God, this is incredible."

With that the man bent over and scrutinized Donald, looking at him from all around while the others stood to the side, amused and bemused at the same time.

" Stop staring at me, would ya?" Donald snapped and tapped him on the head with his staff.

" Be nice, Donald; he's just never seen a talking duck before," Sora cackled. Donald glared.

The man then looked up to Sora. " And who are you?"

" My name is Sora," the Keyblade Master replied. " And you?"

" Milo, Milo Thatch," the man replied. " And that other – forgive my word for you – thing with you?"

" Oh, Goofy?" he gestured to the knight, who was daydreaming or something.

" Huyuk, someone said something?" Goofy came to attention quite quickly.

" Oh my!" Milo exclaimed with surprise. " This is amazing, incredible!"

" Pardon me, sir," one of the Atlantians broke the bubble of happiness over this man's head, " but the honorable King Nedakh awaits them."

" Oh yes, yes, yes, do take them in; I'll wait and ask later," Milo said happily. " A pleasure to meet you, Sora, a pleasure!"

" And mine, too, Milo," Sora replied a bit more slowly; he was never around someone as exuberant and charismatic as this man.

He followed the Atlantians, Donald, and Goofy into the throne room, struck with silence, staring at the spacious, open building. There was an air of antiquity, an air of ancient bearing, a beauty that belonged only to the haunted ruins of civilizations that had come and gone through the passage of Time. Unusual greenery grew as they chose from outside into the room; a mysterious pool stood in the middle, patterned most beautifully, in the most enigmatic ways. And there, on a magnificently carved throne that could also be made a bed, sat a most noble figure.

His eyes were white now, blind with old age. His beard was silver-white and long; his robbers were in the colors of the blue sea that surrounded them, a most noble blue. Standing next to him was a young woman, with white hair, icy blue eyes, and adorned in simple, spare clothing. She held a spear in her hand and on her neck was a blue-white crystal, a crystal that every other Atlantian Sora had seen so far wore. There were blue marks under her left eye.

" My lord, King Kashekim Nedakh of Atlantis, here are the three strangers that had come from the opening of the volcano," the foremost of the Atlantians spoke aloud. " But not all of them are strangers, Your Majesty. Two have come here before, in the younger days, the companions of King Mickey Disney."

" Is that so?" the king spoke in the same voice Sora had heard earlier. " Pray tell me who you are so I can find you in my memory."

" I am the Court Wizard Donald, Your Majesty King Nedakh," Donald said, bowing though the king was blind.

" And Captain of the Disney Royal Knights Goofy at your service, huyuk," Goofy followed with a more lopsided bow. Perhaps it was best that King Nedakh was blind.

" Is that so?" King Nedakh's voice quickly softened and was kind. " Sirs Donald and Goofy, welcome back to the city of Atlantis. I trust you are well? And any news from King Mickey Disney? I know he travels far and wide now and has not been to Disney in many long years. But have you heard from him recently?"

" A few weeks ago at best," Sora promptly replied.

" And who is this who speaks without being questioned?" King Nedakh asked. " A bright young voice, it is a young child that travels with you, one from the race of Humans, I presume."

Donald jabbed Sora with his elbow. " You weren't supposed to talk out of your place!"

" How was I supposed to know!" Sora protested.

" Fear not, Keyblade Master," the young woman at King Nedakh's side finally spoke. " Indeed I have warned my father of your coming but it is not easy to recognize one that one has never met before but has only heard of. Sora, welcome to Atlantis."

Sora stared at the woman. " And how'd you know my name?"

" We have our ways, those who are of the Order," the woman replied rather slyly. " My name is Princess Kidagakash but you may call me Kida."

_For obvious reasons_, Sora thought.

" The Order, child," King Nedakh spoke. " If this is the Keyblade Master you speak of, you must tell him of the fate of the Old Order."

" Indeed I must but now here," Princess Kida agreed. " Come you three; there is much we must discuss. For time is growing short even as we stand and breathe, for the day of reckoning is drawing near and there is much Sora Keyblade Master must know of what must happen for him to open the door and what depends on him to do so."

" Him, too?" Sora asked, gesturing to Milo, who was still at the doorway. Princess Kida started.

" He has heard everything," she immediately perceived. " No choice. He will come with us. After all, he seems more knowledgeable of Atlantis than many of my people do."

With that, they followed her to Milo, who seemed rather busy gaggling at her.

" Milo Thatch, will you come with us," Princess Kida asked of him. " There is much we all must discuss and I can see that you can help us in the matters of Atlantis, beloved city that is mine."

" Uh, sure Princess," Milo agreed rather quickly then fell in step with her, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. " And what exactly is it that we must talk about?"

" Have you ever heard of the Old Order, Milo Thatch?" Princess Kida asked quite severely. " Or have you been aware of other worlds out there, other planets, and other people?"

" Are you serious?" Milo demanded. " I'd better note this down. Planets bearing life forms out there somewhere besides our own, incredible -"

" Now is not the time to do whatever you want to do," Princess Kida interrupted. " You have only one day to help my city; the others can stay as long as they want. But we must hurry nonetheless. For your coming, Sora, will bring more than just hope for us of the Order."

" You see, the Old Order is as you see it now. The world you lived in, the worlds you have visited, the people you have met, the governments that reign in each place, they are all of the Old Order. From the birth of Time until now, it has all been the Old Order. However, now the Old Order is in danger. The door has not been opened. The Heartless still roam and with them goes the Nobodies. The Society, you know of the Society. They are our equal but of the darkness. They are part of the Old Order, too. This world, Atlantis, it is connected to the Old Order; Atlantis is part of the lifeline of the ages past. But Atlantis is far beyond its glory days; when you open the door, Sora Keyblade Master, the Old Order will come to and end and with it goes Atlantis. Do you understand?"

" He may but I sure don't," Milo was first to answer. " What are you talking about?"

Sora understood quite clearly. " That's insane. Princess Kida, that is insane! If I open the door, then everything I once knew will be no longer and this world I walk in won't be here anymore!"

" What?" Milo shouted. " What door? What happens if this guy opens whatever door you guys are talking about? Order? What Order? Heartless? I've never heard of Heartless before. Nobodies? Society? Keyblade Master!"

" Clearly this guy is off his rocker," Sora commented. " But so am I. What kind of responsibility is this? I open the door, I destroy a whole world! Are you mad?"

" Such is Destiny, Sora," Princess Kida smiled sadly. " But now, I have a feeling this is when Milo will come into play. Sora, wherever you go, darkness follows. Heartless, Nobodies, Society, all follow you at will. And you can never rid of this darkness, unless you open the door. And the one thing that could have kept you safe, if only temporarily, you have cast aside. And now that one thing, that one power, is beyond our grasp, lost, with only the Prophet to depend on."

" Wait, wait, wait," Sora stopped her talking. " Prophet? Who's the _Prophet_?"

" Let me explain," Princess Kida replied.

" I trust that you will keep to your word?" Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke demanded as he counted the fresh green bills in his hands.

" The only one who could keep me from keeping to my word is the certain brat I've warned you of," the being he was talking to replied. " Give me the boy and I'll let you have your way with the Princess and her powers."

" You've yourself a deal," Commander Rourke shook hands. " And your Heartless and Nobodies?"

" Do not provoke them," the being replied. " That is my only advice to you. They will take care of all who gets in our way. But remember, do not provoke them."

" That I won't forget," Commander Rourke answered. " But now tell me, where are you headed?"

" Do deal with the Underworld, the land of the dead," the being said. " There is a matter concerning a certain child of a God and a coal-black lamp that we have finally gotten wind of. Remember, Commander Rourke. Do not provoke the Heartless or the Nobodies. That is all I can say to you."

The being vanished as Commander Rourke turned back to camp, counting the bills again.

" Filthy rich, I'll be getting…"

" How funny, that I haven't seen it before," Aozora was saying to the others. " I suspect strife in the Elite. You think that could help us?"

" The only one who can help us right now, Aozora, is Prophet, Mentor, Eldest," Kobi replied rather lazily. " But I don't know what became of him. As for me, I will wait until I am free to move again."

" If you're not careful, you'll be getting your ass kicked right on," Lorien replied as she sat not to far from the both of them, her eyes never leaving Aozora as she trailed her fingers along the hard ground.

" Of course I'm careful," Kobi answered. " Don't you trust me?"

" Maybe," Lorien quipped. " But Aozora, I – I've been wondering…what have you been doing? All this time, I mean?"

" I've been around and about," Aozora answered, his face downcast, thinking deep. " I've seen, I've done, and I've regret. I can barely recall a day of happiness…until I joined the Keyblade Master, the Court Wizard, and the Captain of the Disney Royal Guards. And until we broke up, I was happy for a time, happy to be with a team, to be with others. But its hard; the Keyblade Master has suffered…he's suffered much…"

And he could recall the dreams, the dreams Goofy had told him about, the echoes of the past that haunted Sora in his dreams.

_We suffer, have suffered, and will suffer, _he thought. _ For you and I, we are the accursed Ones and will be until the end of our days._


	43. Never Growing Up

Author's note: School has the death hold on me! Run while you can! struggles futilely Oh whatever. Anyways, here's Chapter 43. Sorry it's coming up so late but, like I said, school's got a hold on me and won't let me go. So much homework, sometimes I wonder if the teachers are being a little delusional here. Then again, of course they are! But here's the next chapter, and, I must admit, a rather strange one, too. Even I couldn't figure out how the hell I thought up this crap, pardon me. Oh and that reminds me: as this is PG-13, or should be – I know I rated it that way – excuse the language. This IS Riku's story. 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 43: Never Growing Up 

"Oh you're finally back!" Pooh exclaimed upon seeing Riku, Tarzan, and Sally, all dripping wet, in the gummi ship.

"Yes, FINALLY we're back!" Riku shouted, throwing his arms up in the air as he marched to a seat near the pilot's and sat down, letting his arms hang over the sides and tilting his head back, trying to catch a bit of z's.

"No problem with the ship?" Tarzan asked rather intensely as he placed the Crystal Trident down carefully and headed onward to the pilot's seat.

"There was a great big swarm of buzzing Heartless ships," Pooh answered pleasantly and truthfully, "headed that way, I think. Oh bother…where did they go?"

Riku sighed. _Here we go again…_

"I think that way," Pooh pointed to their north. "Yeah, towards that way, I think."

"Neverland," Sally immediately identified. "This obviously means something. Pooh, Tarzan, somebody, that means we gotta go that way."

Pooh nodded and let Tarzan take over while Riku merely faced the view of Old Universe before him. He couldn't see and he missed the eyesight he had back at Atlantica. Perhaps he must wait, just wait, until his eyes could recover from the darkness that had swamped him years back.

_I hope I can see again_, Riku thought. _Then I can see everyone again…especially Sora and Kairi…I hope you guys have the best of luck…_

He turned, saying, "Sally?"

But he already knew, before he turned around and asked her, that she wasn't there. And he had a very good idea of where she went. For he felt the door open, too.

_Damn it, Sally,_ he thought irritatedly. _King Mickey's already warned me before about people like you but couldn't you have at least warned us before you run off to some meeting with the others of that Order?_

"Hey, where's Sally?" Tarzan asked. He knew she had not answered to Riku's call.

"She's been called away," Riku replied, irritated. "That's what the Order's like. They go to some damn meetings and talk about issues."

"What kind of issues?" Pooh asked curiously.

"Just issues," Riku replied.

_Issues talked about by the Thirteenth Order is what_, he added silently.

" "

"What's that, Tink?" Peter Pan asked. "Heartless? Again?"

Tinker Bell nodded her head vigorously and golden fairy dust showered from her head.

"Tink you'd got to be careful about the fairy dust," Peter Pan warned her. "Remember what King Mickey said? You won't have fairy dust all the time and we need it. At least the person who's supposed to come here and get some needs it."

Tinker Bell nodded sullenly, for every movement caused golden fairy dust to snow from her.

"I'm sorry, Tink," Peter Pan said softly. "With Heartless around, we've got to be careful. Especially right now. Heartless on deck, this is bad, very bad."

Tinker Bell sullenly agreed and sat on Peter Pan's shoulder.

"But I don't understand," Peter Pan murmured. "What is it that makes the Heartless return again and again? But Tink, you sure? You sure about Captain Hook?"

Tinker Bell nodded her head vigorously.

"Well, he didn't die anyways," Peter Pan mused. "We didn't' finish him off so I guess it would make sense. But when will the person come to help us? When? We can't hold off the Heartless for long, if the Keyholes are failing, right?"

Tinker Bell nodded again, then grew furious when Peter Pan began to wonder," I wonder what Wendy's doing right now…"

Tinker Bell glowered at him and Peter Pan sighed, " It's not just that. If the Heartless take over, we lose everything. That's all."

Tinker Bell sighed and stopped being furious. They were silent for some time.

There was a mild explosion in the distance, something powerful entering the skies of Neverland. Peter Pan jerked up at this, then rushed to a window outside of the ship, peering out over the waters, into the sky, where he saw a shooting star…or was it?

" They're here," Peter Pan murmured, as the burning flame came towards them.

" "

Riku was brooding. Pooh and Tarzan stayed far away from him and they kept a vigilant silence, preferring not to disturb Riku's train of thought. Perhaps it was for the best of them, for Riku was starting to think back on his past, on the days after he was locked in Kingdom Hearts, the months he spent wandering in the darkness with King Mickey, learning, always learning.

King Mickey told him many things, things that left Riku silent with astonishment. How could it be, that King Mickey knew so much about things nobody had ever told him? What secrets were in the memories of the King of Disney?

" _I think there was a reason why Ansem chose to take over your body and your body alone," King Mickey told him one day. " You were the only blood kin of his close enough and of close blood ties. You were also swallowed by the dark and therefore you were an excellent host body. Those who share the same blood, Riku, are always more easily taken by others of the same blood. Ansem had a son, oh yes he had a son, but he lost his son long ago. Perhaps that helped Ansem fall into darkness. We may never know, Riku, but this much is true: you and he are connected by blood."_

_How can I be connected to him by blood? Riku wondered at this speculation. Is King Mickey losing his mind?_

" _There is something, Riku, that you must know," King Mickey had broken the momentary silence. " It may not be true, for even I don't know the complete truth but you must know for there's always a chance intuition may be right._

" _There are four forces in this world, outwordly forces, what we would call 'supernatural' though there's more to it than that. The four forces are simply known as the Advocate, the Angel, the Knight, and the Prophet. The Advocate and the Angel are opposites; they always oppose each other. The Knight is a guardian of sorts, the one with the strength. The Prophet…well, there's a good long story on the Prophet. The Prophet is very powerful, though not all-powerful and knows much, though not all-knowing. The Prophet knows all the secrets, all the truths, and one cannot lie to the Prophet for the Prophet sees beyond the lie. _

" _The Advocate is a preordained being. Well, not being. Beings, actually. There are a few Advocates in history and the most powerful is in existence in our time. I believe I know who the Advocate is but that's only my belief. And the Angel? We knew who she was, for she is one of the immortal people. She is young among her people but old in our eyes. And this we know: the Advocate and the Angel loved each other long before the strife that is now. Along the way, the love was lost to the forces of the light and dark. But not fast enough; they had children._

" _Why am I telling you this? There was once a man I knew. He was a proud, bold man, strong and resilient, kind and wise. Or so I thought. He was mighty among us and he was my equal. He was the only man who was my true equal for we both were the Keyblade Masters of our time. And he married one of the fair immortal people of the past, a race that no longer exists. And they had twins, two young boys bearing the names Shirozora and Kurozora. And amongst us rose the faith, the hope for these two boys. Keys choose those who deserve to fight for the light but there have been recorded tendencies for the Keyblades to choose within a family. And that's what we hoped for these two, until their father turned on the very purpose I thought he was fighting for._

" _One night, I came to demand of this man the truth of his position. Talk gave way to fight and two things happened. The Keyblades abandoned the man, and my people and I were cursed. And in the process, his wife died by his own hands and his children saw everything. But not long after, the Society came and destroyed that world. Nobody survived as far as we knew. And all our hopes died._

"_When war came upon us suddenly and swiftly a year ago, I left Disney Castle, fearful for all but there was one thing I knew, that there was hope from these darkening times. If the Heartless were rising, it could mean only one thing: the Keyblades were on the move and there was a key out there that we must find. And I left knowing that there is a very small chance that this person may be connected to the Keyblade master before him. For we all knew that we were not sure of whether or not everyone did die when the world was destroyed. There was a chance one or two may have survived the destruction."_

" _A key?" Riku asked, puzzled. " But there's only one key we know of."_

" _You're catching on fast," King Mickey smiled. " Sora's past is still a mystery to us. We don't know who his parents are and I've a terrible feeling that his past may not have been lacking in blood. There may have been violence in his part._

" _But that is not all. Like I've said, the Keys have a tendency to choose within a family. If so, there is a very small but possible chance that Sora may be linked by blood to the former Keyblade Master. I know that the Keyblade Master had nephews and distant relations; many of them in fact. There is a rather impossible chance that Sora could be the former Keyblade Master's son. But of course there's the problem with the name."_

" _How will this help us, King Mickey?" Riku asked, completely befuddled. " I mean, everything you tell me brings up new questions while leaving others unanswered."_

" _It is because I am setting you up for your task," King Mickey replied wisely. " You have to find out the past behind everything and the questions I give to you may be solved when you find the enlightenment that we all need. I want you to especially search out who the Advocate and the Angel are and whether or not there's recorded history on a world called Deep Tranquility. Can you do that, Riku?"_

_And Riku had agreed. It was the king asking him a favor and besides, Riku had something to redeem before he returned to Destiny Island and the life he knew for so long. Honor._

"Sorry for wandering off in the ship like that," Sally suddenly said cheerfully as she stepped into view of those who had perfect vision. "Got caught up in thinking."

"And so have I," Riku muttered quietly. "And so have I."

The ship suddenly jolted, causing Riku to jump. " What's wrong?"

"We just hit a new world," Tarzan offered an answer as he fought with the controls.

"Neverland, at long last," Sally was smiling. Riku could not see that there was sadness in her face. "Neverland, where childhood dreams still live. But pity; we all grow up and we all grow old."

Riku really did not like the tone of her voice as she spoke. It was ominous, dark, and Riku knew that Sally had just foretold something.

"Are we to head for the ship?" Tarzan asked calmly, looking back to Sally and Riku.

"What ship?" Riku demanded sharply.

"The flying ship," Sally replied calmly. "Yes, that way. Peter Pan will be there."

"Peter Pan?" Riku echoed.

"The boy that never grew up," was Sally's only reply.

' '

Peter Pan watched in awe as the gummi ship grew near, glowing in a fiery light like a fading shooting star in the sky. He then promptly swerved to the side, while a cannon ball sailed by him, punching holes in the clouds. Captain Hook had taken back his ship but that had not hurt Peter Pan. He didn't really have any need for the ship anyways, since flight gave him greater mobility and made him a rather untouchable target. Captain Hook was going to need a lot of practice and cannon balls to barely knick Peter Pan at the elbow.

" More practice than what he thinks he needs, if he's gonna waste all the cannon balls on deck to try and shoot me down," Peter Pan was musing as he watched the gummi ship approach. " And the last time I checked, there were eight barrels of nine cannon balls. Seventy-two tries does not mean he's gonna hit me."

He gracefully dodged another cannon ball, which landed with an unceremonious _kerplop_ in the Sea of Neverland.

" Curse you, Peter Pan!" he could hear Captain Hook's faint cries from the ship. The redhead simply laughed, as the fanciful, one-armed captain stomped about, shrilling out orders to his crew, while the portly Mr. Smee followed the captain from a very safe distance.

But even so, Peter Pan was rather troubled. Why did Captain Hook return? Captain Hook escaped the Crocodile and Peter Pan thought that the fury of the Keyblade Master was enough to send the Heartless captain into hiding for, hopefully, forever. But then again, it had been a year since Sora had last flown into the Neverland sky; much would have happened during the year Sora disappeared. After all, everything changed with Time.

_Why would he return?_ Peter Pan wondered as Tinker Bell stood on his shoulder and gazed at the gummi ship, which was maybe half an hour from entering the real atmosphere of Neverland. _To gain his revenge for the humiliation in my hands? The Keyhole should still be functioning, even if some of the Heartless are returning. But what if the Keyhole's failing? Merlin's told me the other Keyholes were becoming dysfunctional. That's why Wonderland and Agrabah went. So is Captain Hook coming back as a captain of the Heartless mob or what?_

Tinker Bell flew up into the air, gazing still at the gummi ship as it made its way towards them. She looked to Peter Pan with a look of intense urgency on her face. Peter Pan immediately understood what it was that was making her worry.

" We've got to redirect them," he agreed intensely, his mind beginning to work, searching for solutions. Perhaps the Clock Tower?"

Tinker Bell nodded and turned slightly red at the same time.

"No, Wendy's grown up already," Peter Pan sighed. "I know she did; I don't think she'll ever come back to Neverland now. But where else can we go? The ship's either massing with Heartless or with cannon balls and cannons can definitely hit that gummi ship; it's much bigger than us."

Tinker Bell stilled looked a bit mad but who could disagree with Peter Pan's explanation? She nodded and Peter Pan smiled.

"I'd say we give 'em a real good surprise, right, Tinker Bell?" Peter Pan suggested with a huge grin on his face. Without waiting for a reply, he flew up towards the fast-approaching gummi ship. Tinker Bell followed him closely.

' '

" Stay in the clouds," Sally instructed. " Kill off half the power. The ship's got cannons and we happen to be a very prominent target."

Tarzan nodded and flew right into the white mist; they became blinded by the white and Tarzan said, " I can't see. Blind."

" Get out of the clouds," Riku countered Sally's instructions. " But stay out of range. If we can't without being able to see anything, then screw it; dodge the cannon balls."

Tarzan then sent the ship flying straight up, until the clouds faded away, then made an about-face and flew back down, avoiding the white masses in the process.

Riku jerked when Tarzan shouted. With the shouting he heard something knocking on the glass.

" Still a child at heart," he heard Sally saying.

" Who? Peter Pan?" Riku demanded.

" Is that who that is?" Tarzan demanded. " The boy in green knocking on the glass?"

Apparently Peter Pan followed through with his prank and scared the bejeezus out of Tarzan. Tinker Bell danced around, scattering fairy dust everywhere and laughing at the look on Tarzan's face.

" Very clever, very clever," Sally mused, shaking her head and hiding a smile.

" Do I shoot them?" Pooh asked curiously from his own little cockpit.

" They're allies," Riku replied.

" Oh," was Pooh's only reply and Riku had the feeling the yellow bear was slightly embarrassed by this mistake.

" Is he going to do something besides waving at us?" Riku demanded, starting to become irritated.

Peter Pan knocked on the glass, gesturing down.

" I'm guessing we go down," Tarzan decided. " After all, he is pointing down."

He brought the nose of the gummi ship down as Peter Pan gestured and the ship dove…straight for Captain Hook's ship.

" Do we crash or do we avoid the ship?" Tarzan asked while manning the controls.

" What!" Riku shouted.

Peter Pan was diving with the gummi ship. Tinker Bell clung to his hat for the quick dive, yellow fairy dust trailing after her. He was gesturing to the right quickly, the sideways jabbing becoming frantic as the ship came into view and then as the ship seemed to grow closer and closer.

It was when the ship got uncomfortably close that Peter Pan went right and Tarzan followed his cue. He just had the bad luck of turning right into a sheet of blinding white.

Riku heard a string of unfamiliar curses follow as the gummi ship tore through the sails and got caught by the mast that held up the sails. The gummi ship tipped down towards the ship, hanging precariously by its massive blasters and tail fins.

Riku picked himself up from the pile that gathered at the cockpit. " That was a very bad landing on my part, Tarzan. Surely you could've done better."

There was shouting from somewhere below them and he could definitely hear someone shouting, " About face the cannons."

" Very bad landing, Tarzan, very bad landing," Riku repeated, but with added emphasis.

" Get outta there!" shouted a muffled voice from above. " Hook's got his cannons on you!"

" Oh shit!" Riku ran for the hatch and forced it open, hitting something in the process.

" Ow, hey, watch it, you -" that same voice shouted. " Oh, are you blind?"

" What? Wait, who are you?" Riku demanded. " And yes, I'm blind and I don't know if its temporary or permanent. However I think we should get out of here, as you've said."

" First, get everyone else outta there," the voice said. " If we get down to the ship's hold, we'd be safe for sure."

Riku nodded, then found himself shoved out of the hatchway, landing on his face.

" Don't block the way," was Sally's excuse as she lifted herself up. Her hand, unfortunately, detached in the process and Tarzan handed it back to her, albeit with a look on his face that would've been worth a thousand words.

Pooh tumbled out of the hatchway as a cannon suddenly roared. Wind rushed by Riku but he didn't hear anything snap off of the ship. In fact, he heard wood break and crude cursing with it.

" Tink, we need your help!" the voice yelled.

" Ah, hello Peter Pan," Sally said calmly, as another cannon discharged. Again, wood shredded and cursing followed, along with, " Aim, you rats! _Aim_!"

Riku shook his head. Still calm under the cover of fire.

" Tink!" Peter Pan yelled. " Where'd she go? We need that fairy dust to get out of here!"

" What?" Tarzan didn't get any of it.

" We need Tink's fairy dust to fly down to the ship's hold," Peter Pan quickly explained. " Where'd she go?"

" What do we do, find Tink or get out of here?" Tarzan demanded.

" Well, we can't get out of here without Tink but we have to get out of here," Peter Pan answered. " Oh well, might as well fly down and fight our way to Hook."

He then looked at the sorry ensemble before him and hit himself mentally. _Of course they couldn't fly! What was he thinking?_

" It's not far to the deck," he quickly added with embarrassment. " Just climb the rigging down to the deck and hack your way through. Can't be too hard."

" Rigging?" Riku was very discouraged. If there was one thing he could not do, it was climbing down from a height by the means of a thick-roped net with the tendency t o sway with the sails and the sea. Not that he wasn't capable of doing it; he was just a bit handicapped.

Okay, so he wasn't a bit handicapped. He was legally blind.

"Surrender, Peter Pan!" an arrogant voice sneered and demanded angrily from down below, presumably the deck.

Peter Pan rolled his eyes. "He's never gonna quit, I tell you."

"And you, Spawn of the Darkness!" Riku knew Hook was talking about him but he could not get what kind of swearing Captain Hook was using. 'Spawn of the Darkness?'

"Talkin' to me?" Riku demanded, turning to the sound of the voice down below. " Quit ranting; I've heard enough bullshit from the likes of you."

That proved much harsher than 'Spawn of the Darkness'; Captain Hook sputtered, unable to think of a comeback.

"Peter Pan, we need Tinker Bell," Sally said hurriedly. "We need her fairy dust immediately! We've got to find her!"

"But I don't know where she's went," Peter Pan countered. "And without fairy dust, the only way you guys can get out of here's either by using the gummi ship and possibly breaking some piece of it off or jump onto the deck and fight your way down."

"I can't see for shit," Riku growled. "But screw it all; if I break my neck, I break my neck. Come on."

The powers of darkness came to him unbidden and he instinctively reached out to use these powers to seek out the world around him. But he drew back from the powers quickly; he had told himself never to use dark powers long ago and yet it was a struggle, for he could see with dark powers but it took a stronger effort to see with powers other than of darkness.

He carefully inched to the edge of the gummi ship. He could hear shouts of awe and surprise from the pirates below and smirked, ever so briefly, as he tensed himself.

_They never saw it coming_, he thought and leaped off the gummi ship.

' '

"He's attempting suicide, isn't he?" Peter Pan demanded of Sally as they watched Riku land on the deck with such force, his fist, used for bracing his impact left a lovely hole.

"Suicide doesn't even come close," Sally replied calmly, then inched for the rigging while Tarzan quickly climbed up the mast, undid a piece of thick rope, and swung down onto the deck. Pooh didn't budge.

"I've never gone so high on honey trees," they could hear him muttering to himself.

"Aeroga, Pooh, Aeroga," Sally hinted.

Pooh looked at her with an empty look on his face. Then he was enlightened. "Oh, I put Aeroga on myself and jump?"

Sally nodded patiently and Pooh happily cast Aeroga on himself and jumped down after Riku, who was busy intimidating the pirates.

"Hey, it's a little teddy bear," one of the pirates noticed Pooh. "Aw, now isn't that cute?"

"Let's give 'm hell, boys," another pirate suggested and they began drawing out daggers, sabers, and pistols.

"Firaga, Pooh, Firaga," Riku hissed in Pooh's direction.

" Firaga?" Pooh asked and a fireball shot straight down onto the deck and fire blazed up.

" Not my ship!" Captain Hook shouted from where he was standing next to Smee and the wheel. " Get that fire out!"

Half the crew ran about finding buckets of water to put out the flames; the others continued to advance on Riku and Pooh, now much more cautious and wary. Then Tarzan jumped on some of them, knocking them to the ground and joined the other two. Together the trio began to clear the deck, knocking out the crew or throwing them overboard. Pooh had a bit of trouble with that, but his fireballs and balls of ice sent many packing.

Captain Hook was beside himself with fury as he saw the three clear his deck. That dark child! How dare he beat Captain Hook, one of the leaders of the Heartless!

" Give it up, Hook," Peter Pan laughed as he hovered over his nemesis' head. " You're never gonna beat any of us, not ever."

" I'd rather bring the whole world down with me than give up," the man snapped back and Riku suddenly shivered; there was enough conviction in the man's voice for him to believe that Captain Hook would detonate this world rather than surrender.

" Not if I get to you, first," Peter Pan cried out, whipped out his dagger and charged Captain Hook.

" We don't' have time," Sally said haltingly as they watched Peter Pan and Captain Hook engage in yet another duel. " Now's not the time for child's play. We've much more important things to focus on. Oh dear, he's lost to us."

Riku knew what she meant. Now was the time to ignore rivalry and hatred and focus more on finding Tinker Bell and finding the fairy dust needed to reach the sealed libraries of Hollow Bastion. And by now, she meant _now_.

Riku ran up the stairs to where the two duelists were fighting and for a moment, stopped, studying the situation. Clearly he needed to do something to force them apart, but what?

He brought out the Dark Keyblade and slammed its head down onto the wood, breaking the planks. He then watched with some satisfaction as the planks continued to break, making a long thin gap across the deck and splitting in between Captain Hook and Peter Pan. The long fissure Riku created began to grow and Captain Hook began to shout curses.

" Stop whining," Riku snapped. " Peter Pan, we've got to find Tinker Bell. NOW!"

Peter Pan was just about to make a smart comeback when the gummi ship dove headfirst onto the deck. Today was just not the ship's day.

" Sally!" Riku cried out and Tarzan leaped into the wreckage. Not even ten seconds later, he reappeared with Sally, who didn't seem a bit shaken.

" We gotta bail!" Peter Pan shouted. " Ship's going down! Get that gummi ship into the air fast!"

" My ship!" Captain Hook screamed. " Smee, get us out of here!"

" Ayay, Captain!" Smee, the clumsy right hand answered. " Battleship!"

" Battleship?" Riku wondered. " Heartless!"

" The one and only," Peter Pan replied, then cried out, " Tink!"

Captain Hook grinned as Smee held up his hat triumphantly. Within, Peter Pan was able to spot the frantic movements and the eerie glow of the one and only Tinker Bell.

" Come back here, you!" Peter Pan shouted but the Battleship that loomed up from behind them lobbed a ball in his direction.

Through the smoke that the ball emitted, they could all hear Captain Hook shout, " Take 'er away to the Keyhole!"

" Tink," Peter Pan quickly deflated.

" No time to lose," Sally announced, moving straight for the gummi ship and detaching her arm in the process. " We've got to get to the Clock Tower immediately!"


	44. Let the Lion Roar

Author's Note: Har, har, har, awesome. I can advertise my new fanfic right here! Okay, here's the story: I started a Digimon fic and if you are a Digimon fan and all, can you read and review:D Anyways, here's the next chapter. If this one gets a little weird, believe me, you WILL like the next one. So hang in there! Thanks! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 44: Let the Lion Roar 

Kairi stood silently, as Sally left and King Mickey turned to the others of the Order of the Hearts and Souls. His gaze was stern, like kings of the old tales Kairi once heard in her forgotten youth.

" Time is ever slipping away," King Mickey finally spoke. " Things have been set in motion that cannot be stopped midway. They will run to the end and we must be ready when that comes."

He looked at each of the remaining members of the Order of the Hearts and Souls. Princess Kida and Sally had gone back to wherever they had come from and Meg was already beginning to depart.

" What can we do, Your Majesty?" Bo Peep asked, fear lacing her voice.

Kairi looked to each and every one of the Order that remained. Bo Peep was fearful; Friar Tuck was weary look on his face.

" We must wait," King Mickey said slowly, quietly. " You all have done what you could. Sora has sealed your worlds against any further darkness. All we can do now is wait, the long painful wait. And the waiting will end when our fate is decided."

" There will be no rest until then," the Emperor agreed. " And no wait after. The darkness has a firm grip on their hand in our fate; we both will decide the fate of all."

The Emperor then turned his gaze to Kairi.

" Yet there are those who will determine all of fate," he added. " It is time, I suppose, time to release her and further her on her journey. Agrabah must be restored. Its guardian must awake."

" Indeed," King Mickey agreed. " To Agrabah it is. Kairi, are you ready to continue?"

Kairi gulped and gave a very small nod. King Mickey gave her a reassuring smile.

" Very well," he said. " Farewell, Kairi Princess of Heart, until we meet again."

And as others bowed or waved her farewell, mist began to cloud her vision and she felt herself floating in air, light as a windblown feather. And within she heard the voice of the mouse king.

_The Guardian of the Cave of Wonders is the one you seek. His riddle you must solve, and a surprise you will meet. Find the book of lost riddles, though it may not look it, and you shall soon see when the time for it is fit. And together, you will search through a world lost to memory and time, for the key you need hides within the one who had commit a just crime._

_Together?_ Kairi wondered, puzzled. _Who would be coming with me?_

But no voice answered her and Kairi knew that now she was on her own. She had a cave of wonders of find and riddle to solve, in order to do something, something that will help Sora's cause. And she will do anything to help him.

""

" So…" Merlin mused as he gazed at the worn parchment. " So…even ones like him could be corrupted by the darkness in ways unaware. For this I've learned: the darkness corrupts even the way we think, so that knowledge we know would come out of our mouths twisted and deceiving. What I've been saying is wrong due to the darkness that resides in us no matter where we go; thank goodness we found Ansem's other report in time."

Selphie blinked. " Was that supposed to be a riddle?"

Merlin's eyes twinkled. " Was it?"

" Don't let the old fart get to ya," Terk whispered some 'advise'. " Old people get that way."

"Ah….I get it," Selphie nodded in agreement, her voice mocking.

Jane just sighed and shrugged, preferring to say nothing about the whole matter.

" What do we do now, though?" Selphie asked. " I mean, Kairi's not here but Merlin, you were talking about Kairi like you knew where she was. Why?"

" Because I do know where she had been taken to," Merlin replied. " The waters of that pool is not only a means of communication between worlds, it was also a portal that could only be activated by us, the Order of the Hearts and Souls."

" I really don't understand this order, though," Jane said. " Can you tell us about it?"

" Yeah, I'd like to know, too," Terk agreed, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Merlin 'the look'.

Merlin briefly considered letting out an exasperated sigh but that would hurt his image.

" The Order of the Hearts and Souls is made of up of the same number of members as the Elite of the Society," he began slowly, drawing on his ages-old wisdom to help him. " We strive to keep the Elite in check, and we also try to match with the number of the others within the Society. I call the others of the Society Orders but the Order of the Hearts and Souls prefer to refer to them as the Unknowns. One, they're unknown to us most of the time, if not all the time. Second, anyone could get mixed up between the Orders of the Society and the Order of the Hearts and Souls. Our numbers have changed thirteen times, over the course of the existence of the universes, the real one and the non-existent one."

" What _do_ you guys do, though?" Jane repeated.

" We counter, or at least try to counter, every move the Elite and the Orders of the Society makes," Merlin replied with seemingly unlimited patience. " Every move they make, we prevent, or at least try to. We don't initiate most moves; that would take up much of our time and we need to focus on keeping Sora safe and on task. In fact, all that the Order does is keep the Keyblade Masters from being hindered by the darkness. Of course, that role's been changing over the centuries so we hold our own little meetings, discussing the movements of the darkness, the Heartless, the Nobodies, the actions of the Society, and, of course and most obvious, the movements of the current Keyblade Master. Or should I say, _Masters_? We never had more than two Keyblade Masters existing at the same time. Often, if one died, a new Master would rise and so the numbers would say at two, in keeping with the rule of a dual wielder and a single wielder. Makes any sense?"

" I think so," Selphie answered, though there was still a dazed look on her face.

" Like I said, there were always two, never more," Merlin decided to continue. " However, these times, they are so very strange. We have three possible Masters roaming the land, perhaps even more. One is a definite Keyblade Master, though he is very aware that he is nearing the end of his time as one; we have a rising Keyblade Master, who you should all know of or by God Himself I can't help you; we've got a justified criminal, who's extremely talented in the arts of the Keyblades, perhaps even more than Sora himself; we've got one who may use a Keyblade but for how long nobody knows; and we've one who is currently master of a Keyblade but perhaps fated not to use such weapons. So, as you can see, these days are strange days indeed."

" There's someone out there who may be even better than Sora?" Terk demanded, rather stupefied by Merlin's extremely outlandish claim.

" He's a good one, I hear," Merlin replied with a sly smile. " Very good, extremely adept but perhaps a bit too dark to be cut out to be the one who will open the door. The door had been opened and closed, and its powers have shifted from the white monoliths that now stand cold, full of skeletons, stained with darkness. Sora still needs to find the door, and we will help him do that. And, or so Fate deems, so will you."

""

It was arid. Kairi looked about her, feeling the dry wind flow about her like a weightless blanket. The world was cold, cold in the essence of gray; there was no sign of life. The sand dunes rose and fell with the wind and cold gray boulders rose from the midst of the sea of grains of glass. Kairi looked about and shivered.

In the distance, she could see the tops of distant buildings, enclosed by a mighty wall. But the buildings looked to be ruins, old, deserted, decaying with wind, sand, and Time. The world was a lonely place, empty, gray, abandoned, and old.

Kairi could not believe this was Agrabah.

" This? This – this is Agrabah?" she stammered in a soft, astonished voice. " How – how can this be?"

" Beats me," a voice squawked behind her. " Never really did see it coming; those damn Heartless. Never gonna stick with them again, that's for sure."

Kairi whirled around, her face pale with surprise and fear. She found herself staring at a vibrant red parrot, with a huge yellow beak, yellow feet, and wings tipped green. Its tail was blue. In this gray world, she had found color.

" The name's Iago, once the accomplice of Jafar, now a companion of Aladdin," the parrot bowed to her from mid-air. The parrot then dropped to the sand. " Damn world; there's no wind, no heat, so I can't fly. By the way, Princess, what are you doing here?"

Kairi stared at him. How'd he know she was a Princess of Heart?

" I've been to both sides of good and evil, Princess," Iago answered her questioning look. " I know. And I also know that though there's no enemies here, the universe itself is the enemy. Agrabah is dying and I'm guessing you're here to stop that, right?"

He looked up at her hopefully from his pathetic position on the sand.

" I guess," Kairi said slowly, as she looked around. " Iago, what is this place?"

" This, Princess?" Iago asked, waving his wing about. " This is the Desert, of course. We're near the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders. Ever heard of the Cave of Wonders, Princess?"

He was waddling in the direction of a formation of stones that rose from the sand, a formation that created a protective circle around an area that dipped into the center, then rose to meet a rather imposing wall of stone.

" No, and for the record, Iago, my name is Kairi," she informed him as she followed him. " What is the Cave of Wonders?"

" The Cave of Wonders, Princ – Kairi, is a massive treasure cave hidden underneath the sands of the Desert," Iago explained. " Very complicated; it is a maze of stone, fire, water, and _riches_."

There was a hungry look in the parrot's eyes. Kairi wondered whether or not she should be worried about this.

" I'm gold-crazy but I'm almost over it," Iago continued. " Sadly enough, when the Heartless returned, the Cave of Wonders sealed itself and Aladdin couldn't get back in. You see, there in the Cave of Wonders is a powerful gem, a precious stone with incredible strength, with the amazing ability to shield the world from all evil. But it's hidden in the deepest of the Cave of Wonders and there are many guardians of the gem. Terrifying guardians, I tell you. And when the Cave of Wonders sealed itself against all outside forces, well, the Heartless went mad."

" I can't imagine why," Kairi said, hinting sarcasm.

" If the Heartless get a hold of that gem, they could use the power to generate strength beyond what they could imagine," Iago said. " But of course, the Guardian wouldn't let them in. Subsequently, it wouldn't let Aladdin in, either. So we were in a very tight situation, very tight."

" The Guardian…" Kairi sank into thought. _This guardian has a riddle I must solve._

" I was still trying to figure out how to coax the Guardian into letting us in, if only for an hour, when the Heartless went on a rampage," Iago's eyes widened with memory and fear. " We all got off Agrabah, right before the Heartless destroyed Agrabah's heart. All of us, that is, but me. I got left behind here, screaming at a pit in the sand, and I've been waiting for some sort of miracle ever since. That was until you came around, Princ – Kairi. You're a miracle yourself, you know. You can free Agrabah before its soul vanishes, too."

Kairi nodded slowly. " Iago, I've been told that this Guardian was to tell us a riddle. And if we answer, we can get in. But not to find that gem of yours. I'm supposed to find some book of prophesy, maybe a piece of the Other Report, and, or so King Mickey tells me, I'm to meet someone there."

Iago turned on her. " You met King Mickey!"

Kairi nodded. " Yes. He was the one who told me everything I'm supposed to do."

Iago shook his head in wonder. " So he _did_ return! It's been a while since most of us have heard from him. Wonder how he got out of Kingdom Hearts."

Kairi gave a confused shrug. " I don't know if we'll ever really find out."

_Find out you will, if only a little later. Discover my secrets, and you'll soon find chaos' Creator._

The disembodied voice, masculine and deep, echoed across the empty Desert. Kairi froze and Iago cowered.

" The Guardian of the Cave of Wonders," she heard his muffled voice whisper. " But where is his face?"

_My face I not reveal until my riddle you two shall seal._

" Speaking in rhyme, is he?" Kairi said, a tinge of amusement in her voice.

_Riddle me, riddle me, but no answer shall I give, until my riddle you solve and you decide what will live._

" Riddle me, riddle me, eh?" Iago said, clearly over his fear of the voice. " Riddle you, riddle _you_! Come on, why not just let us in and have it be done with."

_Fate, my little parrot, you would do not to tease. Play with Fate, and all will _not_ be at ease._

" Notice the emphasis on 'not', Iago?" Kairi sent the parrot a hint.

_Ask me now or forever hold your peace. Unrelated you are to an archive master, though all know you as niece._

" A what?" Kairi gasped.

" He means , " Ask me for the riddle, Princess,". At least, that's what I think he's suggesting," Iago whispered, forgetting to call her Kairi.

Kairi knew what the Guardian's voice was leading her to. " Ask me the riddle, then."

_Remember, if you dare to answer, many fates will return the call. Answer right, you shall pass and answer wrong, all will fall._

Kairi gulped. Were the stakes _this_ high?

_Not at all, the stakes are lower than you think it. But if you answer right, your dark path will be well lit._

Kairi gulped, then nodded. " Very well, then. What is the riddle?"

""

" We can't get anywhere without Kairi, though," Selphie complained once again, as she, Jane, and Terk trailed Merlin through the jungle. " So where the heck are we going?"

" Out of Deep Jungle, of course," Merlin replied. " Deep Jungle will soon go back to the real universe and its best if _we_ are not there when that happens."

His emphasis on 'we' proved rather suspicious. But Selphie guessed that he was referring to them both, not Jane and Terk.

" So we stay here on Deep Jungle, when it goes back to the real universe, right?" Terk wanted confirmation. " I mean it makes sense, since we've got Deep Jungle livin' again and - "

" Yes, Terk, that's what we're gonna do," Jane answered. " We're going back to the real universe. And maybe everyone will return, Tarzan, too."

" It will be a while before he returns, though, my dear," Merlin informed her. " He is…rather busy right now, if you ask me."

" Why? How?" Jane asked.

Merlin looked very regretful for a moment, then began to think up an answer. " He's…uh…he's very busy right now, actually. I'm not very certain about the series of events right now but I can tell you that he's involved in protecting what remains of the Old Universe right now. Or I hope he is. Who knows what might have happened in the weeks that have passed by."

" Weeks?" Jane was stupefied. " Its only been days!"

" Still count as weeks!" Terk chirped up.

" Time in this universe, In-between, is slower than in the Real Universe," Selphie explained. " But I'll never know why."

" No matter," Merlin said briskly, as he suddenly began to walk away from the center of Deep Jungle quickly. " Come, Selphie; I have an appointment with an old friend here."

" Old friend?" Selphie asked, a bit skeptically. " What old friend?"

" How'd another old fart get here?" Terk asked with confusion.

" Terk, that's rude," Jane reprimanded.

" We will be taking our leave," Merlin suddenly stopped and turned around; Selphie nearly ran into him. " Jane, Terk, good day and good luck. Pray we may meet again."

They bowed. " I will," Jane answered.

" Now come along, Selphie," Merlin said rather pleasantly as she turned around and gave them a fond farewell wave. " It is not a good idea to keep Oracle Kenaii waiting, you know. Even he, as dead as he is, does not have all the time in the universe to wait for us to finishing saying goodbyes to some friends we hope to meet again in the near future."

" We're going to meet Oracle Kenaii?" Selphie demanded, aghast.

That spectral fortune teller? They were going to meet the fortune teller? Why!

" Why him?" Selphie demanded frantically as they neared the edge of Deep Jungle, which was marked by the gradual graying of all things.

" He may be dead but there's much he knows," Merlin explained as they treaded gray grounds. " Darkness does not affect the dead, nor the light. However, if the dead is already affiliated with the dark, that dead is dark. Same for those affiliated with the light. And Oracle Kenaii happens to be one of them, which is why he is helping us. Back in his day, the light was more pure, more untainted and therefore, his truth is more true than the truths today. So the whole bit, the poetry that is, is very true and is happening right now."

" The poetry?" Selphie asked, confused. Then it dawned on her. " Oh, _that_ poetry."

Merlin nodded. " Exactly. Kairi is being rather faithful to that poem though we aren't. But of course, this really is her destiny and we simply play parts in it."

" Wait a minute," Selphie asked crossly, freezing in her tracks. " I'm just something compared to Kairi? What the hell! Why aren't I special?"

" Merlin, you were always a poor orator," a very familiar voice tsked as a spectral figure came into view. " Must I teach you again? You were always a very terrible student."

Merlin looked rather embarrassed as Oracle Kenaii appeared from the mists. He looked none the worse for wear. After all, he was dead and all material problems did not trouble him. But his facial expression explained enough. He looked rather upset.

" Something bothering you, Oracle Kenaii?" Merlin asked worriedly.

" Bothering me? Bothering me?" Oracle Kenaii seemed to mock the words Merlin had chosen. " Much worse, Merlin, much worse. The Order is in very deep trouble, deep waters I must say. The Society's gone and captured the Guardian."

Merlin gaped at the spectral being. He opened and shut his mouth several times but no sound issued forth from his lips.

" What's that supposed to mean?" Selphie demanded tensely.

" It means we are in very deep trouble," Oracle Kenaii replied calmly. " Merlin, you know of King Mickey's suspicions. The possible ties to the other Keyblade Master, the one lost to us now. His connection to the current budding Keyblade Master. And we must not forget what Sally had said about him. The rift has become a wide chasm and there is no middle way."

" Then the feathers…the feathers," Merlin stammered, adjusting his spectacles.

" No feathers yet; we are lucky thus far," Oracle Kenaii replied. " But how long the luck will last is up to Fate to decide."

" Someone explain to me in very good detail what the hell's going on here!" Selphie shrilled out.

She was met with silence. Both Merlin and Oracle Kenaii stared at her. Then Oracle Kenaii looked to Merlin and the wizard sighed in defeat.

" Fine, I'll explain it for her," he grumbled. " Thing is, Selphie, the darkness is winning the war. Sora has a guardian and they were supposed to stay together, until Sora finds the door of light. However, there was a chain of events that took place and Sora and the guardian split. And so far, reuniting them has been a problem for us. Now it has become impossible. The Guardian is currently detained by the Society, where he used to be one of the geniuses of the Elite. And infiltrating the Society is deemed impossible."

" Not only impossible but just plain stupid," Oracle Kenaii added. " You CANNOT infiltrate the Society! To do so means that you're completely out of your mind, a nutcase! Nobody has ever infiltrated the Society without having to be a member of the Society and you really are a nutcase if you join the Society! Hell, they're all four of them nutcases!"

" Oracle Kenaii, calm down!" Selphie yelped in surprise; she had never seen the specter lose it before. " Take some deep breaths – oh yeah, you can't breathe. What am I talking about?"

" Beats me; I'm at a loss for words," Merlin replied with a shrug. " But on with what I'm supposed to be saying here. Selphie, if Sora and the Guardian stay separated for too long, the feathers will fall. You've heard of the saying before, I'm sure."

" What _does_ that mean?" Selphie quickly pounced with a question. " Nobody would ever tell me exactly what happens if some feathers fall. What the hell's t hat supposed to mean?"

" It means that feathers will fall from the sky," Oracle Kenaii spoke calmly, as though he never had a fit in his life. Of course Selphie knew better. " They fall when the darkest deed is committed. And I don't think its something we all want to know."

" Murdering a Keyblade Master is not new," Merlin added.

" No, its something worse than murder," Oracle Kenaii agreed emphatically. " It's something much worse than murder, that much I definitely know. Murder is nothing new to this universe and feathers will not come down from the sky just because someone took the liberty to stab Sora and kill him. No, something worse will happen to him, something much worse."

" Does it involve anybody dying?" Selphie asked, shivering. Their words were cold and chilled her.

" Not that I know of," Merlin replied. " Sally still cannot see beyond; our own seer is blind to this fate. She only knows the two outcomes of things: an endless sea and an endless sky, or war."

" War…" Selphie echoed. " An endless sea, an endless sky. What's worse?"

" War can devastate, reduce populations, destroy worlds, _kill_," Oracle Kenaii laid out the details. " An endless sea and an endless sky, on the other hand, is what it is. There is no life; it is just a clouded sky and a dark, deep water. And that is all. Nothing more than that, no light, no dark, no fish in the waters even. All becomes lost; the darkness and the light are nonexistent. Everything you see here, everything you know, every memory, every emotion, every thought gets erased forever."

Selphie wrapped her arms around herself, her mind filling with dark images, images of blood and bodies and cries, and of a sea and a cloudy sky with no end.

" Why was I born now?" she found herself whispering. " Why not before? Why not after? Why _now_?"

""

_Riddle me, riddle me, I'll give you what I see._

" He is _that_ good with riddles, I hate him," Iago said enviously.

" You really shouldn't be jealous of him, Iago," Kairi told him. " Nobody would be able to understand you."

" Good point, Princess – I mean, Kairi," Iago quickly corrected himself.

_The riddle that you seek_, the voice whispered,_ is for the strong and the meek:_

_Tell me of a story an elder told long ago_

_Of radiant light and darkness black_

_Can you recall the tale of the great foe_

_Or of the brilliance that we all seemingly lack?_

_Answers still unanswered, questions still in air,_

_There still is doubt, anger, fear, terror, hate,_

_That drives us away from the answer's lair,_

_And leaves empty the echoes of dying Fate._

_Shall we look to the skies, and the brilliance of stars._

_Or shall we look to the earth and the radiance of stones?_

_From us walls of darkness bars_

_And promises us dirt's bones._

_Luminosity is what we seek_

_In dark and troubled times._

_Searched by the bold and the meek_

_In fear of the darkest signs._

_But what do we have to hold on to_

_Once feathers fall with sorrowful grace?_

_If only we could see, if only we knew,_

_Then what we all seek is not the case._

_Riddle me, riddle me, tell me true:_

_What light is there when all is lost_

_And what you must do with all that you knew._

_Answer me what must be held at all cost_.

Kairi and Iago blinked.

" Wait, wait, wait," Iago barked. " Back it up here. What story and what elder?"

Kairi continued to blink. A story told my an elder? And what was the rest of the riddle?

" Wait, can you say the riddle one more time, please?" she asked.

The voice did as she wished. Kairi still blinked.

" Oh my god," she whispered.

" Oh my god is right," Iago agreed, waddling up to her feet. " Princess – I mean, Kairi, we are in very deep trouble right now. Do you have any idea what the riddle means?"

Kairi thought for a moment. " I'm not sure. But I think its talking about something we all seek, something we all look for, when there's trouble about."

" Well I look for a blanket to hide under," Iago declared with a huff.

Kairi snickered and Iago glared at her. " Not funny."

She rolled her eyes, then began to reconsider the riddle. What was it that everyone sought in the darkest of times? What brilliance was missing? What was it about the bold and the meek?

_Tell me of a story an elder told long ago…was he referring to that story about the children who saved all from darkness, the story about the light within each child, and the sleeping light deep within the darkness?_

" But that makes sense," she murmured to herself. " _Of radiant light and darkness black._ The story was about the light and the dark. But what's it about that story? What's in it? What's the meaning of it?"

_For me to know and for you to find out. That is what my riddle is about._

" Yeah, I know," she snapped back. " But what tale of a great foe? What foe? We have plenty to face. Which one are we talking about here?"

" I think I know," Iago said in hushed tones. Kairi looked at him worriedly, seeing how nervous he suddenly looked. " What is it, Iago?"

Iago looked up at her. " I've heard of this story countless times before, of a great foe, of a great darkness, mightier than all that we know so far and have heard of. The great foe…they say the great foe burns of hellish flames, they say the great foe is stealthy, cunning, and just plain evil. And they never fail to mention his eye. Glowing yellow, burning of the fires of hell, with a slit pupil that contracted when the great foe was angry or aroused. That is the great foe or so I've been told."

" By whom?" Kairi asked curiously, in awe of what Iago had just told her.

" People and text," Iago replied.

_The great foe will open his eyes, and so all hope will be abandoned and flies. The great foe has his match though she still slumbers. She will only awaken when we all remember._

" She?" Kairi asked. There was no answer.

" The prophecy, Pri – Kairi," Iago suggested. " Maybe we should keep working on it."

Kairi nodded, her mind searching for a story about some great foe that burned of hellfire and had yellow eyes. And what was it about some brilliance that everyone supposedly didn't have?

" I don't recall any story about some great foe," she finally announced.

_It takes two, not just you._

" Oh, I get it now," Kairi realized. " Iago, you're the one who knows about this story about the great foe."

" But not about some brilliance we don't have," Iago countered.

_Let your mind soar, or you'll never hear the lion roar._

" I really think that was a warning, Kairi," Iago warned.


	45. Pride and Injustice

Author's Note: Yes, school must die. And so does this keyboard, die die die! Anyways, here's the next chapter and yes, Sora has returned. : So enjoy! Oh yeah and here's more poetry for you! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 45: Pride and Injustice 

" The Prophet is, simply put, a prophet," Princess Kida said calmly as they meandered through trees and ruins. " But not just any prophet. His is a power much greater and he does more than prophesy. But nowadays, he's been leaving all the prophesying to Sally."

" Sally makes prophecies?" Sora asked incredulously.

" Who is this Sally?" Milo asked curiously.

" She is a creation of Dr. Finkelstein but that's a long story and we are digressing from the subject," Princess Kida answered. " But yes, Sora, she makes prophecies. And until now, she's been making quite accurate ones, too. But now…even she cannot see."

" I thought we were talking about Eldest," Donald huffed impatiently.

" Who's Eldest?" Sora and Milo asked spontaneously.

Princess Kida glared at Donald and Goofy. " You know, if you weren't so tightlipped, I wouldn't be having to suffer as much! Why didn't you tell him all that you knew!"

" Confidential," Donald explained.

" I have nothin' to do with this," Goofy replied proudly. " It's his fault."

" Is not!" Donald yelled back.

" Is, too," Goofy answered without a care in the world.

Donald growled at him and Princess Kida sighed. " I guess boys will be boys."

" Hey!" Sora and Milo protested.

" Eldest, Sora, is the one who saved me when my home was destroyed," a noble voice suddenly started explaining. " He is the Prophet. Eldest is his name but he is known as The Prophet."

And a great golden lion stepped out from behind crumbling ruins. Milo screamed.

" Simba!" Sora shouted happily.

The great lion king smiled and dipped his head slightly. " Hello, Sora."

" Simba's been staying here ever since the Heartless went rampant and detonated Pride Rock…again," Princess Kida sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. " Gods, the stress is going to kill me. Those Heartless are so unstoppable."

Sora, who was hugging Simba, looked at Princess Kida worriedly. " Is the situation that bad?"

" Considering the fact that the Nobodies are destroying other worlds, too, I guess so," Simba replied seriously. " Eldest made sure my family and my friends are safe but I must get Pride Rock back."

" And I'll make sure your home gets back," Sora agreed, his voice stern and dark. " The Heartless and Nobodies are gonna pay."

" And we'll do nothing if we just stand around here making talk," Princess Kida said. " And right now seems to be a decent time to enlighten you, _Sora_, with everything else that's going on while you're here sealing worlds."

Sora jerked his head in her direction. What was with the emphasis of his name?

" I've seen Kairi," Princess Kida began. " And-"

" You've WHAT!" Sora hollered. " You've WHAT!"

" Woman," Donald told her, " warn us before you mention her name."

" And I see why," she agreed wryly as Sora worked himself into a frenzy.

" How's she? How's she doing? How'd you meet her? Why'd you meet her? What's she up to? Does she look ok? I mean, you know, as in, does she look like life's been going good for her or something?" Sora fired off in rapid succession.

" Hold your horses!" Milo exclaimed.

They all froze and blinked at him.

" What horses?" Sora ventured to ask, looking around and not seeing any.

Milo sighed and hit himself. " It's just a saying. It means: slow down, take a deep breath, and calm down."

" Oh," came Sora's very small reply.

" Now, as I was saying," Princess Kida tried again. " I've seen Kairi, Sora. She's fine, much taller than last time around – yes, I've been watching her for some time now. I met her during a meeting between those of the Order. She is currently trying to find the pieces of Ansem's Other Report, the one lost in In-between. In-between, if someone here besides Milo doesn't know, is a universe unto itself, a universe where lost worlds go. Worlds that lack a heart or soul go there and they deteriorate into nothing unless they are restored. And two worlds lacking both lie in limbo there as well."

" Sounds scary to me," Milo shivered.

" Would Pride Rock be there?" Simba asked tensely.

" Perhaps," Princess Kida replied. " But you'll have to ask Kairi about that. Right now she's restoring Agrabah. As for Riku-"

" What do you know about Riku?" Sora demanded and interrupted.

" Let me finish!" Princess Kida shot back. " Riku is trying to save inhabitants of worlds before they get destroyed by the Heartless and Nobodies. Coliseum and Halloweentown have fallen; Atlantica is still safe, thanks to King Triton, and they should be on their way to Neverland, unless they're already there."

" Who's 'they'?" Goofy hiccupped curiously.

" Riku is teamed with two others, and Sally is coming along with them," was Princess Kida's enigmatic reply.

Then, quite suddenly, her expression changed. She grew stern, her features suddenly chiseled into her face. Her eyes hardened and bore straight into Sora's heart.

" You would do well to listen to what I am going to say, Keyblade Master," she said in a deceptively quiet voice. " And if you shy away from what I will say, I _will_ slap you silly and disown you as the rightful Keyblade Master."

Goofy snickered at 'slap you silly' and Donald warned him by stomping on his foot. Goofy immediately shut himself up and stood up straight.

Sora studied Princess Kida as she spoke. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.

But before Princess Kida could continue, Milo gave a cry of exclamation. " How did you get such a horrid scar on your _neck_? And your left forearm, too. Gods, Sora, what have you been doing!"

Sora reflexively moved his hand to his neck, knowing that Milo was talking about the thin dark line that meandered across his windpipe. And the huge jagged line that ran down his left forearm, he hid behind his back. It was too late, though; even Simba saw it.

" Sora," Simba gaped at his former summoner, " what happened?"

A defensive look grew in Sora's face and his sky-blue eyes hardened to their concerns.

" If you aren't going to speak, then I will," Princess Kida intervened. " Sora, you must know this -"

" It's about Aozora, isn't it?" Sora turned to the Atlantean princess. " _Isn't it?_"

" Sora, he's been captured," Princess Kida remained unfazed by his anger. " The Society has him. They caught him outside of Zeus' Temple in Ancient Greece a day or two ago."

Sora stared at her. So did Donald and Goofy.

" They _what!_" Donald squalled.

" The Society is succeeding in keeping you two apart," Princess Kida continued to speak, in a voice of steel. " That was what I was trying to tell you, but because of your ignorance of the powers at play, we digressed into talking about who the Prophet was."

" It is NOT my fault," Sora quickly countered. " They never say anything."

He was referring to Donald and Goofy.

" Aozora offered protection, temporary perhaps, but at least he could have kept you safe," Princess Kida said. " He was your only real line of defense from the forces of darkness."

" I'm not weak; I can take on the darkness on my own. I don't need help," Sora shot back defensively.

" You think you're so strong," Princess Kida snapped at him, " but you don't know, you have no idea what forces are at play here. By the gods, if you die, you have only yourself to blame!"

" Who ever said anything about me dying?" Sora growled back. " And what does Aozora have to offer that would keep me from dying?"

" He is the Guardian," Simba offered. " I think that explains enough."

Sora scowled.

" Okay, okay, let's break it up here!" Milo exclaimed, holding up his hands and demanding a truce. " Look, we're not going to get anywhere here if we just stand and shout in each other's faces. Let's work together. First off, now what?"

" The Crystal force, Princess Kida," Simba quickly replied.

" Ah, of course," Princess Kida turned to Milo. " Milo, I need your help. That book, it has our ancient writing in it, am I right?"

Milo looked at the book in his hand. " Well, yes."

" Are you fluent in the written language?" she continued to question.

" Well, how else could I have gotten here?" he replied good-naturedly.

" Good, I need you to decipher something," Princess Kida nodded. " We have to find the Crystal force; they could be our only line of defense against the Heartless and the Nobodies."

They began walking down a sloping path inlaid with white stone. The others followed close behind. Sora had a very troubled look on his face and the others kept silent.

His head was still reeling from Princess Kida's news. _Aozora was captured? How could that have happened?_

Clearly the Society was much more powerful than Sora previously thought.

"…King Mickey said that the Crystal force was unstable, though," Goofy was telling Donald.

" I know, Goofy, but these are special times," Donald replied. " So I guess we're reactivating the force. After all, we have to keep this world away from the Heartless and the Nobodies, even though this world would eventually fall."

" If only King Mickey was here," Goofy sighed, dejected. " He'd know what to do. I mean, with things happening the way they are, nothing's going right, are they? I mean, the Other Report isn't very easy to find. And we're losing worlds, so that's very bad. And Aozora…how'd they get him?"

" I can't answer that, Goofy," Donald returned, just as depressed. " However, I can say that we're in very deep shit. And its gonna take a miracle to get us out of it."

" Is it just me or did he just curse?" Simba hissed to Sora.

" You're not dreaming; I heard, too," Sora answered, just as surprised. Donald did care about Aozora after all.

"…there is writing that I need you to read and translate," Princess Kida was telling Milo as they walked far ahead of the group. " A while back, a visiting king translated ancient text, but only a paragraph. It was proven to be a prophecy. However, we have only a middle paragraph of the prophecy and the rest of the text was destroyed a few nights ago."

" What? Who could do such a thing?" Milo gasped.

" My thoughts exactly," Princess Kida agreed. " However, I have stumbled upon another prophecy, completely intact. There is only one slight problem…"

" What's that?" Milo asked curiously. Not even ten seconds passed when, " Oh no…"

" Exactly." Princess Kida confirmed whatever it was Milo was in some sort of fear of. " We've got to swim."

" Swim!" Donald yelped and froze. Goofy ran into him. Sora swore and Simba wore a mask of trouble on his face. If all else, Simba had the most troubled look on his face out of the six." I can't swim. Well, I could, but I don't think what she means by swimming is what I mean by swimming."

Princess Kida was standing, feet in water, on a platform of white stone, with steps leading into a massive body of dark water. And dark water meant only one thing – deep water.

" I'm not swimming," Sora said firmly. " 'Nuff said. I'm staying put on dry ground."

" I second that motion," Simba added emphatically.

Donald sighed and looked at Goofy. The knight had an unusual look of horror on his face. " No, we're not going either. I don't think I have enough magic to help us. And we've a couple of wimps so…"

" I'm not swimming for reasons of my own, thanks," was Sora's snappy reply.

Princess Kida sighed. " You wimps." She then began to remove all jewelry and weaponry, and put them to the side, hidden discreetly among the alien flora, and then looked pointedly at Milo.

" You do swim, right?" she asked, as she removed all outer clothing and stepped into the waters wearing just enough to at least cover her body and not bother her when swimming deep underwater.

Milo yanked at the collar of his shirt, his face growing warm. " Yeah, I swim pretty girl – I mean, I swim pretty good."

"Good." She did not seem to notice what Milo had just said.

Sora smirked at Milo's reply and watched as the two swam off to seek whatever it was Princess Kida wanted Milo to read. " He's not too smart, is he?"

" No, I don't think so." Simba definitely had to agree. He thought Milo's mistake was really funny. He looked to Sora, who wondered," But anyways, now what do we do?"

Simba sighed and padded to the water's edge. He peered at his own reflection. " Well, whatever happens, we'd be alone when it does happen."

" What are you talking about?" Sora asked curiously, then realized that Donald and Goofy were gone. " Hey, wait a minute…where are those guys?"

" My point exactly," Simba answered as a paw gently distorted the image staring back at the lion king. " I just noticed that they were gone, too."

Sora grumbled, wondering what it was that was making Donald and Goofy act quite strange. Well, they have been acting strange but the world Atlantis seemed to be magnifying that problem a thousand fold, much to the chagrin of the hapless teenager.

" Where'd the hell would they run off to?" Sora demanded as he looked into the dense flora of Atlantis.

" And why," Simba added, returning to Sora, his whiskers slightly wet.

Sora had to agree. Why?

''

Donald and Goofy had agreed on one thing and one thing only. That in itself was an accomplishment, more so because of what it was that they agreed on.

" This is nuts," Donald grumbled as they trudged through the wild, alien flora. " I can't believe it. We lost that damn prophecy!"

" You think its Heartless?" Goofy asked worriedly.

Donald shook his head. " No, the Heartless aren't that smart. And most don't even know the prophecy existed. Oracle Kenai lived thousands, if not millions, of years ago. Not many of us were alive during that time. No, it must've been another force."

Goofy nodded for a while. " But what can that force be? Huyuk, that would be one dangerous enemy."

" I don't know, Goofy," Donald looked around, taking in the surrounding. He had yet to tell Goofy that they were lost.

" Huyuk, Donald, what if it was…" and here Goofy looked around carefully before he continued. "…gawrsh, what if it was Pete?"

" WHAT!" Donald squalled, whirling on him. " Pete! How can you say-"

He stopped himself and pondered what Goofy had just proposed. " You know, that actually makes sense. It could be Pete….GAAAAHHHH!"

Goofy jumped back. It's been quite a while since Donald last lost his temper and started screaming. " Der…Donald?"

" I can't believe we didn't think of that!" Donald wailed at the top of his lungs. " Of all the bad guys out there, foes, enemies, fiends, whatever you call them, we forgot about Pete! We didn't even tell Sora! Goofy, we gotta tell Sora about Pete!"

" Like what?" Goofy asked curiously. " What can we tell him about Pete?"

" Everything, I suppose," Donald snapped back. " Goofy, Pete's not the average Heartless. He's not the usual enemy we face, he's not someone like Hades or Captain Hook or whatever. He's worked under King Mickey; he _knows_ what's going on. Goofy, we should've told Sora who Pete was from the beginning! Oh, fools, fools!"

" Who? Who?" Goofy asked curiously.

" Us!" Donald shouted. " We should've told Sora EVERYTHING!"

" But we didn't," Goofy countered. " He doesn't know the power of Pete."

" Exactly." Donald marveled that Goofy knew just as much as he did. Goofy, the easygoing Captain of the King's Knights, knew as much as the Court Wizard did. Then again, he stilled acted like a simpleton.

" But shouldn't he know about _us_?" Goofy asked, suddenly hesitant. He knew it was a volatile subject but he just had to know. " Shouldn't we tell Sora who we _really_ are?"

Donald hesitated. He knew Goofy was going to ask him about that. He knew Goofy was going to ask if Sora should know who they really are. But should he? Was it time? Would he take it calmly? Or would he go mad?

" Goofy, I really don't know," Donald was at a loss. " But thanks for making me remember."

He could remember the past memories, the glory days, the hour of might, and the flames that ravaged the world so beautifully, the days of peace and quiet, the slow courtship between him and Daisy, and the one night that brought it all crashing down.

" Maybe not yet," Donald decided. " Maybe when the time is right. When Sora knows enough."

" But, gawrsh, Donald, he'll never know unless we tell him," Goofy said, confused. " If we keep our mouths shut, he'll never know."

" I know, Goofy but-"

A fireball shot through the underbrush, missing setting Donald's hat on fire by mere inches.

" Fire, damn it, fire!" a commanding, stern voice screamed from the underbrush. " Aim!"

Donald and Goofy pulled up their weapons, the staff and the shield, their eyes wide with astonishment. For, barging out from within the Atlantean flora, surrounded by Red Nocturnes and Green Requiems, was the last person they wanted to see on Atlantis. Or on any world for that matter.

" Pete," Donald growled under his breath.

''

" This is all very strange," Milo whispered, his hand brushing against the tiles. " It doesn't make sense at all."

Princess Kida looked at him worriedly. " It doesn't?"

" No, it doesn't." Milo read the lines again, wondering if it was a poem or something written by a madman. A drunken madman, to be specific.

_A chain of memories comes chaos intense/ While journey one must to darkness' door/ In order for the end of the beginning to commence._

" This is the strangest poem I've ever translated," Milo confessed. " It doesn't make sense at all. What does it mean by a chain of memories? What journey? Darkness' door? What happens with the end of the beginning?"

" It is a prophecy." Princess Kida's face was stern, chiseled from stone. " I'm sorry I haven't been totally honest with you, Milo. You're here because you're the only one who can read what an ancient oracle wrote. This is a prophecy. And it is very urgent that you _finish_ translating this prophecy."

" This is a prophecy?" Milo asked incredulously. " No wonder nothing made sense! Prophecies never make sense! You know, there's this one dude, Nostradamus, and he makes the craziest prophecies ever-"

Princess Kida hit him on the head, then turned his head to the tiles. " Translate. Now!"

Milo took it she didn't have much time for small talk. He didn't know what the rush was but he quickly obeyed her every word. He began to skim the characters quickly, the mystery behind them opening up in his mind. Words spilled into him as he came to understand what this was about. There was power here, power and darkness.

" This, this is…amazing," he whispered. His eyes then caught the image of an unusual rectangular design, a very familiar rectangular design. Then he read the characters with it.

" The crystals…" he realized. " Princess Kida, this here, the rectangular design shows us where the crystals are."

" Really?" Princess Kida stared. " Oh by the gods…you're right. We don't need someone to translate the text for any of us to understand. The crystal force…its here somewhere. That looks familiar…"

Milo was already rereading the prophecy. He was quite puzzled by the meaning of the prophecy. In fact, the prophecy made no sense at all. There really was nothing reasonable about the prophecy. Then again, he knew the prophecy may have nothing to do with him, which may explain why he was continuously drawing a blank whenever he tried to understand the prophecy. Maybe it was best to just read it out loud to Princess Kida.

" Princess Kida, I've got the translation," he informed.

Princess Kida turned on him, demanding, " Give it."

Milo took a deep breath. " It's a long one.

Fiery was the fire that burned in darkest night.

Tranquility shattered, promises broken;

All cast away from the promise of light.

Phoenix _real_ changed, rising from dying embers

Salvaging the fading memories from ruins,

Protecting in shadow what no one remembers.

Dormant sleeps darkness but war awakes.

With corrosion of the mighty scales.

From hope the brilliance fire of the evil takes.

Open they doors, release the darkness within.

A king must rise but his coming must be marked.

The eyes must open, the journey must begin.

A chain of memories comes chaos intense,

While journey one must to darkness' door,

In order for the end of the beginning to commence.

Portents of the future, portents of the past

Speak to us, tell us what you see.

How long this darkness, how long will it last?

Premature, cries of war echo

Six blades, three chalices, a circle of light

Initiation comes with Time's flow.

Unity, though brief, restores hope long missed.

Breath of life guarded, secret stories enlighten

But all remains futile when promise is dismissed.

Come plains of thunder where it always rains,

Snow white it will where ground remains virgin,

Circle of blood, circle of light, the diabolical truth pains.

Dark magic and the holiest soul unites,

A radiance of stars and a king's great head,

Aligns with one another to bring the last fight.

Dark be days, full of pain

As prophecies begin to fade

And hope in the keys begin to wane.

But three keys there still remains,

Though one has yet to be changed,

Before the foe manipulates fire to be our bane.

Paradise lost, darkness there reigns

For the good earth weeps in her children's bloods,

And begs for a savior before darkness cuts all her veins.

But what hope remains, save life after death?

Gold and silver pillars there rise

And upon the breath of life marks the last test.

A throne empty, surrounded by strife.

A crownless king, anointed, unthroned,

But a door brings promise of new life.

Hope then should remain when the crownless king departs,

For searching for peace, life blood must remain in the chalice,

And a king's ascent to Throne New Order marks.

Does that make any sense to you?"

Princess Kida did not answer. She mused. " This is interesting. Very interesting – come, Milo. There's some people we must inform."

Milo nodded, and chose not to mention a strange tingling sensation in his spine, a sixth sense warning him of a danger he could not name.

''

It was only when they surfaced did Milo understand what it was he had sensed. Even with the feeling warning him, he could not understand what he was seeing before him.

" Commander Rourke!" Milo shouted, stunned into indignation. " What are you doing!"

" Taking some hostages," the tough commander shot back. His hands held Sora's arms behind his back and the teenager had a very savage look on his face. Someone was clearly pissed off.

" Why!" Milo was aghast. How could they? How _dare_ they? " I – no!"

" Don't you move," Helga had her arm around Princess Kida's neck, her pistol cocked and pressed against her head. " Not yet."

" I don't believe this!" Milo shouted. "Why are you doing this!"

" We came here for the crystal force, boy!" Commander Rourke barked at him. " The payload's what we're here for!"

Milo gaped at him. Then he turned to everyone else. " You're here…for the money?"

" Sorry kid," Audrey, the mechanic said with a sad smile. " Money's money."

" Money always talks," Dr. Sweet said with a shrug, gripping a rope around Simba's neck. The lion would've mauled the black man on the spot but Milo saw that Vinny was holding something like a rifle against his head.

" I don't believe you guys!" Milo exclaimed. " I mean…you're all here just to find the crystal force? You're all in for the money?"

His incredulous face looked upon his crew members, all who had staunch, stony masks. They all gave him a nod, even old Packard.

" You'll never find the crystal force!" Milo shouted indignantly. " You don't know where it is!"

" On the contrary," Commander Rourke said with a smirk, " we do."

He reached into his pocket with his right hand and pulled out a piece of paper. " Conveniently, that journal you have in your possession came to me first."

He showed the paper to Milo and the young man's jaw dropped.

The page clearly showed a map of where the crystal force was, just like the tiles hidden underneath wreckage and water.

" You're here to translate whatever in heck this says," Commander Rourke told him coldly. " Either you translate or this tag team of yours goes down the drain."

_Not Princess Kida!_ Milo thought desperately. Then he saw Sora and he suddenly understood even more. _I can't let either one of them die!_

Sora's hard blue eyes bore into his mind. Fear shone in Princess Kida's face. Simba was impassive. And…

_Where's Donald and Goofy?_ Milo realized. _They're not here! No, they didn't…_

He stared at his former friends. " I'll…I'll translate."

As they marched for the Atlantean palace, all failed to hear the explosions of a battle in the distance.


	46. Return to the Past

Author's Note: Oh man, how am I gonna explain this. Right, okay firstly this fanfiction does not exactly follow Chain of Memories. How? The way the Society aka the Organization is set up is different. You've got the new guy, my OC, Domitan, in there. Secondly, not all the Unknowns as depicted in CoM is evil. Zexion's role is revised. Firstly, he is just a bit older than Aozora and secondly, his allegiance is somewhat….heretical. Therefore don't flame me; this is the only way this story goes. There's more to this but basically, this is my depiction of the Society/Organization and so, deal with it. You'll see how things work out! Enjoy! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 46: Return to the Past 

There was weariness in his face, bold eyes clouded over by exhaustion. The rigors of the lifestyle he led, always searching, always on the run, have left him tired, tired and defeated. And now, now he was caught, caught in his past, the darkness that had haunted him for five years. There were was nowhere else to run to, no other place to hide. He was defeated.

The past was all around him. He found himself in the mysterious base of the Society, a dark organization whose once-wondrous goals in reality fell from grace, caught and held like an animal within a cage, captured with his two friends from another, forgotten past, a past that had begun to echo when he first met the Keyblade Master, Sora.

" Who knows what they're going to do with us," Kobi, the silver-haired child, muttered darkly as he glared at the everlasting silver moon. " Probably going to roast the three of us alive."

Lorien raised an eyebrow at this. The red-haired girl had a haunted look about her, but that look had vanished with that arched eyebrow. " Say that again."

" Roast the three of us alive?" Kobi repeated. " What's wrong with that?"

" It's just…" Lorien rolled her eyes. " Never mind. Why do I even bother?"

" Hey, are you suggesting something!" Kobi demanded.

" Depending."

" Hey!"

Aozora, busy brooding in a corner of their little crude prison, glared at them. " Quiet! Kobi, can you please shut up for once!"

Kobi glared at Aozora, and his friendly look slightly hardened. " Why, do I talk too much? Are you two in league against me? Is that it!"

"No, I'm saying that I'm trying to think but I can't because you're too damn loud!" Aozora was an inch away from swearing but checked himself in time. " I'm stuck here when I shouldn't be and I'm trying to figure out how to get out of here-"

" That's not gonna be easy," Kobi interrupted. " The Society's close knit and they guard the entrances and exits zealously. And besides, there really is no way you can get out of here. Even if you blast your way through, there's too many of them."

" And we've the Elite to contend with," Lorien added. " You know they've been wanting to kick our asses for a while, especially yours, Aozora."

She fixed him with a fearsome stare and Aozora felt his heart flutter. In the haunted moonlight, she looked like some immortal being, someone not of this world, this reality, this Universe.

" I think…I think I know that," he replied, a little tongue-tied. _What's wrong with me!_ " Yeah, I think I'd know. How else could Domitan and Vixen get me here? They kicked my ass before they could get me here or else I could've kicked theirs."

" Why didn't you kick theirs first?" Kobi asked curiously.

" Too many other people," Aozora admitted that he sometimes had trouble controlling his power. " I might have hurt them."

" You know one of the first things we taught was to control our powers," Kobi pressed on. " How can you have trouble all of a sudden?"

_Why is he questioning me?_ Aozora thought, not understanding Kobi's motive. _I don't get it; why is he asking all these questions?_

" I've…I've been having trouble keeping anything in check," Aozora said slowly and carefully. " Ever since…ever since…things went a bit wrong."

He was not willing to mention the feud between him and the Keyblade Master. It was a silly feud, really, but it was something Sora took seriously; clearly Sora was more than offended that Aozora masterminded the destruction of Ancient Greece. Sora's carefree attitude was being threatened by Aozora's protectiveness and he fought back, maybe a bit too extremely.

_But I was supposed to protect him_, Aozora protested to nobody in particular. _I don't understand; why can't he see the darkness following him, ready to swallow him? Why is he so blind?_

_Maybe its his nature_, another voice in his mind, his own but not his, spoke. _His nature keeps him from understanding. He must understand and that is what you must do. That is…if we can get out of here in the first place._

Aozora looked to Kobi and Lorien. " Where are your weapons?"

Kobi began to laugh. Lorien cast him a disturbing look. " They took them from us but they don't know that we can call them back. If there's one thing they can't do, it's to keep our weapons from coming back to us. Eldest made it so that they have something that the Keyblade also has: the ability to return to the master, no matter the situation."

" How fast can the weapons get back to you?" Aozora pressed on. " I'm not sure of what to do but maybe we can fight our way out."

" Fight?" Kobi stared at him incredulously. " You think we can fight our way out of here? Have you gone insane!"

" Not yet," Aozora shot back. " Hey, I've escaped the Society before-"

" Oh, you're the one," Lorien realized. " I heard Vixen and Lexeus talking about someone who ran away from the Society with his faculties all intact. I assume that's you?"

His hand drifted to the place over his heart. The scar…

" Just as I've surmised," Kobi said in a low voice. " What's the big deal with that branding anyways?"

_Faith…loyalty…courage…strength…soul…by the five one is bound to the Society…_

" The scar keeps you from using your powers to the extreme," a quiet voice spoke outside. " You are free to use your powers when you join the Society but if you try to leave, we have to brand you, to keep you from using your powers when we kill you. This is what has become of the Society and that's what it will always be."

Haunted eyes stared back at them through the bars. Purple-blue hair shrouding the right eye, the stiff, stern face.

" Zexion?" Aozora ran to the bars that created one wall of the prison. " Zexion, what are you saying?"

The young Elite member looked away, shame and regret marking his face. " Aozora…I think I've made a terrible mistake."

Now Kobi and Lorien, just as bewildered as Aozora, joined him in staring at the Unknown.

" What do you mean?" Aozora asked.

" I thought the Society was to balance the dark and light," Zexion began, hesitantly and quietly, his eyes looking around warily. " That's the only reason why I joined with Domitan. But, Aozora, he's power-crazy now. And with a whole new agenda, I really don't belong in this place anymore. But I can't escape like you can, Aozora. I've done too much."

" So did he," Kobi jerked his thumb in Aozora's direction. " Or so I'm told. Isn't he the one who exploded that world, Ancient Greece? I mean, really, it should be much easier for you to get out of here, since you've been in here long enough to know all the tricks and trades of this Society."

" Um…Kobi?" Lorien turned to him. " I think there's something you should know."

" What do you mean?" Kobi turned to her with a puzzled look.

Aozora slapped himself mentally, giving a very real grimace in the process. How can Kobe be so stupid sometimes? " Kobi, Domitan is Zexion's brother. They're siblings."

Kobi's jaw fell open. He stared at Zexion, blinking in astonishment. " You guys are siblings!"

Lorien smacked him on the head. " How stupid can you be?"

" Let him be," Zexion said calmly. " It's not his fault. Not many know about that. I don't talk about this often."

" You mean you never talk about it," Aozora rephrased. " Still not talking, are you?"

" No," Zexion shook his head. " I told Marucia I wanted to stay here. I want nothing to do with my brother but now…now…"

His voice dropped to a mere whisper in the breeze. " I want out. But I can't leave…so I'm going to help you guys."

" How?" Lorien demanded.

" If there's one thing I can do, its creating chaos," Zexion cracked a smile. " Distractions are useful."

He suddenly reached into his right pocket and pulled out some very strange, oblong device, with a small screen at one end and a circular button on the other. It was dim steel and black.

" If I disrupt the Gathering in the very beginning," Zexion said quietly, " you won't know what's to become of it. This has everything you'll need to know if you never get to hear of it."

Aozora quickly reached out and took the device. " Zexion, I think it's best if you let loose the chaos in the middle. I'd like to hear a bit before we get out of here."

" But to where?" Lorien brought up a question nobody had considered.

" Uh…" Clearly Aozora had not considered that.

" I talked to Eldest," Zexion offered an answer. " He told me…he told me to open a doorway for Lorien and Kobi, to Traverse Town. Aozora, I've opened up a doorway for you, a separate one. Eldest told me…it was time to hand over the two Keychains…and the world the doorway's supposed to take you to will lead you to the person you can give the Moonbeam to. From there on, who knows where you have to go."

" What world does the door lead me to?" Aozora asked.

Zexion looked at him in a very eerie manner. " You'll see."

Aozora considered whether or not to be worried about that. And then something else came to mind. " Wait…you talked to Eldest?"

Zexion gave an enigmatic smile. " Yeah, I did. I don't know why, to tell you the truth, but he didn't seem to mind at all who I am…or who I'm 'close' to. He…well, it's like this. Eldest…is being held elsewhere. I know he's got power; I'm the one who can sense power and that's how I've been able to pick out who should be in the Elite and who shouldn't join the Society. I just don't _understand_ his power…but I know there's something about him that I want to understand. So not too long before Domitan and Vixen dragged you here, Aozora – and that goes for you two, too – I visited him. Forbidden of course but somehow when I got there, the guards were all knocked out and Eldest, when I first saw him, was looking rather pleased with himself. And then…we started talking. He said that he could crush the Society and most of the people with it…but he said that we had some strange importance to whatever was going to happen in the future. Anyways, he asked me to open up some doorways for you guys to use…can he see the future?"

Aozora, Kobi, and Lorien looked at each other. " Yes. Yes he can."

Zexion nodded. " Well, he told me you guys were coming, then gave me instructions on just what to do. He wanted you guys to get away from the Society as soon as possible but…I dunno, he kinda gave you authority, Aozora. He knows you're not that stupid but he said that if you wanted to wait a bit before I set off Chaos, then I'm supposed to wait."

" Chaos?" Now Kobi was waking up. " Wait a minute, you're going to set off Chaos? As in set Chaos loose?"

Zexion flashed a grin. " I'll see you all in a bit."

They watched the blue-haired Unknown walk off into the darkness of the world.

" Oh dear…" Lorien was heard muttering to herself. " Nobody knows what they're in for, do they?"

''

" It has all come to this," the brunet-haired Marucia murmured, running his hand through his hair. " It has all come to this."

Years of tinkering with the Society, ages in a deadlock with Axel over the leadership of the Elite, failed attempts to bring the accursed Sora and Riku into total darkness, and it had all come down to this. Three former members of the Society sitting in prison. Two for the worst kind of treason. One for something far beyond treason. They were once beyond indispensable but now look at what they really are.

Oh yeah, and there was the old man, Eldest, sitting in his cell. Orders from the top one has left the old man sitting there for weeks, untouched, well-cared for, but basically in solitary confinement.

" What's come to what?" Vixen asked coolly as he came into the room.

" This," Marucia told their researcher. " The Gathering. And all we managed to do is show them those three…you know what I mean."

" Hm…" Vixen nodded as he fiddled with a gadget he was holding in his hand. " True, true. But a pounding from Lexeus and they'd be talking."

" You should be leaving the pounding to me," Domitan smirked as he strode into the room. A violent coolness entered the room. " But of course, Lexeus gots the brawns so what's the worry?"

" Look Domitan, its not violent deaths we're going for, its torture and interrogation," Vixen turned on the blue-haired man. " Or rather, I'd say its more of torture and give-us-all-you've-got-before-we-stick-you-back-in-prison. They're far more useful to us imprisoned than dead."

" Why?" Lexeus questioned as he squeezed himself into the meeting room. Vixen and Domitan inched away as he made a place for himself. " Oh, that's right, we love seeing torture, don't we?"

" No shit, air-for-brains," Domitan snapped. " Pain, especially that on those we hate the most, is a big plus for the Society. And I'd so love to see pain inflicted on that – that – that – "

" Don't," Roxanne interrupted. " We get it Domitan; save your breath for later."

She strode in, fingering her throwing knives. Axel followed her, a manic light in his eyes. Marucia could see that Axel was drooling with an eagerness that could not be explained.

" I don't think we're going to start shedding blood today, Axel," Vixen said calmly. " So stop foaming at the mouth and gather your brains. And how shall we present ourselves to the rest at the Gathering?"

" As ourselves," Zexion offered as he came into the room. The meeting room was now crowded but a very normal scenario: Marucia was pacing at one end of the room, Axel was drumming on the huge round table in the middle in a childish manner, Domitan was rubbing his hands together with a manic violence, Roxanne was inspecting her throwing knives coolly, Vixen was fiddling with some new gadget he had come up with, Lexeus was polishing his axe, and Zexion was trying to find a seat to designate as his own again.

" Wise answer, little brother," Domitan grinned, " but I'd rather go for something more dramatic. You know, make an impression?"

" I think its best that we don't try and provoke the others," Marucia told him. " Maleficent is quite uptight and not too kindly with us; its only orders from Ansem that she's here. Anything suspicious, she'll blow up the whole thing for Ansem to take and he'll declare war on us. And the Advocate…we should not incur his wrath."

" Even with a past like his?" Axel asked with a lazy grin. " Adultery, betrayal, outright lying, backstabber, you name it. He shouldn't be too worried."

" All the same, we should be careful," Vixen said. " If something goes wrong, we'll be the receiving end of all the tirade that would follow."

" We should send somebody else to do the job," Roxanne suggested. " Let them botch it up. Just think of the looks on their faces."

" We don't want any mistakes, Roxanne," Marucia reprimanded.

" Ass."

" Don't tempt me!"

" Tempt you to do what, Marucia? Am I missing something here?"

" I bet he is!" Domitan crowed.

" Huh? I don't get it," Lexeus scratched his head. " I really don't."

Vixen stood up, pocketed his gadget, and turned to his huge friend. " Lex, you don't need to know. Let's get out of here and get ready. Leave the kids to find their own little order."

As they left the room, Zexion leaped at the chance and took Vixen's chair. " Why is there never a chair for me?"

By now, Marucia looked cornered. Axel, Domitan, and Roxanne were trying to overthrow an order of sorts once again. " I'm telling you, don't make me use my powers! If I blast you into oblivion, there's no coming back."

" You can't destroy us," Axel grinned. " Get rid of us and the boss'll get you, too."

" Empty threats, buddy," Roxanne smirked. " You can't do anything about us. Either suffer or…"

"…Give us free rein," Domitan's cool eyes tried to pry into Marucia's mind. " Let us do what we will. No more orders, no more ' do exactly as I say', no more of that shit."

" You mean joint leadership," Marucia folded his arms. " Even the Advocate's words fall upon deaf ears. My word is the last word, my decision is the last decision. I am the leader of the Elite and that is final!"

" Empty words as usual," Roxanne rolled her eyes. " Sheesh, what does it take to-"

Marucia whipped out his scythe and held it against the woman's neck. The pinkish blade glistened in the light of the meeting room. Axel and Domitan bristled but they did nothing. If there was something Marucia was quite good at, it was his ability with his weapon. He could easily slice off Roxanne's head, pull back, and whip through Domitan and Axel's heads in a blur. And the boss and the Advocate both told him he was free to use his weapon in whatever way he thinks is useful.

And he had used the weapon. An impudent and disobedient Unknown tried to first cause chaos within the Society, then flee. He never got anywhere, as Marucia branded him, then sliced him vertically, and perfectly in half, from head to toe. He never got a chance to move. From then on, nobody tried to get on the brunet-head's bad side. Well, one did, but he managed to flee.

That would be Aozora.

" I don't want to do this, Roxanne," Marucia growled under his breath, then added, " I'm talking to you, too, Axel, Domitan. I _really_ don't want to do this."

" Alright, Marucia," Roxanne said quietly. " I get it. Later, then."

Marucia slowly lowered his weapon and stepped back. The trio abruptly turned and left. He could hear Domitan muttering, " Later. Next time around…"

_I'll bite your asses and shoot off your heads,_ Marucia finished. He turned and left through another door to ready himself.

Zexion looked around. He was the only one left. _Alone as usual, _he thought to himself as he carefully got out of his chair and peeked through both doors. " Coast is clear. Here we go."

He approached a bookcase shoved into a corner of the room. There were no books on the bookcase, only some odd gizmos and crumbling scrolls. But Zexion had it there for a very good reason. Only he knew where Chaos really was.

" Chaos, Chaos, I'm coming," he smiled as he reached and twisted a gadget. _I was the original inventor, Vixen. You think you know but I know where Chaos is. The doorway was right behind you._ He smiled as the bookcase groaned and slowly twisted to the side, revealing – what else – a passageway that lead somewhere deep, impossibly deep. The path ran straight but there was nothing on the other side of the wall.

Zexion grinned. Vixen took enough credit for nearly a decade. It was payback time.

''

" Wonder what Roland and Sofis are doing here," Kobi wondered as two Unknowns of the Society's Order approached.

" And are those cattle prods?" Lorien eyed the sticks each carried.

" Vixen's gadgets," Roland and Sofis both grinned. " Call it force field sticks if you will. Can't risk having you renegades run the show."

Aozora, Lorien, and Kobi looked at each other. This was an unexpected development.

" They'd be here about now," Roland mused. " Out, you rats! Get a move on. Meeting's about to start."

" Bastards," Sofis growled as Roland undid the lock and swung open the rusty gate. The three people looked at them warily; Sofis thrust her stick in. " They double as killers. Move!"

They inched their ways out, looking at the Unknowns cagily. Aozora, last to leave, hesitated and Sofis swung her stick, hitting him on the back. He fell on his face but was quick to his feet, tensing. Roland smashed him with his stick. " No fights. Git!"

Aozora's face was set, holding in the pain. He glared at Roland and Sofis, finding nothing but cold disgust. Lorien pulled him away from them, as Roland clicked a button on the stick and a purple-black shield exploded around the three.

" Fear feeds the lovely shield," Sofis smiled, as she touched the shield with the stick. The shield stretched, keeping in touch with the stick. " And fear I see in your eyes."

Kobi quickly shielded his gaze.

" Take us where you will," Aozora snapped. " Stop wasting time."

" Don't talk to us this way, bastards!" Roland snapped and started moving. Kobi, unfortunately, had moved to the back and as Roland and his stick moved forward, so did the force field.

" Ow!" Kobi jumped forward. " Damn, what _is_ this thing!"

" Forgot to warn you," Sofis smiled with feign apology. " You touch, they hurt. Darkness, boy, darkness. Doesn't it look like it?"

" Just shut up, will you?" Lorien yelled at her. " Stop wasting time and get going!"

Aozora looked at Roland and Sofis. " Wonder why they'd send fools like you to this kind of job?"

Roland and Sofis seemed to bite their lips. They started walking and the three sought to keep up.

" This is pissing me off," Lorien growled. " All this shit, its insane. Makes no sense at all."

Sofis stopped momentarily and the force field stretched. But it quickly ballooned and Kobi swore. He had never felt fear like this before but the fear was getting in their way. The force field was feeding off of his fear after all and he could see that not only was it growing, it was thickening.

" I don't want to hear you or even see your face," Sofis muttered. " So have fun trying to see if we've stopped or not."

She clicked another button and, as everything started to go dark, they heard her say, " I love Vixen for this awesome piece of -"

Everything glowed purple-black. They were in a force field, not knowing when to stop or go. They were alone, cut out from the world. Darkness around them.

" I hate Vixen for this f - - king piece of-" Kobi began.

" And where'd you learn those words?" Aozora never expected the fun-loving silver-haired boy to know such colorful words.

Kobi gave an apologetic grin. " When you're mad, you're mad."

They kept walking, now full of silence. The walls of the force field stared at them, black and purple swirls that made them dizzy, sometimes made them stagger. Quite suddenly, Lorien ran into the force field. The impact gave off violent sparks and she fell to the floor.

" We've stopped!" Kobi exclaimed in astonishment as Aozora rushed forward and pulled her away from the force field wall.

" Lorien," Aozora called her name. The girl muttered something colorful; the blast had left her dazed and barely conscious. " Lorien, come on, we've got to move."

" Who says we hafta – ow!" Kobi stumbled forward. " Move!"

Aozora pulled Lorien to her feet and Kobi rushed to help her. They staggered onward, not knowing where to go.

Then, quite suddenly, they stopped. Aozora just knew they were not moving anymore.

" Can you feel it?" Lorien whispered. The blast from the force field had a powerful effect on her and left her suddenly weak. " Can you…feel the darkness?"

Aozora looked to her. So did Kobi. Then they felt it. A tendril of darkness.

" The Gathering," they realized. And then the darkness of the force field fell away.

''

" Pete, we can still make negotiations with Pete," Maleficent told a brunet-haired Unknown gripping what appeared to be a pink scythe forged by giants, very big giants. " The idiot, he thinks he can find the Door of Darkness."

" That is _not_ our goal, Maleficent!" a rather imposing Unknown snapped back. " There is nothing more one can gain from Kingdom Hearts. It's only a matter of finding the door and controlling it. What we need to do is either find the Door of Light and destroy it, or we find the Keyblade Master and destroy him. Kill him and the Light has no chance against us. And once they are gone, Paradise will be ours."

Nobody knew what he looked like underneath the hood. Nobody knew his real identity. He was simply called Advocate.

" Well, there's got to be something more we can do to find Paradise," Roxanne said.

" Depends on whether or not you can keep a good eye on _them_," the Advocate gestured in the direction of the force field surrounding the three teenagers. " And that damn old man. Keep them here and away, far away from the Keyblade Master. Nothing must stand in the way of this bloodletting."

" More murders, Advocate?" Maleficent was amused. She fingered her staff. " Why can't we play a part?"

" A part you may play, my dear Maleficent." Darkness dripped from the voice of the Advocate.

" And we will do something as well," Axel grinned, giving a Fire and Wind Wheel in his hand a twirl. " That is, if Marucia's plan gets through to the boss."

" He's already approved of it," a tall brunet-haired Unknown spoke in a quiet voice, full of authority. Aozora stared at him. Why did he look like Sora so much? " We just need to plan things out."

" I'll take care of the…detailed work," the Advocate spoke. " You've had some…inconsistency in your work, have you not? Failed to bring Sora to darkness, failed to convert Riku, lost Namine, got screwed over by these four betrayers; I think its time someone with a better record should step in."

" You?" Maleficent began to laugh. " You and your record! You've cheated the one you've loved and look at what's standing here now! Your fathers have cheated and so have you! And they have betrayed. So have you. You've betrayed before; how can we trust you not to do it again?"

" Because the darkness is now mine," the Advocate spoke and his voice was low, full of a dark authority. " I am one with the darkness; the Light has lost. He may be related to me by blood but that won't spare him the death sentence. If all goes well, King Mickey Disney will be the only standing Keyblade Master!"

Aozora's mind began to spin out of control. Where they saying…

" And his time is near," Domitan said coolly, his arms folded across his chest. " Once they are gone, the rest gets easier. The Order will never stand a chance."

" Aozora?" Lorien saw the look of growing horror on his face. " Aozora, what's wrong?"

" Th – they – they're going – they're going to…" Aozora tried to speak but he couldn't.

" Zexion's gone!" Kobi alerted them. " He was there but he's gone!"

Lorien tensed. " Aozora, save your breath. Get ready everyone. Once Chaos gets loose, its time to rock and roll!"

Aozora nodded and his heart began to let loose tendrils of power, white and black, Light and Dark. The Oblivion and Starlight were ready at his command.

"…Kairi will be mine," Maleficent, Marucia, and the Advocate seemed to be trying to figure out who gets what after whatever they were planning to do is carried out. " Kairi and the rest of the princesses of Heart."

" You won't find the door to Darkness, Maleficent, so let them be," Marucia said sternly.

" Like I'd let you boys have a run with them!" Maleficent snapped back. " I've better things to do with them than to have them slip away from my hand as playthings!"

Marucia colored slightly and with indignation but Domitan was clearly heard muttering, " Not a bad idea…"

The ground began to shake. Everyone jerked, tense, suddenly aware of what was around them. Roland and Sofis looked around, their eyes wide with fear.

" Chaos," Lorien whispered.

And a great mechanical giant stormed into view, its draconic head roaring and billowing green flames. Its chest was a giant power launcher; its maw opened quickly to let loose a ball of yellowish energy that blew rocks, and unfortunate Unknowns of the Society's Order, into bits. Its feet were massive claws that dug into the earth and crushed whatever was in their way. Its hands were spinning claws and giant knives.

It was, in short, a thing of disasters. And it was called Chaos.


	47. Adults and Confusion or So Peter Pan Say...

Author's Note: This will be the last update you will see in a while. Major end-of-the-year tests are coming up, including state tests and A.P. exams. I have to prepare for two of them and, therefore, will take time from typing and uploading to prepare. Sorry, but finals are finals. After the finals are over, I will be updating until summer, when I go to Korea for about a month. I will announce when and where later on when the facts become clear. On the other hand, here's the next chapter so have fun, enjoy, and always review:D On a last note, please keep in mind that the Organization and the members you read in this fanfiction comes from my interpretation, aka before I played Chain of Memories. Which is why Zexion is not who he's supposed to be….and that goes for Marucia/Marluxia. I have kept to the same spelling and pronunciation as in the original Japanese version, not these Larxene crud. Which is why things seem very strange…ok, I'll shut up now. 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 47: Adults and Confusion or So Peter Pan Says 

The gummi ship was in a very bad state. Smoking, buried under rubble, wings rather damaged, it was not very pretty.

Cid was not going to be happy.

" And how are we gonna get that thing back up in the air?" Tarzan demanded.

" Best question that's been asked today," Riku muttered, carefully keeping his balance. Captain Hook's ship rocked violently and wood creaked. He could hear wooden structures collapsing and masts toppling into the sea. This ship was going to sink.

" Sally, your arm," Pooh tugged at Sally's arm as it lay clutched to a piece of wood braced in salt-crusted metal.

" Ah, thank you, Pooh," Sally went and pulled the arm off the wood. She reattached it and strode for the ship, seemingly unaware of its tipping and turning. " The engines, I believe, are still in working order."

" Not easy, though," Tarzan gestured to a wing, crumpled up and mangled. " Bad wings, no control."

" We will make do with what we have," Sally said calmly as she found and entered the hatchway into the gummi ship. She then stuck her head out and called out to them. " Everything in here's in good working order. Its only the ability to pilot it that we may have some trouble with."

" I can lend a hand," Peter Pan offered as he hovered about, clearing away rubble from the gummi ship. It was then the others realized that he was stacking the rubble and tilting the gummi ship in the process, so that the nose pointed skyward. The hatchway had been unearthed in the process and Sally now withdrew her head, as Tarzan quickly made his way to the hatchway and swooped in. Pooh made his way, hesitated, then turned and looked to Riku. " Aren't you coming?"

Riku was busy scouring through what remained of Captain Hook's ship. " Get going, Pooh. I'll be there in a minute."

Pooh nodded and the yellow bear tumbled his way into the gummi ship. Riku turned and went elsewhere, searching, sensing. There was a slight, dark radiance here and he wanted to find it –

He stumbled over a heavy, mobile object. Quickly reaching down, his fingers came across a very heavy logbook. He fingered it and caught hold of its leather cover. His fingers tingled with the slight darkness he felt and he knew it came from the journal.

" Bingo," he muttered.

" Riku, come on!" Peter Pan shouted and Riku felt the ship give a lurch. Groaning, it began to nose dive deep into the dark sea.

Ordering the Dark Keyblade to vanish, he took a good hold of the book, sprinted to the gummi ship and made it in just as Tarzan launched the engines and the gummi ship roared to life. The propulsion from the engines, along with the makeshift rocket launcher Peter Pan set up, catapulted the gummi ship straight into the air. The first thing it did as soon as it was airborne was point its nose south – to the sea.

" Up!" Sally ordered and Tarzan wrestled with the controls. Gritting his teeth, he pulled at the controls until the ship began to shoot northward.

" Follow Peter Pan," she told the jungle warrior, then turned and headed for Riku, who was busy fingering the pages, wishing he could see just enough to read what was in it.

Sally leaned over his left shoulder and looked at what he was flipping through.

" Hook's logbook?" she asked. Riku gave a brief nod, barely visible enough to be seen as 'yes'. Then she saw something scribbled madly in one of the pages. " Give me that!"

" Hey!" Riku yelled as the book slipped away from his grasp. His hands balled into fists, he nearly turned on Sally but took control of his temper at the last minute. Curiosity then overrode whatever feelings of indignation he had and he just had to know what she could see and read. " What does it say?"

" I don't believe this," Sally stared at the entry, her eyes wide with astonishment and a healthy dose of fear. " This…this explains _everything_."

" What explains everything?" Anger laced Riku's demand. " What is going on, Sally!"

" Someone stopped by Neverland…to ask about a certain black lamp," Sally summarized. " Well, some people, actually. Two people jointly asked Captain Hook about the whereabouts of a certain black lamp."

" Jafar…" Riku bared his teeth. " Wait a minute…what about him?"

" ' Insolent curs they are, demanding to know what I've not the slightest clue about,'" Sally slowly read. She narrowed her eyes as she peered at the pages. " Captain Hook certainly needs to back to school. His writing is atrocious. Of course Dr. Finkelstein will be willing to do surgery…but what will that do for us?"

" Exactly," Riku muttered darkly. A scowl burned its way into his face.

" Cheer up, Riku; Captain Hook's probably afraid of the knife anyways," Sally grinned rather sadistically. " At least…Dr. Finkelstein's knives."

" Glad I'm blind." Riku tapped his blindfold.

" Dr. Finkelstein will be _most_ willing to fix that for you-"

" Just…just please keep reading, Sally."

" Very well, very well," Sally smiled, then her smile faded away as she turned back to the test. " So…Pete's resurfaced, has he? Better watch out, Pete; I'm not the only one to get wind of that."

" Pete? Who's Pete?" Riku looked up upon hearing the name. " I think King Mickey mentioned him before…"

" He has betrayed." Sally's voice seemed distant, misty with time, yet hard underneath with simmering anger. " I say Captain Hook's writing is atrocious. Pete's past…how shall I say it in kind words…Pete's past is _beyond_ atrocious. There really is no word I can say, even with emphasis, to describe the things he has done. Captain Hook may have stood in Sora's way – with no ill side effects – but what Peg-leg Pete has done may have jeopardized our future. If it weren't for him and his actions, and the actions of certain others, you would not be blind, Riku."

" Is that so…" Riku's scowl turned into a grim frown. " Funny…I think King Mickey said the same thing. In fact, I am most certain he said the same thing."

" As well as he should," Sally said serenely as she flipped through each page, biting her lip as she tried to decipher whatever it was Captain Hook scribbled. " In fact, King Mickey has the right to be royally angry with him. Pete used to work for Mickey and he betrayed that good king."

" Oh. Well…uh…hm…well, that explains…quite a bit, Sally. Quite a bit I tell you."

" Indeed it should," Sally looked to the pages. Her eyes widened. " My, my…Advocate's brat, eh? Wondrous spelling for sure. But this is serious…how is it that he would show his face to the worlds as is now?"

" What. Are. You. Talking. About!" Riku shouted. " COME ON, WOMAN! CLARIFY OR BY WHATEVER GODS EXIST I WILL KNOCK OFF YOUR HEAD!"

" Do not lose your temper, Riku." Sally calmly continued to read. " I shall explain all in a good time. Patience is a virtue, as everyone always says. It's an old adage, you know, and you should adhere to it."

She calmly read, or at least tried to, while Riku bared his teeth and his face grew quite livid.

" Oh and Riku, his name is Marucia. Have you heard of him?"

Riku was no longer boiling red and he had withdrawn his fangs. " His name…it seems familiar. Perhaps I have heard his name before. Perhaps in passing…yes, I think he's been mentioned once before…BUT COME ON WOMAN! WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY!"

" I just told you," Sally said calmly. " He's Marucia and he's the Advocate's brat. How much simpler can it be?"

" Not simple enough." Riku folded his arms in front of him and a furious frown worked its way into his weary face. " More, Sally, more."

Sally sighed. " My god, Riku, when will you ever be satisfied?"

Riku softened a bit and his arms fell to his side. His frown lessened into an unemotional grimace. " I never will be."

" You will," Tarzan called out from his seat; he had heard everything. " Just you watch."

" And we're approaching the place of bright lights!" Pooh's awed voice called out. " So bright…like little bees around the honey tree, hm…"

Sally blinked. " London. We're nearly there."

" Then tell me quick, Sally." Riku was starting to get cross again. " Tell me now whatever you can."

" The Advocate, do you know of the Advocate?" Sally questioned intensely. " Or has King Mickey not yet fully informed you of your task?"

" I know of the Advocate," Riku confirmed. " But brat? Never heard of that before."

" It means ' child', Riku," Sally informed him. " Two meanings: protégé or actual child. Of course that's actually a very good chance that Marucia could be the Advocate's son, since everyone knows that he's got a bad history behind him. Including fooling around too much. But that's all that's been confirmed so far. Though then again, hypothesize a bit and you can guess that Marucia's Advocate's illegitimate son and that means that the Advocate's got official kids elsewhere. But nothing can be proven without some actual names. Marucia's a name, I know Riku, but usually the Society tends to wipe out one's past and lineage so we have no records of him or his parents. And nobody knows the Advocate's true name. He keeps it secret from all but the most initiated, as in the leaders."

" Which is why we call him the Advocate," Riku said pointedly. " Nice story but I think we're avoiding something…"

Sally looked at the troubled, thoughtful face. _What else did King Mickey tell you?_

''

" We can't let the Heartless destroy Neverland!" Peter Pan exclaimed as they approached the Clock Tower. " You can't let them destroy it! Wendy's in danger! She's got nowhere else to go! And if the Heartless destroy Neverland, she'll be gone…forever."

" Who is this…Wendy?" Tarzan asked curiously as he fought with the controls to bring the gummi ship down lower towards the great clock tower and its four huge faces.

Peter Pan looked down at his feet. During their flight to London and its famous landmark, Tarzan briefly stopped the gummi ship and held it at a hover, long enough for Peter Pan to get in. " Well…Wendy's a special friend of mine."

He looked up with a smile. " She helped me catch my shadow for me and sowed it back on."

He was met with looks that really would've been worth a thousand words. " What?"

" She helped you _catch_ your _shadow_!" Riku demanded incredulously. " What the fk does that mean!"

" Language!" Sally reprimanded.

Riku drew back, surprised by the force in Sally's voice. " I'm…sorry?"

" Many strange things happen in Neverland," Sally informed calmly. " Peter Pan losing his shadow is not a surprise. And the Lost Boys?"

" What lost boys?" Riku scratched his head.

" They're gone," Peter Pan said. " Dr. Finkelbutt popped out of nowhere and hauled them off to Traverse Town, the creep."

" Peter!" Sally actually shouted. " You must show respect to your elders. You may be young in heart, mind, body, and soul, but you are not King of the Universe! Neverland may blow and you're calling _important_ old people names!"

Then she settled into deep thought. " You know, Peter, you may not have to worry about Wendy after all. Meg was mentioning her and I believe Dr. Finkelstein did not forget to get her to Traverse Town as well. She may be safe, Peter Pan."

" But not Tink," there was a sad scowl on his face. He crossed his arms and hovered inches above the ground. Pooh bent down and stared at the gap. He didn't seem to be able to put two and two together.

" If we save her," Tarzan asked from his seat at the nose of the ship, " can we save Neverland?"

" There is a slim chance," Sally said, offering a ray of hope. " Slim but its there. Every world has a slim chance of survival, if the world is not rigged the way Halloweentown was."

There was a wounded tone in her voice and Riku knew that still hurt her, the fact that she had lost her home. The fact that she had seen all of it, the sequences, was more than enough.

_She may have lost a home_, Riku thought, bitterness unable to stay from his thoughts. _She may have lost a home but her friends still breathe and her friends were still there. I, I don't know where they were. Is Destiny Island still standing? Can the world stand against this onslaught? What – what of Kairi? And Sora? Sora…the Keyblade Master, he must stay strong, he must be alive, he must –_

" Of course he's alive!" Sally exclaimed.

Riku jerked at her exclamation. He was talking out loud!

" Everyone as of now know Sora's still living, breathing, and kicking," Sally told him. " That means-"

" Those Heartless bastards are squirming!" Peter Pan had a stance of confidence as he stood proudly in the middle of the deck.

" Who said Sora die?" Tarzan demanded. " No speak of death! No death! No death!"

" I get it!" Riku shouted back. But he managed to send Sally some sort of questioning look.

" You know of the term ' falling feathers', this King Mickey must've told you or something must be terribly wrong with that good king," Sally said, as a calm returned to the gummi ship and its occupants. " That is what would warn us. Yes, Riku, we have our own little alarm system. Of course, there's nothing little about it; it alerts every world."

" And that means war," Riku added. " He told me…he told me to look out for falling feathers…because in some damn poetry, it keeps making references to snowing feathers. And the feathers mean war, most definitely he told me. War is serious business and it's our job to keep war from erupting. Of course it's our job to keep the Universe from crashing, too, but….don't you think this is getting a bit confusing?"

There was a sudden explosion, the roar of cannons. Tarzan yelled, " Hook!" and threw the ship to the side.

" I'd say!" Sally hollered as they all slid to the side.

" I second that motion!" Peter Pan hovered above them, unharmed. " I don't get what you're talking about, Riku. Make more sense, will ya?"

Riku bit his lip. " If you see feathers falling from the sky, something happened to Sora. That means war comes. Truth be told, that's better than suddenly the whole Universe collapsing into sea and sky. But King Mickey keeps talking about some circle. Any ideas?"

He was referring to Sally for the answer but, to his astonishment, it came from Tarzan.

" I heard of this…circle once, long ago," he offered an answer as he dove underneath a Battleship. " They say it is full of silence. But silence is golden, people say. To us, this circle of silence speaks the truth."

" Less riddles, more answers," Peter Pan prompted, then flattened himself against the ceiling, watching as Riku, Sally, and Pooh slid to the other side. " I mean, c'mon people, all you guys do is talk in riddles. Why don't you say some answers for once?"

Riku wondered whether or not it was an insult. Well, Peter Pan did make a good point; all Riku knew was spoken in riddles, vaguely, forcing him to speculate, to synthesize, to search for answers, or just pass on the information himself in vague methods. They all spoke in riddles and left themselves with no more answers than before.

" Peter Pan, you're damn right," Riku untangled himself. " Pooh, get in the cockpit, man the guns, and _strap_ yourself in. I don't want you flying out of there when we've got some Heartless on our tail, understand?"

" We have tails?" Pooh looked down and behind him. " Well, at least I do…"

Seeing the burning frown on Riku's face, he hurried off.

" No need to scare Pooh Bear here," Sally reprimanded.

" Sheesh, what's his problem anyways?" Peter Pan stared at the silver-haired teenager.

" None of your business," Riku shot back. " C'mon, Pooh! Start firing!"

He was promptly rewarded with the high shriek of missiles. The next best thing was the sounds of impact, the glorious sounds that told you that your enemy had been hit, with one exception…

" Not the clocktower!" Peter Pan and Sally hollered. The missile had barely missed the venerable building. " Whatever happens, DON'T TOUCH THE CLOCKTOWER!"

" Why?" Riku wondered.

" The Clocktower holds the world's Keyhole," Peter Pan said. " I saw it."

" Exactly," Sally nodded.

Riku scowled. " Well, what are we going to do about it? The Heartless are around the place and we can't shoot them down!"

" It's quite simple," Pooh's voice came out. " Owl told me. If you don't want honey trees knocked down, put yourself in it. If they can't hurt you, they can't hurt the honey tree. I want honey right now…"

" Oh," Riku hit himself on the head. " Why didn't I see that before? Of course. They know we can't hurt the Clocktower so we keep them near it."

" However, we need the fairy dust," Sally said.

" And we have to get Tink back!" Peter Pan added.

" Look!" Tarzan then shouted, waving madly at the view before him. " It's the red man!"

" Hook!" Peter Pan growled. " We've got to get him back."

" He'll want another go at you, Peter Pan," Sally told him. " No doubt that's his goal, what he's trying to get you to do."

" So we should land on the tower?" Tarzan suggested, moving the gummi ship was closer to the ship, just far enough to maneuver against the Heartless.

" He's waving at us," Peter Pan was puzzled. " He wants us to land."

" And there's Smee," Sally nodded. " Always wondered why Smee stuck with Hook."

" Tarzan," Riku knew there was the chance that Hook was just bluffing and that the Battleships would fire once the gummi ship got into line of fire. " Bring the gummi ship close, get the gummi ship within line of fire and pull back out fast."

Tarzan obeyed and noting came out of it, no wild shots. The Battleships simply flew about the Clocktower. They ignored the gummi ship.

" Land the gummi ship," Riku then ordered. Then, as a quick afterthought, just in case Tarzan did not put the two and two together, " On the Clocktower, near Hook."

Captain Hook was waving madly at the gummi ship from the walkway just above the great faces of the noble Clocktower. Smee was standing besides him, holding something quite far away from him, holding something an arm's length away from him. Something in a glass jar that shone and danced, with fury.

" Tink!" Peter Pan stared, aghast. " We've got to get her out of there!"

Sally looked at Riku, who had a brooding look on his face. " Any ideas?"

Riku was decisive. " Land the damn ship. We're meeting Hook. Sally, bring that damn journal you're not reading for me."

He then fell silent for a moment, thinking for a few minutes. " Pooh, if they pull any funny moves on us, fire at everything."

" Okay…"

Carefully, Tarzan landed the ship on the walkway around the tower above the glowing faces. Carefully, Pooh had the arms pointed at Hook. Peter Pan stood near the doorway, ready to rip the door out. Sally stood serenely like a queen, holding the journal in her arms. Riku had not yet called the Dark Keyblade to his side. He calmly waited with Peter Pan. Sally knew something was going through his mind.

_Too much, too much confusion_, Riku understood Peter Pan's statement, _He did not understand. I didn't understand either. I still don't get it. Maybe Hook can give us some answers, maybe he can clarify. Let's have the damn guy clarify and maybe we can understand what the hell's going on here! Besides Sally, that is. She damn well understands and I damn well don't…and she doesn't tell us a damn thing either._

The gummi ship sat on the walkway. Hook had stopped brandishing his sword like a madman…even though he literally was a madman.

Smee looked like he was going to pee in his pants.

_Perfect_, Riku could feel the fear. _Fear from the enemy. Just perfect. Time for the shark in me to bite, tear their limbs apart, hear their pathetic screams, take revenge for what they had taken from me._

Peter Pan nearly ripped out the door getting out of the gummi ship. Sally quickly followed, clinging to the journal.

" Remember, Pooh, keep to the guns!" Riku hollered last-minute instructions, then bolted out of the ship.

"…win again as usual, Hook!" Peter Pan was already laughing, already in the air, already mocking Captain Hook and prodding his soft spots. " This time, you'd fall off and crack your head open! Watch out, Hook! Don't overstep and fall off now!"

" Get back here, Peter Pan!" Hook hollered as Peter Pan rose up again and laughed. " Either fight me or your precious fairy is mine!"

" It won't be so easy," Riku said, his voice cold, like death. " You won't be doing anything at all. You'll answer to us first or nothing happens at all. No duel, nothing, no exchanges."

" Riku!" Peter Pan yelled at him. " What are you doing!"

" We can blast you rats into the Underworld anytime we want. It's quite that easy. We've got nothing to lose but you rats sure do," Captain Hook pointed his hook at Riku, Tarzan, and Sally before swinging over to First Mate Smee and the captive fairy, while his other hand gestured to the Battleships. Tarzan could see quite visibly that all the ships were pointing their massive guns at them. A dozen unintelligible curses ran through his head. Well, they were not unintelligible. Then again, the language of the gorillas is not part of our foreign language curriculums internationally and locally.

Sally was looking at Riku. The smirk on his face was quite…unnerving. " No big."

Riku held out his hand and opened the palm of his hand. Instantly, one of the Battleships scrunched up into something the size of a tennis ball and exploded with a ceremonious BANG! followed by a confetti of remains. The other Battleships shied away from the rather gothic-looking stranger while everyone on the walkway of the Clocktower – and above it, in Peter Pan's case – stared at Riku with horrified eyes.

" Mock us again and soon you'll be left with nothing but yourself and your First Mate," Riku said with sudden and complete calm. Tarzan quietly wished that he would express his rage more than simply talk it out in words; the blindfolded teenager was more fearsome when he seemed absolutely calm. " Of course I could do the same to you, too-" Smee whimpered "-but I'll spare you at the moment, if you could do and answer to our…questioning."

" I don't answer to the enemy!" Captain Hook shot back, angry and unnerved. " Especially those who have betrayed our purpose!"

" I have never been with you and the Heartless in the first place," Riku shot back, just as calmly. " Of course most don't believe it but that's not the point. Just answer our questions and then you can have your stupid joust with Peter Pan over Tinker Bell."

Captain Hook was slowly letting down his guard. He looked a bit hesitant, then his eyes flashed and he held up his saber before him. " Ask. Don't do anything funny. The Battleships will blast you if you do anything funny again."

" Oh they won't be doing anything funny," Riku smiled, holding his hand out and making a fist. He twisted his wrist and dark purple-black jelly bloomed and flowed out of the cannons of the Battleships. " They do anything funny and fire, the gel deflects the blast and they destroy themselves. Therefore, we'll keep to our word and you'll end up keeping to your word as well."

Captain Hook was more unnerved than ever. He knew the word was that Riku would not be using his dark powers again. The spawn of Darkness cannot use the dark powers again after he is gone without being drawn back into the Darkness…unless he has done the unthinkable and mastered the Darkness within him without having the Darkness mastering him.

" Very well then," Captain Hook said, boiling with rage but incapable of doing anything to release it. " What do you want to ask about?"

" The journal, Sally," Riku took the journal from Sally and tossed it to Captain Hook's feet. " Kindly explain to us what those two people in that journal want with you and Jafar's lamp."

The obnoxious pirate captain paled slightly. Riku then added, " And tell us about those two people. Make it detailed or I might as well blast you into space."

Captain Hook bit his lip. So much for his plans of detonating Neverland and giving more power to the Heartless forces. " Who, Pete or Marucia?"

" One or the other," Riku opened the palm of his hand and a Battleship constricted and exploded. " Haven't got all day, Hook. Give us what you've got, nice and quick."

Tarzan, Sally, and Peter Pan were astonished by Riku's brutal tactics, yet Riku knew that they were running out of time. He could feel it, Time slipping away fast like trying to catch water in your hand.

" Pete…," Hook was thinking, passive for once. " Pete was once one of the chief advisors of the blasted King Mickey Disney -" BANG "- alright, alright, so he's not that blasted. Well, he was once a very important chief advisor, well, more like the captain of the Department of Disney's Military Forces. But he started to want more power, like the rest of us. And the Heartless are drawn to those seeking power. So are the Dusk. They were drawn to him and infused him with our hope, of a paradise where whatever we wish for will happen. Meaning I get to wring the idiot boy's neck-" BANG "-I take that back! Well, he attempted a coup to take over Disney and its might but he failed and fled. He is a renegade leader of the Heartless and one of considerable power. He is building his own forces and his alliance with us, the Society, and the Dusk and their leader is very shaky. He had tried to help prove that the alliance is stronger, by stepping on _my_ ship without permission with that blasted Marucia! And searching for the damned black lamp when we all know the blasted Agrabah's been long gone from the Universe!"

Riku thought for a moment. So that's how the whole thing about Pete came out…

" Well, about time things make more sense!" Peter Pan sniffed. " Adults. They're always too complicated!"

" And Marucia?" Riku knew that name was new to him, the name seemed to have surfaced out of the blue.

" He's a secret released from the Society," Captain Hook explained. " He has been hiding for a very long time, since there's been much controversy over his past. He is considered the bastard son of the Dusk's leader and that's what kept him from taking over the leadership of the Society's Elite, the special group of Unknowns with their own agenda for power and Darkness. And paradise, of course. Marucia is the more level-headed of the Elite, which was why he stepped on _my_ ship without any permission whatsoever, looking for a blasted lamp that doesn't exist anymore!"

Riku nodded. The traitor of Disney and the bastard son of the leader of the – wait a minute.

" The Dusk?" Riku questioned.

" The Nobodies, rat," Captain Hook snapped. " Nobodies, Dusk, there's no difference, they are the same thing. It's just more smooth, kinder to the mouth saying Nobodies so people tend to call them as such. The Heartless take hearts, they take souls. And nothing feeds the Darkness like the souls."

Riku nodded slowly. Good, more information. But time is nearly up…

Peter Pan hovered above Smee and Tinker Bell, discreetly, ready to make his move…

" Why are you doing this?" Riku asked calmly. " What is your purpose? Why have you come back?"

" Vengeance shall be mine," Captain Hook's eyes glowed with an inner dark fire. " Once I have Peter Pan's head and his fairy friend, I can sail out of Neverland, lead the Heartless under my command, join forces with the others, and take down the Keyblade Master once and for all! That brat is mine!"

That was followed by successive explosions and the Battleships fled.

" Get back here, you scoundrels!" Captain Hook ran to the edge, waving his arms, screaming. " You cowards! Turn around and come back here! Come back-"

Glass broke and scattered, sliding to the captain's feet. Smee was shouting, " Captain, Captain! Help!"

Captain Hook whirled around, dropping his saber and whipping out a pistol. Tinker Bell scattered fairy dust everywhere. And Peter Pan was holding Smee over the edge of the walkway, holding to the back of the first mate's shirt. The poor man was frozen with fear, looking down and gulping. The look on the boy's face was mocking the captain.

" Fire and I let him go," he said. " If, upon your word, you swear to do no harm, we'll let him down back onto the walkway. We've had just enough, enough to clarify. What will it be, Hook?"

Captain Hook glared at Peter Pan through his arm, through the shaking black pistol. What's it worth, losing Smee anyways? Nothing will happen to him if he loses Smee and shoots Peter Pan. In fact, he'll gain some, oh yes, he'll definitely gain some.

He looked at Peter Pan and Smee. He could feel it, the excitement bubbling up in him. The chance was there, the chance to take it, to take Peter Pan. Sacrifices, yes there will be sacrifices, there will always be sacrifices. But, finally, he'll be able to take Peter Pan, at long last!

" Looks like you've done more than enough to serve me," Captain Hook touched his ridiculous moustache with his hook. " I can't help but thank all of you enough for that."

In not even five seconds, he cocked the pistol and pulled the trigger.


	48. Hope or Something Like It

Author's note: So…I lied. I said I wasn't gonna post until like after the A.P. exams. Well, I was talking the truth halfway. I did finish my A.P. Calculus AB exam, but I still have Biology coming up next Monday. But I felt like you people should be able to read the next chapter, so here we are. 

By the way, Beta means like a proofreader, right? Well, I'm in need of a Beta or a proofreader or whatever for the last 20 chapters. I have two ready right now but…they might be real bad spoilers or you might just not understand at all. But if any brave soul volunteers to beta the last 20 chapters, I will be very thankful.

Read on!

Secrets of Memories Chapter 48: Hope or Something Like It 

There was a very long silence. A very long silence. Perhaps too long a silence. Iago shifted his feet in the sand. This was unnerving. A prophecy that did not make sense, made no sense whatsoever. He could not see how the prophecy could connect what he knew to what Kairi, the strongest of the Princesses of Heart, knew. They came from two different spectrums, could even be still considered as enemies as of now, yet here they were, standing side by side, overwhelmed by the task the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders has given them – solve a damn prophecy.

_And he himself speaks in rhyme!_ Iago thought with bitterness as he watched the teenage girl mull over her thoughts. _Perfect, just perfect! Where's Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie when you need them!_

Kairi was lost, deep in thought. This was hard, she knew, yet, strangely, she knew the answer was there, at the tip of her fingers. If only she could reach out and grasp it.

What did the Guardian mean by the old stories? She only knew of the story an elderly woman told her long ago, a story about how the children used the light within their hearts to recreate the Universe after destruction, a story of how the true light slept in the deepest darkness, a story of why the worlds were as they were…

…_but small fragments of light survived…in the hearts of children…the true lights sleep, deep within the darkness…a door to the innermost darkness will open…true light will return…there will _always_ be a light to guide you…_

The words of the grandmother was coming back to her, deep within the library of Hollow Bastion…back when Hollow Bastion had a different name…

" You mean the story that a grandmother told me once," Kairi whispered, her mind back in the memories of the past. " The story about how the darkness was born and how the light came back."

_There is more you seek. Why take just a peek?_

There was more to the story, more to it than she knew. It was there, a subtle message, something that would teach her something, if she could only find it.

Iago shifted on his feet as usual, wondering what would happen if he mentioned the truth of the true Darkness. After all, Kairi only knew of the Heartless and that was not the only Darkness roaming the Universe.

_I know what's out there_, Iago thought. _Not just the Dusk, not just the Society…I know the driving force behind them, I know the evil behind this._

Perhaps spending many years with Jafar did prove helpful now; he knew more about evil than Kairi did, since the parrot was once an accomplice of that same evil he now fights against.

" The great evil…" Iago said slowly, looking up at Kairi. " '_ Can you recall the tale of the great foe…_' I know the answer to that line. It is of the greatest evil ever born, ever to walk upon the lands of the Universe. How great was this evil? He _is_ evil."

" He's evil?" Kairi didn't understand his emphasis on 'is'. " So he's evil. What about the other evil creatures out there? What's so special about this one guy?"

" You misunderstood me," Iago corrected. " He is _the_ evil. Maybe that makes more sense, does it?"

Kairi stared at him. " This thing is the evil?"

" He is the true evil, the force behind everything black in the Universe. Bad luck is bad luck but the true darkness, the force behind the Heartless, behind the white creatures, behind whatever is trying to keep Sora from finding the door of light, is this one guy. Well, he isn't a guy exactly. He's some sort of a fire fox."

Kairi was stupefied. _What!_

" You think that's what the riddle's talking about?"

" I'm sure. It seems to make sense, the tale of this great and mighty foe…he is the greatest of foes and a true match for any of the Keyblade Masters," Iago confirmed.

" What's his name?" Kairi asked. She was surprised when Iago declined to answer.

_Cross all fear and the truth shall draw near_.

" Speaks well enough for me," Kairi cast a glance at the sand.

" His name breeds fear," Iago warned, in a soft voice. " It is…Shadowrenis."

There was only one thing Kairi could do. She stared at the red parrot as if he really did lose his mind. It was not that this all seemed a bit ridiculous; she _had_ heard of the name before, in the ages past, a name that did bring fear to the hearts of those who heard it.

_Answers still unanswered, questions still in air/There still is doubt, anger, fear, terror, hate/That drives us away from the answer's lair/And leaves empty the echoes of dying Fate._

" We still don't know all the answers," Kairi started seeing the web that connected everything. " Like the story a grandmother told me long ago about how the light was preserved in children's hearts and how the children used the light to restore what had been destroyed by the Darkness. Like your tale of Shadowrenis. Is he even real?"

Kairi had come to realize that this strange beast was referred to by ' the tale of', meaning he must be a story.

Iago's shuffling feet told all. " Well…nobody's really proven his existence. They say he vanished thousands, if not millions, of years ago."

_A story of light and a tale of the darkest evil. A story of what the children did…and a tale with an unnamed evil,_ Kairi thought. _Not enough, not enough, there's not enough. We need to know more._

" Do we look to the skies?" she whispered, looking to the gray-tinged skies, " or to the earth?"

She looked to the gray sand. Some of the sand crystals sparkled in the dim light of the Universe In Between. Then she looked back to the skies. There were stars, stars that were brought down with Agrabah when the world collapsed into In Between. She could barely see in the twilit firmament but they were there.

_From us alls of darkness bars/ And promises us dirt's bones._

This the Guardian spoke. He was pushing the prophecy to them, he wanted them to solve the prophecy, to bring the world back to where it belonged.

" I know the last part," Iago looked up to Kairi. " The Darkness promises us death. They will _kill_. We come from the dirt, the earth of the worlds. The bones of the people, of the earth, the dirt, this the eternity, that is what the Darkness promises to give us. Jafar was very wordy. There's a lot of words you can pick up if you're with him long enough."

" The darkness will kill," Kairi began to list. " There is a story of children that saved the Universe and a great evil with a name you won't speak of."

" '_Luminosity is what we seek/ In dark and troubled times_._'_ Focus on 'luminosity'." Iago was well versed in vocabulary and grammar. " Luminosity…that means things glowing."

" Light," Kairi said, slow and with solemn confidence. " We seek the light."

_In times of darkness…the weapon against hopelessness…_

" The light is what we seek…and the brave and the submissive seek it," Iago was surprising her more and more. " We look for the light, even if we're scared, even if we're strong. We look for it when we're scared, when we are surrounded by the darkest night."

_Closer you come, the closer you go. Bid your time wisely and follow your Soul's flow._

But one line puzzled her. It made no sense whatsoever.

_But what do we hold on to/ Once feathers fall with sorrowful grace?_

" What feathers?" Kairi looked at Iago. " Why the feathers?"

Iago was at a loss for words. " I…don't rightly know."

" Skip that," Kairi decided. " Go to the next one."

" Makes less sense, Prin – Kairi," Iago shook his red head. " I mean, what do we see? What were we supposed to see? What were we supposed to know?"

_Much you must uncover for there is much you do not know. If you knew, your journey would've never come, you would not suffer such woe._

" Skip that one," Kairi said.

" Now comes the riddle part," Iago warned, sounding depressed. " There's a light when we lose everything. There's something we have to do with all that we know. And the answer is something that must be kept, no matter what."

" A story of children who saved the Universe with what light they had," Kairi went through what they knew again. " This Shadowrenis thing-" Iago squawked and bowed his head "- of some story you don't know, the evil guy with some evil name. The Darkness will kill. But that…that means war."

_And war will come. The Old Order must be undone. So the ancients foretold. A new beginning must unfold._

" We seek light in the darkest of days." Iago spoke in precise prose. " The bold people, and the meek people seek this light, the light we look for."

" A light we must hold on to, at all costs," Kairi felt the answer was there, at the tip of her tongue. " The light the children held, the light against the darkness, the light…"

_In the stars on the night sky_, she added silently. _And the crystals of the earth._

" A light so beautiful," Iago seemed to be dreaming; his eyes were closed and he rocked on his feet. " The light of the moon…when the nights are so dark. I always dreamed of it…when I sat here, waiting for someone to come. It was the only thing that kept me going. Things, actually. The light of the moon…and me waiting for someone to come."

_Don't forget. Wherever you are, I'm always with you_.

Sora's voice echoed in her heart. She blinked in astonishment, startled by the words, by who spoke within her. Somehow, his voice was coming back.

Iago saw Kairi's sad smile. Such a sweet girl, living through such times. She did not belong here, in the dreary gray, and dead land. She belonged in a realm where there was a swift sunrise, golden light cast upon a green country under a bright blue sky.

But now he saw that she was lost in thought. Her blue eyes looked to the skies, to the faint shining of stars, the night upon the dead plains of Agrabah. Her eyes briefly turned to the sandy land they stood on, with its shining sand crystals. Then, she looked back up to the skies, to the great seas tinged with gray and gloom.

Then she smiled and looked to Iago. Enlightenment and understanding shone in her eyes. It was then Iago felt the inches of silver, of pure light, emanating from her. She knew.

" Hope," she spoke, her voice at a bare minimum. " The children carried the hope for a new beginning to what was destroyed by the Darkness. Shadowrenis is what we face. War will come, but there is the light, light that everyone holds on to in the darkest of days. I do not know what it means by falling feathers, but I do know that a curtain of night comes with them. Hope is what keeps us going. Hope is what we seek, what we must hold at all costs. Iago, your hope was in the light of the moon, and your hope of seeing someone to help you. My hope…my hope is to get through all this…return home…return home and see all my friends again…to see Sora and Riku again…Sora…"

_Such is your answer, what you speak. Is this what you finally seek?_

" Are you sure that's the right answer?" Iago asked nervously. " We might not get a second chance."

Kairi's smile was angelic. It was like she had deviated from the world around them, the reality.

" Hope," she said firmly, precisely. " Hope…or something like it."

What followed was a silence, a deep, dark silence. Iago shifted his feet again and looked up at Kairi nervously. " Are you sure? I think we did something wrong."

" I don't know," Kairi replied, a bit doubtfully. " But have faith; maybe we're right."

Then came perhaps one of the only times the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders never rhymed his speech.

_You may pass._

Kairi backed away; Iago leaped up and onto her shoulder as she stared at the rising mound of sand in the middle of this ring of gray stone.

" You did it," Iago murmured in her ear, awed into silence.

She stared in astonishment as a lion's head rose from the deep sands. It was a great, bluish head, serene and mighty. Actually, it seemed like a mix of a lion and a panther-like feline; the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders was missing his mane.

The majesty overwhelmed the poor red parrot on her left shoulder. Iago covered, backing into her deep red hair. He huddled next to her ear and his feathers tickled her.

" Iago…" Kairi quickly touched her ear. " That tickles."

" Sorry."

The Guardian opened his eyes, eyes that glowed with a bluish white light. They stared at the eyes, drawn to its brightness. The great lion's head shook its head from side to side, as if getting rid of the kinks in its neck.

_Much better…young Princess of Heart. Angel of Light, you have opened yet another door. You and the parrot may pass. Do not touch the gem within, for it is not for your hands but for who was once among the poor._

" Still manages to rhyme, does he?" Iago muttered, then fell silent when the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders opened his mouth.

A yellow light shone forth from its jaws, yet another beam of light in the gray stillness of Agrabah. Kairi shielded her gaze, blinded by its brightness.

" There's someone in there!" Iago exclaimed in astonishment.

" What!" Kairi looked, her eyes gradually getting used to the radiance.

Yes, there _was_ someone there. Tall and foreign. Someone was there, had been in the gully of the lion's head. The light then began to fade in brilliance. It still glowed, but now it was a soft, steady glow. A glow of light.

Kairi saw who it was. She could now see. And she could not believe it.

" Tidus?"

""

" Where do we go now, Merlin?" Selphie asked, her eyes still wide, still traumatized by what she had been told by Merlin and Oracle Kenaii.

" We follow where Kairi as gone, of course," Merlin smiled as he picked up the ends of his blue 'nightdress' and skipped merrily down a dreary gray road, whatever to the right and left obscured by the smoggy mist.

Selphie stared at him like he was a madman. " Merlin…what are you doing?"

" Bringing cheer to our mission, of course!" Merlin chortled, still doing his swing dance.

" I'm sorry?"

" Let him be, child," Oracle Kenaii whispered to her. " Let him be. This is what's become of such a powerful wizard. His poor mother dropped him on his head.

" Ouch." Selphie sensed, however vaguely, that Oracle Kenaii was merely joking.

The serious look on the specter's face told her he was speaking the truth.

" _Ouch_," Selphie winced.

Still humming, Merlin turned back to them and said, " Oracle Kenaii, are you coming with us?"

" I've grown quite weary of doing business down in these parts of reality," the dead oracle admitted. " Wouldn't mind coming with you lot back to the Real Universe. Need to give Atlantis a visit again."

" Don't scare them like you did last time," Merlin warned. " Scared the living hell out of them, you did!"

" As long as they don't go to Hades, it won't do any harm," the oracle smiled. " By now, I think Deep Jungle's back in the circle. Wonderland should be gone by now. I have no idea how we're going to get that great bloody whale back to Real Universe; rather have him here and leave everybody else alone and in peace. Agrabah, oh yes, one of the newer worlds, we have to get Agrabah back as soon as possible. Hopefully Kairi and Iago have solved the riddle by now…"

" What?" Selphie turned on the oracle. " What in the name of whatever-gods-are-out-there are you talking about?"

" In order to find the next part of Ansem's Other Report in In Between, they must solve a riddle that the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders gives them," Oracle Kenaii informed. " So far, nobody's been able to solve the riddle. They always get lost after the first line. I've told him over and over again to try and spare the poor victims but the Guardian has an impeccable taste for live blood, I'm afraid."

Selphie paled.

" Of course he can't do anything about Kairi so I believe he'll simply turn her away if she does not answer correctly," the specter quickly reassured. " Iago, the poor parrot, must wait for another savior to come. However, if she solves the riddle, she will meet that old friend I mentioned not too long ago. Oh yes she will. Won't she be surprised once she sees who it is!"

" If it's not Sora, then who is it?" Selphie knew no one was going to answer that.

" For me to know, for you to find out," Oracle Kenaii said enigmatically. " As of now, we will go to Celt Circle. It's been quite a while since I've been there. Got lost in this bloody mist."

Selphie raised an eyebrow at this. First Oracle Kenaii was like some hard ass, then he gets all soft and informative, then he starts mildly cussing at everything. What is _wrong_ with the man – er, ghost?

" Celt Circle?" Merlin looked at Oracle Kenaii, profoundly disturbed. Selphie found that disturbing. " Why are we going there? We're supposed to go to Agrabah."

" No 'buts', young one," Oracle Kenaii retorted briskly, moving to the front. " Agrabah is done for and it's to Celt Circle we must go. Have I not said so? '_A circle and the deepest peace/ Holds the key to the puzzle._' There you go, both of you listen. Circle is the key, you see. Celt Circle is our next destination. Besides, Merlin, '_…a gathering is unwound._' That old poem tells more than I expect it to."

Selphie bit her lip as she listened to this messed-up banter between the dead man and the old man the dead man called 'young'. Clearly, with every step they took in this hell of gray, they were losing their minds. Apparently the gray mist did something to their minds. They seemed to be losing their sanity.

" Listen, buds," Selphie turned on the two, her hands on her hips, looking very cross. " What are you talking about? Is it that hard to answer? Why can't you just tell me straight out what is going on? What are the rules? Tell me what I need to do in order to what the hell is going on here! I hate being in this darkness. Just tell me what's going on!"

Merlin and Oracle Kenaii stared at her in astonishment. They looked at each other, then back at the teenage girl. They looked very worried, worried and just as confused as she was.

" Do you really want to know?" Oracle Kenaii asked softly, his voice ominous and cold.

" Why? What's so bad about knowing?" Selphie demanded.

Merlin was shaking his head. " We have yet to know whether or not ignorance was in your best interest. So far it has worked in our favor. You were able to do everything without fear. But if you were to know-"

" Fear?" Her eyes widened. " Why do you mention fear? What's there that we're afraid of?"

" There is something we're trying to prevent," Oracle Kenaii said heavily, sighing as he looked at Selphie with a deep, wise gaze. " It began when one of the last known Keyblade Masters disappeared after he was stripped of his power by the Good King Mickey. It was foretold that something will go terribly wrong with the next Keyblade Master. So far our only guess is death but of course, death is not the worst thing."

" What is?"

" Well, it depends. Hopelessness. Failing when you're almost there. Who it is that kills you is also a big thing. I know living death is worse than death itself but I cannot see how that works with what's been foretold."

Selphie was not stupid. She knew what was going on.

" So your whole mission, the one reason why we're here, is to keep Sora safe? We're trying to keep Sora from getting into big trouble? Sheesh, why didn't you say this earlier! Kairi would've been so worked up, we'd have gone through In Between in no time at all, maybe in two hours, doing everything in our power to keep Sora from getting into some big hole!"

" We already said everything you're doing is to help Sora along," Merlin reminded her.

" Big deal," Selphie scoffed. " That's not motivation, you boneheads!"

" We're also trying to put together the pieces of the past," Oracle Kenaii informed, walking on. " We know what you'll see and know in due time; my concern is what you want us to tell you that you would understand. You've been exposed to very little; it will not be easy explaining to you everything if you haven't experienced or encountered everything yet. Get my drift?"

This he said menacingly and Selphie backed down.

" There are four forces you must know, at least that's what Selphie must know, Oracle," Merlin said, fingering his moustache. " Yes, she must know. If you're not going to tell her, then I will. There are four forces in this reality, Selphie. They are the Advocate, the Angel, the Knight, and the Prophet. They exist to work in the best interest of the whole of the Universe…well, most of them at least. The Advocate is essentially evil, an evil power and the representative of the true Darkness. They, so far, have never been identified. The Angel, however, we know much about. The Angel is the benevolent goddess, the representative of the true Light. There has been only one Angel, for the Angel, unlike the Advocate, is immortal. She has the guise of the long-lost race of Angels, immortal, fair beings who gave the rest of the Universe the gift of song, of music, of the word, of writing, of everything fair and beautiful. Well, the Angel now exists as a disembodied Spirit; her mortal appearance was killed long ago. The Knight is, as you have met him before, the Dream Heart. He is, literally, a knight. Long ago, he labored for both the Darkness and the Light, to balance out both sides, but over time, the Darkness grew so evil the Knight finally joined the Light and now he works with us, to restore peace to the Universe. Lastly, there is the Prophet."

" By the gods, I love that man," Oracle Kenaii commented.

" He is a man, an old man, in fact," Merlin continued. " He is immortal as well but his guise is that of an old man. He is, essentially, the Prophet. He sees all. He's not a god but he has some of the powers of a monotheistic god; he knows mostly everything. Not what's going through our thoughts, not what the fly is doing right now in the middle of a jungle, but what happened in the past, what's happening now, and what's going to happen in the future. He is one of the most powerful, and he is supposed to work for no one. But lately, ever since King Mickey was born, he worked with us more and more. Now he is also affiliated with the Light. These four, Selphie, work behind the scenes. They decide what happens, what doesn't happen, what must be done, and what must not be done. Lately, a lot of rules have been broken."

" They've been broken ever since Sora became the Keyblade Master." Oracle Kenaii looked at the two living people with eyes that saw beyond them. " The Prophet is now very attached to the living things of the Universe, which is not supposed to be. The Knight, Dream Heart, is supposed to appear only in dreams. He has not, as you have seen to that. The Angel, I do not know of her whereabouts. Nobody does. But the Advocate…well, he's certainly making quite a few appearances."

" Has he now…" Merlin mused.

" Where?"

" In due time, Selphie, you will come to see what the Society is," Oracle Kenaii explained. " They once balanced the Dark and Light but grew corrupted. They now are wholly of Darkness, save a few…renegades. Some were able to slip in and out undetected but some…well, they became very involved in the activities of the Society. They are now imprisoned by the Society and it is up to one of their own to free them."

" Some messed-up drama," Selphie muttered, scratching her head.

" Believe me, you have no idea," Oracle Kenaii promised her.

""

He was tall, tall and warrior-like. He looked just as cheerful as before, though his sea-colored eyes carried great weight within. His feathery blond hair made him rather appealing to many people.

Kairi had to admit that this was much of an improvement over what she remembered of him the year before.

But one question nagged her. How did he grow up so fast in a year?

" Tidus, is that really you?" Kairi demanded, bewildered.

He looked to her, astonished as well. " Kairi? What are you doing here? What's going on? What's that red parrot on your shoulder? Where am I!"

" This is Agrabah, boy!" Iago informed, not too kindly.

" Hush," Kairi reprimanded. " Be nice, this is one of my friends."

" Sure looks old to be one," Iago commented.

Kairi had to admit that Iago was right. How'd he grow up?

" How'd that happen to you?" she demanded, walking up to him. " I mean, you were _thirteen_ the last time I saw you! How old are you now?"

" I think nineteen," Tidus mused. " Eighteen, nineteen. Spira's time is kinda faster than Destiny Island's."

" I'm sorry?" Kairi had never heard of this 'Spira' before.

" You were at Spira?" Iago squawked. " Explains just about everything, I suppose."

" What explains everything?" Kairi asked.

" Spira is this world, Kairi," Tidus informed. " I washed up there, after that big explosion. I've been there for…quite a while, as far as I'm concerned. But I've been gone only one year?"

" I'm fifteen, Tidus," Kairi said. " Yes, you've been gone only one year. Is Spira's time supposed to be ultra-fast, like how In Between's like ultra-slow, Iago?"

" I think so, Prin – Kairi," Iago said. " Makes the only sense in the world."

" Say, Tidus, what have you been doing, anyways?" Kairi demanded, scrutinizing him.

" I've…been exploring Spira," he said, flashing a grin. " Oh boy, that's one great world right there. So diverse, with so many cities, so many creatures, and people! Oh, and I think Wakka lost his memory; I found him there and he didn't remember a single thing."

" Oh dear," Kairi murmured. " We're in trouble for sure."

" The thing was," Tidus was looking wistfully up at the gray sky, " I was there for maybe four, five years, and then when I met Wakka, I met all these other people, too. Rikku, for one. She spells her name with a double K and so far nobody understood why I called her 'Double K'. Keeps me from mixing up with Riku. Then there's Lulu. She's a scary woman, I tell you. All serious and creepy. Sorceress she is for sure. But she and Wakka's going to marry-"

" What!" Kairi stared at him.

" Okay, you two catch up on whatever it was you guys missed," Iago told them. " I'm going and searching for that ol' ghost man told me. Some report or something."

" You do that," Kairi said hypnotically. She was staring at Tidus in aghast.

" Kimahri is like…whoa!" Tidus continued to say. " He's a Ronso, this race of blue tiger creatures. He's awesome. And Auron…oh man, what can I say, he's the greatest. He was like a mentor to me, a mentor and a friend. He's all business and stern but he's fun to be around with. Then there's Yuna…"

" Yuna?"

" She's a summoner in Spira. A summoner is someone who basically summons and in summoning helps to defeat this evil called Sin," Tidus explained with infinite patience. " She succeeded in defeating Sin. That was amazing. Thing was, I found my father."

" You did?"

" Jecht. He was Sin."

Kairi blinked.

" Well, we beat him, then Auron had to go. He was like some walking ghost, a walking _solid_ ghost. As for me…I had to go, too. I was supposed to be dead."

Kairi stared at him.

" Oh relax, it's no big. The Fates came and fixed me up. Then they put me here. No idea why."

Kairi smiled. " Tidus, I think I do know."

''

Iago had found a plain leather bag and was busily stuffing it with gold coins. Cackling gleefully, he picked one and put it in, then picked another. He did pick up a scroll, carefully stuffing it in the leather bag as well. Then he went back to stuffing in gold coins.

He carefully kept his gaze away from the dark hallway at the end of this gold-filled room. He did not want to be tempted by the gleaming red; to go and touch that great gem could mean the end of Agrabah as he knew it.

Iago was surprising himself more and more every minute he breathed.

Another Author's note: Is ffn fixed so that I don't have to put spaces between each paragraph? It's kinda killing my fingers and it takes a lot of time, so I kinda need to know.

Har har har, having fun?


	49. World Turning

Author's Note: Amazing, isn't it? This chapter's appearing much earlier than usual for the simple reason that I'm in a very good mood. I'm still in need of a Beta for the last chapters, which I'm refining and writing. And I have an Advanced Placement exam next Monday that I should be studying for. But I can't afford to not have you lovable people not read the next two chapters starting with this one. I consider these next two chapters to be the turning point and you fans deserve no less in reading chapters 49 and 50. So here is the first of the turning point, Watermark. I wish you all the best of luck and don't forget to review!!! 

Secrets of Memories Chapter 49: World Turning 

Milo was not the happiest man on Earth…or Atlantis, for that matter. His death glares were quite harmless but his emotions were not. They were seething, bubbling like lava, ready to burst but unable to escape its living confines.

Milo James Thatch did a good job of containing his simmering angry, as he reluctantly followed a very happy Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke at the head of the mismatched group of people – and lion – up the pathway towards the noble, decaying city of Atlantis.

_How could they betray me like this?_ Milo continued to ask himself. _What would motivate them to such an extent that they would willingly destroy an ancient and proud civilization like this? I mean, don't they understand what will happen if the Crystal force is taken? Atlantis will die!_

Then he remembered what Princess Kidagakash, Kida was the short nickname, and the strange teenage boy Sora had discussed earlier.

"…_when you open the door, Sora Keyblade Master, the Old Order will come to an end and with it goes Atlantis…"_

Atlantis was destined to fall. But Milo will not let it fall just yet.

" Listen, can we make a deal here?" Milo pleaded. " I mean, you want money, basically, right? Why don't we just…uh…"

" I've got all the money I need," Commander Rourke snapped back, throwing at his face a thick wad of greenbacks. " All I need now is power."

" Oh, so it's all just an old issue of human nature, is it?" the scholar crossed his arms and scowled. " Great, just great!"

" What is he talking about?" Simba hissed to a fuming Sora.

He did not answer. Simba looked at the Keyblade Master and made a mental note not to talk to him when his face was literally flaming red. Audrey Ramirez, who had the dubious honor of escorting him by pistol, pushed him forward.

" Men…they seek power, power and wealth," Princess Kida spoke in hushed tones. Helga Sinclair had left Wilhelmina Packard in charge of guarding the Atlantean princess and had gone forward to talk with Commander Rourke and Milo about the Crystal force. The old woman was, thankfully, rather deaf and did not hear the exchange. " I see it all now, I see it indeed. Milo seeks power through wisdom while that man seeks power by brute force. It will be his downfall."

" But I don't see any Heartless or Nobodies," Simba looked around them discretely as they entered the perimeters of Princess Kida's beloved home. " Isn't that saying something?"

Princess Kida fell silent. " You are right. Something _is_ wrong."

" No, nothing's wrong, nothing at all." Sora's faint voice, hiding his boiling anger, drifted their way in the exotic air of this subterranean world. " I know why they're not here yet. The perfect opportunity before them and they're not attacking us when we're most vulnerable because there's something Donald and Goofy mentioned before, something they never explained to me but always mentioned."

" Which reminds me, where _are_ they -"

Audrey coughed politely. " Less talking, more walking."

She cocked her pistol and they took it that she was serious.

_Not the best day of my life_, Simba thought depressingly as they made their way through the moss-covered paved road leading to the palace, still some distance off.

" Pete, Peg-leg Pete," Sora hissed quickly, then nearly wilted when Audrey hit him over the head with the great iron firearm.

" Don't kill him now, Audrey," Dr. Joshua S. Sweet warned. " If that blow's been harder, you could've crushed his skull. You know how Commander Rourke is about his orders. Carry them out precisely and the way he'd want you to do."

" I _know_, Sweet," Audrey snapped back.

"…don't care what you're up to!" Milo was fighting with Commander Rourke and Helga again. " I _won't _let you destroy this civilization, these people!"

" People die, Milo, it's a part of life," Commander Rourke shrugged it off like it was nothing. " We're just…making it a bit faster for them. Less suffering, you know."

Milo stared at the middle-aged man like he had gone insane. " How-how could you? You have no idea how important it is keeping this civilization alive!"

_He'd better not blow our cover!_ Princess Kida thought with fear. Oh gods, no!

" They're all doomed to die anyways," Helga said coldly, casting dark glares at anyone who looked in the general direction. " You can see it everywhere. There's almost no children and most everyone's aged to the point that all they wait for is death to take them. The whole city's in decay. Look at the place."

She sneered at the venerable buildings. Milo was deeply hurt.

" Their death is more tragic than you know," he said quietly. " If the kid opens that door, our whole world will blow."

" What are you talking about?" Helga turned on the scholar. " What is it that you haven't told us about? What kid? _That_ kid?"

She pointed at Sora, who was busy staring at his feet. Princess Kida was watching them all in profound horror.

Commander Rourke placed a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder. " Relax, Helga, I know what's going on. What did I tell you, that one's got his nose in everything. Even the bits about the kid."

Princess Kida stared at him. _What!_

" If this world's going to blow, might as well make do with that Crystal force and save ourselves," Commander Rourke was saying. " That is, if the kid gets to the door first. If not, we'll be dining like kings and living like Genghis Khan did back in China. To the very least like emperors and to the very best like God Himself."

Princess Kida could not help but snort at the man's proclamation. Just how many gods does Commander Rourke think's out there? Such blasphemy would've gotten him killed in the olden days but the gods had abandoned them when the city of Atlantis sank into the sea.

Then her face grew dark. What will her father do, once he sees the predicament they're in? His father had given them only one day to explore all of Atlantis; Commander Rourke had exploited the man's reluctant trust in them to find the Crystal force, wherever it may be.

_And I'm very sure my father knows where the Crystal force is, I know he does_, Princess Kida thought, knowing that her father completely understood the situation when Kida's mother sacrificed herself to the Crystal force to protect Atlantis when it fell from grace. And if he understood that situation, however horrible it may be, surely he understood this one…_Though, he is getting a bit old. He doesn't have the authority he had before. His time is nearing an end; what will he say if he sees what has become of us?_

She saw Simba furiously attempting to communicate with Sora. That was a very unsuccessful venture. Was the Keyblade Master thinking about something? Was he planning their escape? Or…

Or had he given up? Had he cracked under the pressure piling up around him?

''

" Come now," ol' notorious Peg-leg Pete said in his swaggering, trying-to-be-nice-and-utterly-failing-at-it way. " Let's not fight. Why not be friends? We were friends once, weren't we?"

" That was another life, Pete!" Donald snapped back, his Mage staff held out defensively in front of him. The white duck made sure his back was against Goofy's. " Your request has come _much_ too late."

" Huyuk, whatever he says," Goofy added. " Besides…der…we've been fighting since way back when. Who says we'll start talking now?"

" I say so," Pete snapped back, crossing his arms and scowling at them. He had taken a long time to figure out what to do and say once he confronted them and so far he had nothing in mind. Too late now, though.

" You don't have the authority," Donald snapped. " So stop trying to find some."

" If it was authority I was going for, I could've taken Disney already," Pete reasoned coldly. He found pleasure in the stunned looks on their faces. " Oh yes. Your home is so pathetic; I just need to reach out with my hand and take it! Just like that. No defenses whatsoever, naïve fools that the lot of you are!"

" Queen Minnie won't let you," Goofy hiccupped. " She's got a good mind and she knows what to do, huyuk!"

Pete shook his head. " No, its not authority I want. Its _you_."

" Us?" Donald demanded. " What do you want with us?"

" Vengeance," Pete grinned manically. " Once all I wanted was a throne and a world to rule but now…now its more than that. It's pure power. And once I have pure power, Paradise will be mine!"

He made a fist in their faces and the magic Heartless around him juggled in the air, excited by Pete's enthusiasm with this 'paradise'.

" Paradise is not yours!" Donald snapped back. " And there's nothing you can do to get Paradise at your will. Nothing!"

" Power is the key," Pete spat. " With power, you can _create_ Paradise. That's what I seek now. And with you standing in the way, there's nothing much I can do but-"

" So its all about Paradise now, isn't it?" Goofy asked of Donald.

" Always been, always will," Donald replied, watching Pete warily.

The colorfully dressed former general was still watching them. " My Paradise…the Paradise I seek…"

Pete smirked. " I could take you two as prisoners, easily done, I suppose. But there are other things at hand so you two must wait. The longer I deprive myself of pleasure, the greater the pleasure is, oh yes…"

" What other things?" Donald asked, still wary.

" Amazing you're still King Mickey's friend, despite the capacity of your brain." Pete shook his head as he studied the two of them. The Red Nocturnes hovered and juggled about restlessly while the Green Requiems interested themselves in making big and small circles around and melding into the circle of Red Nocturnes. " But then again, being stupid would be helping our cause. But better it is to kill you both!"

The mage staff and the shield went up.

" And after that, disposing of that boy would be real pleasure," Pete smiled, " if I'm the one to do it!"

" You're not going anywhere!" Donald shouted.

" Yeah!" Goofy agreed.

" You can't stop me," Pete grinned. " You've not enough! And besides, its not only the Heartless I control."

With a wave of his hand, five Shield Nobodies appeared right out of thin air. Scientifically impossible, of course, but who's to say that the Nobodies follow the laws of Nature?

" The Shield Dusk are most useful," he looked darkly at a stupefied Donald and Goofy. " Dusk, Nobodies, what difference does it make? They are the one and same, and they serve the same purpose."

He waved them closer and the twisting shiny creatures joined ranks with the Red Nocturnes and Green Requiems.

" You see," Pete said, " both obey me. That is a power unto itself. Let's see how worthy you two are now as my adversaries!"

Donald didn't wait a minute. Hollering, he aimed at the Red Nocturnes. " Blizzaga!"

The Green Requiems doused the floating little red Heartless with life magic and shielded them from the blast of ice. They were wounded but with enough life to fire back.

" Huyuk!" Goofy jumped to the front, his shield up in the air. The fireballs bounced off harmlessly and died off. Goofy then took a swing at an advancing Shield Nobody but the Green Requiems were quick in healing the Dusk.

" Aim for the Green Requiems!" Donald ordered and Blizzaga'd two that happened to float next to each other. Though that was unsuccessful – the Green Requiems seemed to absorb the magic and heal themselves in the process – Goofy provided the breakthrough when he threw his shield discus-style and hit them.

As two red hearts meandered off into the Atlantean skies, Donald leaped and whacked another Green Requiem on the head. Dazed, the Heartless could not counter Donald's second physical attack and exploded as well. The wizard then aimed for a Red Nocturne with Blizzaga, this time his attack being successful.

Goofy then threw his shield again, hitting a Green Requiem, two Red Nocturnes, and a Shield Nobody. The Dusk were a more stoic foe than the Heartless; the Shield Nobody was still standing but badly injured. A Green Requiem floated in to help while the other Shield Nobodies and the surviving Heartless attacked at once.

Donald found himself flying ten feet in the air, skidding to a stop in some damp, if not muddy, soil. Goofy braced himself against the attack, hiding behind his shield while the Dusk rammed at it continuously.

" Donald!" Goofy shouted over the din. " Big magic! We've got ter risk it!"

Donald didn't hesitate just once, even though he knew quite well how unstable the forces of magic were becoming as everything in the Universe slid out of control.

But what should he do? What magic should he use?

" Graviga!" Donald shouted and pointed the staff down.

There was a purplish-black explosion of energy as all the Heartless and Dusk got sucked onto the ground, their lives draining away. The moment they were back up, woozy as they were, Goofy attacked the Green Requiems. Four meandering red hearts followed up on four mild explosions and Pete, who was standing off to the side, silently cursed. This battle would be shorter than expected.

As long as the battle tired them, everything will be fine…

" Gawrsh!" Goofy exclaimed as the last of the Red Nocturnes popped into a red heart. " Five Shield Nobodies to go!"

Donald nodded, aimed, and fired.

" Firaga!"

Before a stunned Shield Nobody could retaliate, Goofy tornadoed his way over with his shield. The Dusk were flung into the air and the Nobody hit by Donald popped into a blue heart.

" Four more to go!" Goofy shouted.

Pete watched with growing concern as Donald and Goofy meticulously and tenaciously wiped out each Shield Nobody. He did not know how long it was going to take Commander Rourke to find the Crystal force and do away with both Princess Kida and Sora the damn Keyblade Master. He was not sure what is going on with the other plan at work here on Atlantis. All he knew was that the faster he does away with Donald and Goofy, the better chance he has of catching up to the foolish man and, after having him kill the princess and the teenager, kill the commander himself and take the Crystal force.

If there was one thing Peg-leg Pete prided himself on, it was his ability to plan out complex plans and work them out to perfection, something for which he was prized by King Mickey, before his fall from grace. And, so far, his record had been perfect: every plan he had carried out, long and short, finished with flair, with an actual ending.

And if all went well this time, there was more to the reward that would follow. There was power. There was the hope of change. There was the hope of turning back the curse. There was Paradise.

" Paradise, it will be mine…" he chuckled under his breath, rubbing his hands together in glee, as he watched Donald and Goofy team together to bring down the two remaining Shield Nobodies.

" Excellent job, just excellent!" he boomed out as he approached them, mockingly applauding them. The two weary warriors faced him with apprehension, warily waiting for him to make his move.

" We don't want ter hurt you, Pete!" Goofy said, his shield out before him.

" But we will blast you if you make us!" Donald finished the warning, his staff pointing at the traitor.

" Yeah, yeah, on with the talk," Pete brushed off their threat. " Try this on for size!"

He leaped into the air, somehow somersaulted over their heads, and landed behind them. The impact shook the ground violently and the two stumbled.

" New boots, you know," Pete said proudly, looking at his feet. " Guaranteed to create any earthquake that would topple all your enemies. Aren't they beautiful?"

Then he charged.

''

" What is this?"

The Atlantean guards cowered as the odd assembly stormed into the palace, dragging along the prisoners without a care, and with Commander Rourke poking Milo Thatch forward with a pistol at his head.

King Kashekim Nedakh turned his head towards them, his white eyes seeing nothing but his ears telling him everything.

Commander Rourke did not look kind as he shoved Milo out of the way and approached the invalid king like a cobra about to strike.

" The Crystal force, Your Majesty," the burly man said as kindly as possible. " Where's the Crystal force?"

" It is not here," King Nedakh said in precise words, slow and deliberate. " The Crystal force is not here."

" I say it is," Commander Rourke reached forward and lifted up the old king by his collar. " Tell me where it is, old man, or your daughter dies."

Princess Kida turned whiter than her hair.

" We can't let them take the Crystal force," Simba murmured to her. " That is what we must do."

He was suggesting something.

" Father, don't tell them anything!" she shouted. " Don't say a word-"

Helga hit her on the head with the pistol. She then cocked the pistol and pressed the muzzle against her head. " Do tell, or I will fire."

" No!" Milo shouted. " Don't shoot!"

Commander Rourke looked behind to the woman. " Helga, put the gun away. Shooting the princess won't help us at all, not yet! I'll tell you when to shoot her. But keep your gun on her head."

" You want the Crystal force?" King Nedakh questioned, his voice hoarse. " Or is it power?"

" Either one is fine with me but tell me old man, where is it!"

" You…will not find it here," King Nedakh fired back firmly.

Furious, Commander Rourke shoved the king away from him, and, for extra measure, socked and kicked him.

" Father!"

" The king is a liar," Commander Rourke told his crew. " The Crystal force is here, or so this page says."

He held up the page and its cryptic writing. Sora stared at the symbol drawn into the bottom half of the page. The symbol looked familiar, vaguely familiar-

It hit him. The symbol looked like the _pool_ in this room!

" Your grandfather was kind enough to translate just enough of this page for me before he died," Commander Rourke grinned darkly at the poor young man who was staring in horror at the king. " He told me just enough, where this…symbol could be found, before he died…by my hand."

Milo turned on him, his jaw dropping.

" Sacrifices must be made, you know, in all quests for glory, power, and goodness," Commander Rourke said airily. " Pity your grandfather and this king were two of them."

" No!" Princess Kida screamed and tried to get up; Helga forced her back down. " Father!"

" Murderer…" a voice hissed. Milo saw Commander Rourke's face slightly lighten. " All for power…and it will all come back to you…"

The man cast a dark look on Sora. " I will pay for what I've done in my own time. Don't tell me what to do, what I am, you brat. Righteous little snob; I've half a mind to send you packing after _him._"

He jerked a thumb towards the seemingly-lifeless king. Then he gave a malicious smile. " But I'll extend my mercy to others. Helga, let the girl talk to her father before he dies on us. He might be able to tell us all something useful about the Crystal force."

He then turned to the others. " You lot, make a ring around this palace. Get those guards out of here. If anyone tries to interfere, tries to come in, _shoot_. But if someone requests _me_, and me only, let that someone in. Audrey, Sweet, Vinny, the brat and the lion. Milo Thatch, get your ass over here or I will shoot your little princess and the two here in three seconds."

Milo, throwing looks over his shoulder to a weeping Princess Kida, inched along after Commander Rourke as he pushed Sora and Simba before him, marching through the waters of the pond in the throne room and to the platform in the middle. He knew what was written in the page; he was fluent in reading and writing Atlantean, and he knew exactly what they were supposed to do. But what was supposed to happen afterwards, he didn't know. And a strange, tingling sensation in his nerves told him that maybe he didn't want to know after all.

Princess Kida was the only one to hear her father's last words. " Do not let them get the Crystal force…my child…but turn it against them…protect Atlantis until its dying days…alert King Mickey…once…_they_ are gone…"

" Father," she wept. " Don't go, you don't have to go."

" My time has come before I am ready," he said, his voice fading. " I will never be able to crown you Queen of Atlantis…but this responsibility you must take upon yourself. Follow your heart and the calling of your soul. My child, I will always be there…."

Helga knew the old man had expired and, cocking her pistol again, pointed it at Princess Kida's head and said, " Move. That old man's dead."

" Don't call my father 'old man'," she shot back.

Helga pointed at the ceiling and fired. She then cocked the pistol and pointed it at a pale Princess Kida. " Its one of them reloading pistols. So don't try me. Move!"

Simba looked at the exchange. He looked at Sora and Milo, and gave an uneasy smile. " Well, looks like things aren't going the way they should be going, huh?"

" And you're smiling?" Sora muttered.

" My friends back home have this time-honored philosophy," Simba replied. " Smile in the face of danger and say, " Hakuna Matata!" Works every time."

Sora and Milo stared at him. " What!"

" No more silly phrases or I will have your head and hang it up on top of my fireplace before you know it!" Commander Rourke snapped at them. " Princess, get over here, NOW!"

He did not see her give a silent command to several fearful Atlantean guards who would not leave the premises of the palace, choosing to stay outside of the throne room and watch what was going on. Discreet nods passed and the men blended into the flora.

''

Commander Rourke motioned Helga to join him; his accomplice obliged most willingly and then the man leaned down and twisted a ceramic in the center of the platform. Sora looked around him warily as the platform groaned, heaved, and then slowly began to descend. Even Helga looked wary about this but Commander Rourke was not scared; he stood there, like the conqueror he was, ready to take his prize and be off.

Princess Kida was taking slow, deep breaths, which unnerved the very nervous Milo. She seemed to be pulling her thoughts together. But for what? What did her father tell her?

It was dark, when the platform they were standing on ceased to move. A single shaft of light lit the area dimly from above, and they could barely make out a large, deep pool of water, an underground freshwater pool.

" I don't see anything…" Simba muttered, his eyes glistening in the dark.

" I do."

Milo peered into the darkness where Sora was looking, trying to see what the teenager could see. He adjusted his glasses as he waited for his eyes to adapt to the darkness that swallowed them. It seemed the others did as well, for they stood there, trying to see in this gloom.

Suddenly Princess Kida gasped. She strode forward, off the platform, and towards the pool of water. She had seen something, something Sora had already seen. The Keyblade Master decided to follow her and the others had no choice; if two very significant people thought whatever they saw was important, then surely it really was important for them all.

Then Milo saw it, a spectacle of the like he had never seen before.

They were huge boulders, massive stones that hovered above the waters in a circle. Water dripped down them and hit the pool below with a distinct dribbling noise that echoed in the chambers, proof that they had only just risen from the waters. Webs colored aqua-blue criss-crossed over and around each stone; they began to glow as Princess Kida approached, her crystal necklace glowing the same colors. The glow became pulses of white-hot energy as Sora followed her to the edges of the pool.

" Amazing…" Milo stared up in awe. Simba followed suit.

Commander Rourke grinned in certain triumph but Helga was not so confident of things. She looked about warily, unsure of what was going on and uncomfortable in this glaring darkness.

The stones began to spin in slow procession. Sora counted six stones as they swirled in a glowing circle. Power pulsed with each revolution, a pulsating light that grew more powerful as Princess Kida stepped closer to the hovering stones.

Milo moved forward, worry and apprehension on his face, but Commander Rourke put a hand in front of him. " Don't go near her."

It was an order that was reinforced by Helga's cocking pistol. Milo had no choice but to stand still and watch as Princess Kida stepped into the shallows of the pool towards the spinning stones. Sora watched from the shores, glowing in the stones' pulsating light.

And then, Sora felt it. A presence in his mind. Something unearthly was flipping through his memories, page after page, reading with fascination.

_Power resides in you still while your friends remain with you_, this presence spoke quietly, sorrowfully, wistfully. _But soon you will lose them all to the darkness, darkness and fire. Beware of the flames for they hold a power over all that you face._

Sora stood frozen, as the light began to glow with sudden intensity. The voice continued to speak.

_Foolish have you been to cast aside the twilight,_ the voice shook his mind. Each word was beginning to hurt him. _The twilight cannot become dawn for the darkness within your heart. The dawn cannot bring day because you have lost your light. Defeat your darkness before you face yourself. Crush the Heartless within you before they reach you! DESTROY THE ARM OF DARKNESS BEFORE IT RIPS YOUR HEART FROM YOUR SOUL AND DESTROYS YOU!_

With a shrieking scream, Sora fell to his knees in the shallows of the freshwater pool, clutching his head and trying to withstand the vibrating voice within his mind that jarred his head. The light of the circle of stones cast an unearthly glow upon his shaking form, as Princess Kida glowed with the same color. Princess Kida, in fact, became that color, a glassy, aqua-blue glowing figure, a crystal like the one on her necklace. She had, in short, become a Crystal.

" Amazing," Commander Rourke, Helga, and Milo all said at the same time.

But Simba was paying attention to a completely different problem. " Sora!"

He leaped off the platform before anyone reacted in time to stop him; so caught up were they with Princess Kida as she hovered above the waters and floated towards the circling stones. He ran to Sora, splashing water everywhere, and nosed him. " Sora, are you okay? Come on, get up."

Sora didn't seem to hear him. The voice was blocking out all his senses as it spoke to him, jarring his mind. _Until you leave, I will be here and I will show you…a way to fight the Darkness, to fight them off before they can take control of the Heartless that you had once become, the evil that resides in you still. The Society had failed and they must never try to do so again! Let me show you what you must know. Let me show you what you can do! I WILL TEACH YOU SO YOU CAN DO MORE THAN BEFORE!_

The stones spun so fast it became a blur of glowing blue light, a spectacle like never before seen. Within Princess Kida hovered, light emanating from her in webs and touching upon each of the stones. Power pulsed between, from the stones to Princess Kida, until she began to glow more than the stones themselves.

" What is going on?" Milo wondered as he stared at Princess Kida.

Sora opened his eyes, staring at his reflection in the water he was kneeling in. He saw his reflection, glowing with that blue light. The blue light shone from him. And then he stared in astonishment and horror.

His eyes glowed with their own lights. Right and left, gold and silver.


	50. A Thousand Years

**Author's Note**: Today's my birthday! And I'm gonna celebrate it Hobbit-style: gifts for you! Chapter 50! This, in my opinion, is the best chapter so far and I hope that at least you guys enjoy it, too. As for some names, yeah, you'll see some of them change as the story continues but until then, bite your tongue, read 'till your eyes bleed, and review! Enjoy. 

And another thing: this is the first chapter to feature a song. You can find this song on the official Athens 2004 Olympics CD, which also features Utada Hikaru, woo hoo! The song featured here is _A Thousand Years_ by Sting and Mariza. Yes, you may now wonder where I got the title for this chapter from. ;)

**Secrets of Memories Chapter 50: A Thousand Years**

Chaos was imminent, as Chaos rampaged and created an idea of what would happen if Hell was unleashed. It tore at the ground, stormed through the waters, ripped dead trees out of the ground and threw them at fleeing Unknowns. Several fought back but in vain; Chaos overpowered them and crushed them. It was unstoppable.

Roland and Sofis stared up in horror as Chaos loomed over them. They stared at its glowing green-yellow eyes, the green flames licking its metal teeth. One of its arms, with spinning claws like a blender, moved and came down. Screaming, they fled, too shocked and afraid to counter. The spinning arm came down on the strange force field rods that Vixen had supposedly created and shredded the rods into bits of metal. The black force field came down and Aozora, Kobi, and Lorien found themselves standing in the midst of chaos.

Chaos ignored them as it moved onward heavily towards Marucia, Axel, Domitan, Roxanne, Vixen, Lexeus, Maleficent, and the Advocate. The eight people stepped back warily, unsure of what to do with this sudden danger. The great monster was quite effective in diverting their attention from the three 'traitors', and nobody saw Zexion running towards them.

" Quick, get down from that damn hill!" he yelled. " Follow me, hurry!"

Without a second thought they followed him, running after the blue-haired Unknown. Other Unknowns were running around, trying to seek order, weapons, or a place to hide.

" What about Eldest?" Kobi managed to ask.

" He told me to get you three away as fast as possible!" Zexion shouted as they headed for the outskirts of the place, the Gathering. " You must get out of here. If all else, you must go! Eldest knows this; he puts you three before himself. As for me…"

He slowed down as they came to a place somewhat blue, somewhat black, somewhat purple, somewhat gray. He looked to the three as they caught up to him, huffing and puffing. " As for me, I will accept whatever punishment they will exact on me…if they discover that I am the culprit. But I agree with Eldest: you must go!"

He gestured before them and they saw a series of doors. In a row they stood, ominous and silent. They seemed to go on forever, door after door, on and on and on and on…

Aozora spotted two doors. They were open; one emanated the light of night and the other cast gray. Zexion saw where he was looking and nodded. " Lorien and Kobi, you have to go through the door with night. Aozora…that other doors leads to In Between."

All three stared at him. " What!"

Zexion nodded. He had been expecting this reaction. " Aozora, you have to go to In Between. There is someone there, waiting for the Moonbeam. Then you must go to Agrabah. The world will not go until you have conversed with the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders. He will open a door for you and you will pass into Twilight Town. There…you must await the keeper of the Oblivion."

Aozora hit himself on the head. " Oh shit. The things I have to go through. When am I supposed to catch up to Sora now!"

" After the Oblivion hand-over," Zexion answered patiently and quickly. " Lorien and Kobi, you must go to Traverse Town. Old Universe is in serious danger and Kairi's only just beginning to reverse the tide. Eldest may continue to keep contact with you three. Go."

The three nodded, with some hesitation, and began to head for the two doors. Aozora stopped though, when Zexion gave him a warning. " Eldest wants you to be careful, Aozora. Beware of what lies in the gray. It may affect you for a very long time, perhaps forever."

He then promptly vanished. Shaken, he turned to go to the door shining gray, only to find his path blocked by Lorien.

" I hate this," she said quietly, looking into his troubled bronze eyes. " We've only just met again after all of us thought each other dead for five damn years. But this is life."

" I know," Aozora agreed, losing himself in her deep blue gaze. " I'm sorry, Lorien. But…duty calls. Duty and destiny."

Lorien smiled bitterly. " We'll be waiting for you in Traverse Town, I guess."

" Lorien, come on, we have to go," Kobi called to her as he stood with a foot in their door. His voice was tense and uneasy.

Lorien held a hand up, silencing him. " Good luck, Aozora."

She kissed him on the cheek, turned, and joined Kobi at the door. Without another word, they stepped into the door of night, and vanished. The door closed behind them and shut out the light, leaving behind a black wall. That left only the door of gray.

Aozora raised his hand and touched the place where he felt her lips. Why? What was it, why did this bother him?

He had no time to wonder, as he heard footsteps rushing for the row of doors. Were they seeking them? Was there any time to find out? He bolted for the door of gray.

Roland and Sofis, followed closely by Domitan, reached the long hall of doors just in time to see Aozora's foot pull away from their world and into a door shining a hint of gray. With a shout, Domitan rushed forward, but the door sealed itself. Then, to his astonishment, the door disappeared completely. The door had erased itself completely and no longer existed.

" Dammit!" Domitan screamed and kicked at the wall, doing nothing but hurting his right foot. Why did Aozora need to go to In Between? It was so hard to open a doorway to that gray realm from any world. The only place with full contact were two doors in their world, their base. Only the Society could activate those doors.

Domitan's mind began to rush through these facts like the person he was, quick to put facts together and quick to come to conclusions.

" A traitor…" Roland and Sofis heard him hiss and they shivered.

Aozora staggered into a rush of gray mist. The rather damp matter rushed up his face and into his throat, causing him to gasp and cough as he fought his way through the blast of gray and sought to find air. It hit him as a cool breeze, a cool but dead breeze. Then the gray mist fell away from both sides and everything cleared into the last thing he expected to stumble upon.

He remembered the cliffs near the eastern border, where he used to climb when he was very young. There were the hills, now bare, but once filled with trees where he found refuge from the sun, the parents, and reality. The buildings rotted and many had collapsed but he recognized the streets, was even able to pick out some of the buildings. But he was horrified, stunned by what he had stumbled upon.

He staggered forward, stumbling over a rather unmovable stone, stepping on rotting wood beams, heard the distinctive crunch of bone beneath his feet. He lurched forward, an automaton, his feet slowly moving forward towards a ruined building to the east, near lifeless shores and a sea of mist. Wood beams hung by rusty nails and fading cloth lay scattered all over cold stone floor. He saw the post and lintel doorway, the familiarity of it. His eyes took in its former glory, its former welcome, the building that sheltered him for seven long years.

" Home…" he murmured, and his eyes, dry for so many years after the loss of this home, felt damp. It had been so long, so long…and for so long he had given up on seeing his home again. He closed his eyes, breathing deep, and the echoes of his memories whispered in his ear, beckoning him to come. Slowly and with precision, he stepped forward, as each memory jarred his mind, bringing the laughter of children and the voices of his adoptive mother and father to his mind. With each step, his mind jolted and pained him. He closed his eyes tightly, biting his lip, and kept walking, as each memory tore at his heart. He saw Kobi and Lorien, when they were all seven, when they all first met, and he saw the three long years of close friendship, with Kobi's carefree attitude and Lorien's serious, calculating mind.

His foot stepped into through the door and he suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his head, fighting against the sounds of explosions that marked an end of his childhood. He never saw Kobi, Lorien, or his parents again afterwards; the blasts had thrown him to the ground and he had blacked out.

But his past had come back to haunt him. Kobi and Lorien, he thought dead but no, they were alive, alive and well within the Society. And now, Zexion and Mentor Eldest had thrown him into the heart of his home, Celtic Circle.

Why!

Aozora fell onto his hands and knees, and he stared down at the stones that made the floor, the huge flat tiles, untouched by the gray time they spent in In Between. He bit his lip harder, then watched as crimson droplets fell on the grim stones. He continued to watch as his blood blended with his tears as they fell for the first time in five years, stinging his eyes and making him realize how weak he had become.

But were all tears dark? Were all tears evil?

Aozora slowly dropped his head to his hands, feeling himself collapse within. His duty to defend Sora, his friends in Twilight Town, the fate of the Universe, Kobi and Lorien, Celt Circle…

He began to cry.

He was honed to be a fighting machine, he was trained to be somewhat of an assassin, an assassin of a darker sort. Even in his state, he could sense, he could hear things that one would normally not hear in sleep. He heard footsteps, lonely footsteps, uneasy, wary, unsure, unfamiliar…

He looked up wildly and around, searching for the one who walked about. This someone did not belong in Celt Circle. He jumped to his feet, wiping his face and hiding any signs of his crying. No one needed to see, no one needed to know. He called Oblivion and Oathkeeper to him, then pulled them back when he heard the footsteps again, as tentative as they were. They were the footsteps of a female, a girl to be exact. But just in case, he kept them at his fingertips. Knowing Lorien has made him very wary of everyone.

He slowly inched his way down the pathway, careful to be quiet and as unnoticeable as possible. He looked forward, towards the source of the footsteps. He saw nothing, though.

" Oh damn it!" he swore. Enough with hide and seek! In fact, there was a better idea…

He rushed to the hills, quite glad he had kept hold on his cloak. He threw the hood on his head carelessly and zipped up his coat three-fourths of the way up. And there he stood, a dark, ominous being on a gray hill, against a dark gray sky.

A fresh breeze blew and Aozora heard the source of the footsteps, knew where they came from now. He turned his head into the breeze, felt his bangs brush against his forehead. And he saw _her_. The last person in the Universe but there she was, walking the road into his home, with a taller, blond man far behind her, a red bird on his shoulder.

Somehow, he knew her. Her short red hair that was slowly inching past the nape of her neck, her purplish-blue eyes, the sweet, soft face, worn with grief and swift maturity. She was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, something like a purple 'skort' with a gold chain for a belt, and white and purple shoes. She had a slim, lithe figure; she seemed so delicate, one just need to push her a little bit and she could easily shatter.

He then saw her look up towards hills bordering this dead town, staring up at him, a lone sentry wearing the cloak of death in this lifeless seaside city. Their eyes met. Something stirred deep within him, as his gaze narrowed onto her face, into her eyes.

" Kairi…"

The wind blew, tousling her hair. It was nothing like she had ever felt before, not since she first walked the road of In Between. This world…was strange. It was alive, a living world in a Universe of gray. She had never felt anything like this before, a world radiating with a power unlike anything she ever felt before. None of the other worlds held this strange power like the world she, Iago, and Tidus had stepped upon. This world, it really was alive.

She looked down and kicked at a pebble on this gray dirt road, watching it jump and tumble. She looked behind her, to Tidus and Iago, who were deep in conversation. They seemed to be getting along fairly well. Her eyes turned back to rotting walls of a seaside town, long abandoned and long ravaged by time and the gray deadness of In Between, the Universe of the dead and dying.

The wind teased her, whispering in her ear. She smelled the faint tinge of salt in the breeze, the echoes of a dead sea. She heard the whispers, the words of many people, the people of the past, the people long gone. Fathers…mothers…children…friends…farmers…fishermen…masons…merchants…

A voice shouted in the wind, empty of sadness and joy, a cry…a haunting call in the gust of sea air…

" Sora…" was the first word in her mind. " Sora? Sora? Sora! Sora!"

Tidus and Iago stopped in their conversation and looked towards her. She looked around wildly, searching for am impossibility. She looked to the town, to the cliffs to her right, the hills to the left –

Bronze eyes watched her, a wolf silently studying its prey. Wisps of long blond bangs hung out from underneath the hood, the breeze brushing them across those haunting eyes. A face stared back at her, a pale face but a face she knew nonetheless. But those were not Sora's eyes, that was not the color of his hair, that was not _him_ who stood on that lonely hill, a lonely sentry overlooking the dead town. But who was he, who was the person wearing the long black coat, who was watching her every move, who carried Sora's face?

As she watched, the mysterious man vanished. She stared, stunned by his sudden disappearance. Like the gray mist of In Between, he faded away and left no trace of him.

Shivering, she turned back to the road that they were walking.

Those eyes, they really were bronze. There was that metal tint, the brownish sheen, the eyes of a wolf. The golden locks that covered half the face boyishly, she wanted to touch them, brush them aside, stare into those eyes that locked her in its gaze forever.

" Who…who are you?" she barely whispered out her question.

" This…was my home," he told her, knowing the others were keeping a very respectful distance. " What you see is what remains of it."

Kairi looked at him, nervous, wary, and shy all at once. Tragedy tore at his voice, tears in his eyes. Those were the tears of one who had not cried for a long time. " I am sorry."

" I don't need pity," he kept his voice monotone, untouched by emotions, free of his tears. " I need none of that. What I need…is…"

He turned away, towards the gray mist where the sea once was.

" You don't know," Kairi looked at him. " But you are here for a reason. _Here_, right now, for a very good reason. And I think you know quite well."

" That depends." He looked at Tidus and Iago. " You were journeying with more than those two but they're not here yet. But they are coming."

" We have time, then." Kairi sat down on what remained of a tree and looked up at him. " You were with Sora?"

He nodded, seeing the pain in her face when she said his name. " What was he like, before the Heartless came?"

Kairi was silent for a few minutes, trying to recollect those scattered memories, memories that were buried in the darkness that came with the Heartless. " He was…well, we all knew he was naïve, naïve and stubborn and sometimes a fool." She smiled. " But he was smart, he was really smart in his own way. He…has a sense of justice that not a lot of us have. In some ways he's a little rebellious toddler but in other ways, he was older than us, mature. He always had a smile on his face, though, whenever he saw me and Riku. Always smiling, always laughing. It was just the three of us, Sora, Riku, and me. Until the Heartless came. Why are you asking?"

She was losing herself in those eyes again…

"…that is not the person I've come to know as Sora," he admitted, running his fingers through his hair. He had removed his hood and Kairi could only stare at how much more similar he looked like Sora, the Sora from her memories and dreams. " The Sora I met, he has suffered much. He's darker, moodier and yet he still smiled. He is a hardened warrior, and he looks and acts the part. He's not as immature as you say he is but whether or not he really did mature is open to debate. He got mad at me once, over something really stupid yet really important…"

There was a bitter tone in his voice. Kairi wanted to know more.

" He wanted to do something really dangerous," he explained with an unusually infinite patience, " We were trying to save the people of a world from a tyrant and his accomplices, including Nobodies, and Sora wanted to help Robin Hood – a hero of that world – steal gold from under the tyrant's nose. But…the situation, I thought, was too dangerous for him, particularly _him_, but he wouldn't listen. He just wouldn't listen!"

He ran into difficulty trying to explain how frustrating it was to keep Sora protected, and his eyes clouded over with trouble. Kairi asked, as kindly as possible, " What happened?"

" We nearly lost him," he answered bitterly, ignoring Kairi's gasp of shock. " If it weren't for Robin Hood, we could've lost him. I told him it wasn't a good idea but he went and tried to help Robin Hood steal the damn gold from under that damn tyrant's nose, that bloody tyrant, so Sora got mad at me like you wouldn't believe it and…and…I lost him. He got mad at me over something not so mundane but it was something that hit him kind of hard, I guess. I kinda masterminded the destruction of this one world and…I haven't heard from him since."

Kairi stared at him in profound horror. " You destroyed a world?"

She stood up and backed away from him. " How could you do such a thing, and have the right to protect Sora? What else have you done!"

" Opened Kingdom Hearts, played the brains in murders and destructions and there's a lot more you don't know," he answered acrimoniously. " I've committed more crimes against this Universe than you can even imagine."

" I don't believe you!" Kairi shouted and backed away even further, pointing an accusing finger at him. " You – you – you, how could you have done that! Destroyed the homes of so many people, murdering them, being the mastermind behind other crimes, and you _opened_ Kingdom Hearts! Who are you! And what gave you the idea to do such things!"

He opened his mouth to counter but she was not through with him yet. " And you say you're supposed to protect Sora? How dare you go near him! How could you be doing such things if you've done other things completely opposite of his cause! What in your right mind would let you do such things! How could you!"

She turned to run off, with her two stupefied companions sitting nearby and staring at the fiery exchange in bewilderment, but he was up on his feet as well. He was there behind her in the blink of an eye and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She was yanked into him, finding herself unable to move with his arm around her, holding her. His face was beside hers, twisted in a hidden pain.

" Do you think I wanted to do that?" he hissed, his voice incredibly harsh and furious, yet low and sad. " Do you really think I wanted to murder, to kill in the name of darkness and evil? Do you think I did everything on a whim, open Kingdom Hearts for the hell of it? A thousand years may pass but what I've done will still haunt me, maybe forever. I was a member of the Society, and I was there when the Society became evil, when it corrupted and began to use us to destroy and cause chaos. I had no choice but to remain in the Society, until I was told to leave and find Sora. King Mickey told me to open Kingdom Hearts; do you think I really wanted to open Kingdom Hearts? By the gods, I would've rather died than open those damn doors but what would you do, if the king told you to open those doors? What would you do if you were faced with Sora's damn obstinacy while trying to keep him safe, at risk of chasing him off and making yourself go bring him back? Kairi, I've suffered enough, _enough_. I lost my childhood long before any of you did, twelve years ago, when I lost my family to an explosion nobody really cared to explain. I've been branded by the Society for trying to hold on to what they used to stand for before corruption took them. I lost my friends for five long years, and we've only just met again. I don't know when I'll ever see them again. I've been wandering the Universe for two to three years looking for the owners of two Keyblades burning in my pockets. I've been fighting Heartless and Nobodies wherever I go, and I've been told countless times what I must do, all the time, to the point it sickens me. Kairi, I've suffered enough and I don't need to hear more from you, especially _you_!"

Finished, he did not let her go, instead seeming to rely on her presence to stand on his feet. She felt his weakness, able to tell that it was a weakness he hated but could no longer hide.

" I'm sorry…for adding more to your burden." She saw one of his eyes, the burnish color dying. She realized how much he hurt inside." I didn't know what you went through…I thought we had it bad enough, Riku, Sora, and I. But you…I've never met anyone like you before…"

" You shouldn't apologize," he interrupted. " I should have _never_ lost my temper that way."

She shook her head. " Sometimes, you just need to let it out. I heard of someone who kept her emotions inside her. It destroyed her and she became…something like the living dead. She was no longer alive, but not yet dead, and she lost her soul to her pent-up emotions. She died afterwards. I guess that's what happens if you don't release your emotions. You die…or you just explode."

He was silent. His presence radiated heat, radiated a strange light, a hope, that she had never felt before. Since Sora had gone, she had been holding onto the dying hope that she would see him again. That hope was dying, and she thought the hope might have died when she lost his voice. But with _his_ appearance, that hope had been rekindled. He had seen Sora, was now chasing him across the Universe, and she knew, deep in her heart and soul, that they would meet again. And maybe then, she'll be there, too, along with Riku, and all their friends, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus…

" You are the one, the first one in fact," he suddenly spoke, his smile tragic but full of release. " One less burning hole in my pocket."

He fished out something on a chain, something made of metal and shining silver in the dank gray. The medallion was a moon, a crescent moon with King Mickey's head carved on it. He held it out before her, letting her see what it was, before, with his other hand, he held out her hand and dropped the keychain on it. " This is the Moonbeam. I don't know what it's real purpose is, truth be told, but it has its own form, it is its own Keyblade. They say it's a rogue Keychain. Probably the Society made it to counter King Mickey but I don't know. What I do know is that you need it. So keep it, Kairi, and make good use of it."

Her fingers closed around the cool, silver metal. " You said the evil things you've done will haunt you still after a thousand years. I think someone will forgive you by then."

" And who would that be?" he asked with a slow, sad smile, placing his hand on her shoulder. " I doubt it would be Sora."

" He'll forgive you," she said firmly. " I've no doubt about it. He will forgive you for everything you've done, because he'll understand that you did it all for his sake and for the Light's sake. It'll…just take some time. As for me, you are forgiven. Just as long as you do nothing else that could possibly help all things evil in the Universe I forgive you."

" One down, billions more to go," he cracked, then suddenly let her go and moved away. " Something stirs in the wind…"

She stared at him; he seemed to be sniffing the air, searching for something…or trying to understand it. Behind them, Tidus and Iago fell silent again as well, watching the blond teenager with apprehension.

" Nothing to worry about," he reassured them. " At least you people don't. Your friends are almost here. As for me, I've got to move on. There is a gate waiting for me at Agrabah. I've one more Keychain, and then it'll be all over. I'll be free to go after Sora."

" You do that," Kairi told him, watching where he was looking. " Find redemption…and I'll be waiting for your return, Guardian. We need people like you."

She turned away abruptly, and walked back to Tidus and Iago a few steps. " They say…the days are growing shorter, because the darkness is growing longer. We're lacking good people, people who can fight. But you are one of them. Do what you must but, on behalf of the Order, I ask you to please find and protect Sora, at all costs."

He watched her, feeling the tension in her voice, the pleading, a cry of despair. " I _will_ find him, Kairi. I promise you, I will find him. And I will make sure he remains safe throughout."

_A thousand years, a thousand more,_

_A thousand times a million doors to eternity_

_I may have lived a thousand lives, a thousand times._

_An endless turning stairway climbs_

_To a tower of souls_

He turned away, on a path east, to Agrabah. Kairi, Tidus, and Iago watched him go, a new purpose in his steps. A fresh breeze blew and Kairi was sure the scent of the sea was stronger in the gray gust.

" He's got a long way to go," Tidus noted solemnly.

" Agrabah's not that far, you know," the red parrot on his shoulder countered.

" That's not what I meant," Tidus sighed. " I thought I had it tough but…" Tidus shook his head. He didn't know how to explain it to Iago.

Kairi was silent, fingering the Keychain that he had passed on to her. She felt a radiance within it, a faintly glowing light, something like hope. She felt a part of _him_ in it, that hope. Sora's lost guardian carried a hope and she knew that everyone depended on that hope. The Order fretted like mad when he was found to be a prisoner of the Society; now he was free and charged with the duty of finding Sora.

_And I hope he does_, she thought wistfully, trying to recall Sora in her mind. But her memory was hazy and all she saw were the haunted wolf eyes of a lone sentry in her mind, the lone sentry that stood a silent guard over the remains of a destroyed city of another lifetime, another era.

There was a crackling sound as Iago revealed his leather pouch to Tidus and tried to smooth out the roll of parchment he had found earlier inside the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders.

" I know this place is called Celt Circle and look, this piece of paper says something…" Iago and Tidus fell into a quiet discussion. Kairi ignored them. She had seen some people in the distance, to the southeast, people who were quite familiar…

As she heard Selphie and Merlin shout their greetings and run towards her and her two other friends, saw the Oracle Kenaii shake his head as he continued his steady stroll towards them, Kairi could not help but look due east, to where that sentry had finally gone, leaving behind a bygone epoch, perhaps forever.

_Por milénios mais gritos e ais_

_Fados fatais como sabores eternos de saudade_

_I could shed another million tears, a million breaths,_

_A million names but only one truth to face_

She heard Sora's voice, faintly, in that salty wind. _All for power…and it will all come back to you…_

She felt a burden lift and a weight upon her shoulders, all at once. She gripped the moon charm in her hand tightly, with a fierce promise.

_Don't worry, Sora. We'll keep you safe; we'll help you find the Door so we can all go home._

She remembered the eyes of the wolf, the eyes that had suffered more than she could ever imagine.

_We'll help you find that Door, so we can all have peace._

She whispered luck to the only one who could truly help him now.

" Good luck and safe journey, Aozora. May we meet again, in war or peace."

Then she turned back to the southeast and went out to meet Selphie, Merlin, and the ghostly Kenaii.

_I still love…_


	51. The Gates of Sea and Heaven

* * *

Author's Note: I had just taken a shower when somehow I realized that Time is a pain in the butt. Mainly this: most of these chapters, if not all, are prewritten. I like staying ahead of you readers laughs maniacally so if you ever wonder why some stuff seem just soooo outdated, there's my explanation. Most chapters involving the Society came before CoM debuted and told us that not only is it called the Organization, Axel, Sora, and Riku managed to wipe out everyone in Castle Oblivion with the exception of Donald, Goofy, Jiminy Cricket, King Mickey, and Naminé. Well, here's the next chapter. You guys have no idea what's coming up next, har har har……on a last note, it seems that Quick Edit does not know the meaning of TAB. and my page break symbols, for that matter. srry. also, is there anyone out there who's willing to beta my last 20 chapters for me? i'm still plugging away at the damn chapters and all but the offer still stands... 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 51: The Gates of Sea and Heaven**

Smoke billowed from the pistol, obscuring everyone's view. Captain Hook smiled with malicious triumph, having finally brought down the one he hated most. Years around the Heartless did that to you, made you nearly as heartless as the real thing.  
Yet, as the smoke cleared, Smee was still there, beating at the air, but now with a wild light in his eyes.  
" What!" Captain Hook cried out in shock, for Peter Pan was still holding onto the poor man, also shaken by Captain Hook's attempt. They were both still standing…and Captain Hook had shot Peter Pan point-blank. And the bullet should've hit Peter Pan in the chest and he would've released Smee and Captain Hook would've lost his first mate as well. Instead…  
" I expected as much," Riku said unemotionally. He seemed to lack the expressive context that made up a human being. " However, most people lack the reflexes one of Twilight has."  
He twisted his right wrist and a faint purple-black barrier came up between Peter Pan, Smee, and Captain Hook. Another flick of the wrist and the faint barrier was gone. He grinned grimly at a stupefied Captain Hook.  
" Well, we've got what we came for," Tarzan ventured to say. " Tinker Bell and all."  
" That is not enough," Sally said, her large eyes looking to the distance, into the night. " I think there is more to this than meets the eye."  
" We must seal Neverland," Peter Pan said, gently returning Smee to some solid ground. " Seal Neverland and get Captain Poop out of here."  
Captain Hook turned visibly red and Riku knew he had not digested any rum. " No, not only that. Captain Hook, you will leave Neverland and you will not come back, ever. I don't give a shit where you go as long as you never take a step onto Neverland or even breathe the air of Neverland. You will also not bring Heartless, Nobodies, or direct them to Neverland. You will most certainly not direct anyone from the Society to Neverland nor will you met with Peg-leg Pete. In short, you will exile yourself and if you were to return, it will be under either pain of death or eternal pursuit by people like us."  
Through his blindfold he leered at Captain Hook, who was now more furious than ever. " And," he added, " those are the kindest terms I can think of at this moment. You most certainly know what I can do, don't you?"  
A snap of his finger on his left hand and a ball of purple-black energy materialized in the palm of his hand. He closed his fingers around the ball of energy and the energy quickly sank back into his hand.  
Captain Hook paled.  
" Smee," Riku now turned to the poor man. " What will you do?"  
" W-w-what will I d-d-do?" The poor man quaked so much he could barely speak. " I-I-I stay h-h-here with C-c-captain, of c-c-c-course!"  
" With a man like him?" Riku snapped in contempt. " He tried to sacrifice your life trying to kill Peter Pan. I'm quite sure he treats you like dirt; surely there's more you can do besides crawling around at the man's feet."  
Smee shook his head vigorously. " I only kn-n-n-now one life. I in-in-in-intend to st-st-st-stick to it."  
The silver-haired teenager understood what the poor man was saying. He shook his head sadly, but his heart was cold, cold and furious at the poor man's decision.  
_Stupid fool, who does he think he is?_ Riku thought angrily. _A saint of Nottingham! The next time I meet them, I shall spare neither of them.  
_He turned around, intent on heading back to the gummi ship. " You make me sad. C'mon, let's do something about the Keyhole. You, Captain Hook, will find the way out of this world but you will not find a way in, not without much hardship."  
He flicked his hand and the two men found themselves within a huge black and purple ball of black energy. Furious, the displaced captain banged at the walls but to no avail; the ball of energy began to float away, drifting into the London night.  
" C'mon," Riku entered the gummi ship and snapped his finger. The gummi ship then roared to life. Tarzan, Sally, Pooh, Peter Pan, and Tinker Bell stared at the tall young man with consternation, worried by his change of attitude. Sally felt it, though. Time was short. Time was getting shorter. And Riku knew to hurry.  
" We must not waste his time," she told the others. " Come on."  
Peter Pan and Tinker Bell stared at the fading Keyhole, troubled by its status. Its power was vanishing. Something was definitely wrong.  
" What do we do?" Pooh asked Sally nervously. She was strangely silent, silent with a stern, contemplating demeanor.  
" There is nothing we can do," Riku said slowly, swinging a small vial with his fingers. Pale golden light shimmered within it; it had taken Riku and Peter Pan quite some time trying to convince Tinker Bell to give some of her fairy dust. " This world isn't done for but it's light is weakening. Its defenses are failing. I've…done some to make it stronger but we need Sora's power to protect Neverland. We should go, to Hollow Bastion. There is nothing more we can do."  
" Are you sure?" Tarzan demanded, sharpening the head of his spear. Riku had taken full control of the gummi ship and no longer needed Riku or Pooh at the helm.  
" Peter Pan!" Riku shouted at the boy. " We have to go to Hollow Bastion! I know you will do what is best for Neverland. You are the one in charge of this world, even at your age. You may not want to grow up but…too late; you already have."  
"What!" Peter Pan shouted in outrage and flew at the gummi ship, banging on the glass.  
" Good luck." Riku grinned, turned his right hand, and the gummi ship turned about-face and soared into the night sky, with Peter Pan yelling and shaking his fist at them, and Tinker Bell blowing indignant raspberries. " What can we expect at Hollow Bastion?" Tarzan asked slowly as he tightly wound dried animal sinew that he carried in a pouch around the end of his spear, reattaching the sharpened head.  
" What is Hollow Bastion?" Pooh asked; he had never heard of it.  
" We've only had a couple of rumors about Hollow Bastion," Sally admitted. " At one time, it was a kingdom. Another time, it was the domain of an evil witch. Now it is probably the newest source of the Heartless surge. At least that was what Sora informed us…when he went there with Donald and Goofy a few months back."  
" What did they find there?" Riku demanded. They needed to know so that they could prepare to face whatever it was Sora faced earlier.  
" Heartless." One word, spoken softly, with deathly coldness. Riku felt the threat behind the word. " Heartless of the like no one in living memory had ever encountered before. Sora, Donald, and Goofy could not reach Hollow Bastion; they were overwhelmed. They were lucky, I'd say."  
" That serous?" Tarzan demanded, looking worried. " Tell me again: why are we going to Hollow Bastion, especially since the Heartless…seem more difficult than before?"  
" There is a library in Hollow Bastion." Sally began patiently once again. " The library is vast, as impressive as another library I've been to, with bookshelves that nearly reach the ceiling, great rose-tinted windows, everything beautiful that you could nearly imagine. It has many books; the Hollow Bastion library is, or was, renown for its collection of books. We of the Order believe that there is a text in there written by the former king Ansem. That is why we are going there."  
" What's in it?" Tarzan asked curiously.  
" That we don't know." Sally had to admit, she did not know herself. " Ansem wrote three texts, of which there is one we all know of. Ansem's Report has been quite publicized but there are two other texts, ones that are less known but very important. They both involve the past of this Universe and they are probably the only reliable sources to trust. Our problem is that we don't know what is what; we don't know what it looks like and we have no references."  
" Just look through the whole library," Riku suggested rather harshly. " Isn't there any list of books or something?"  
Sally shook her head. " All we have are stacks of books to sift through and many of the books are ancient tomes. To destroy them is unthinkable!"  
" Well what else are we supposed to do?" Riku snapped back, bristling as he jerked his arm violently and the gummi ship narrowly missed a great purple meteor. " Burn the whole library and doom ourselves or what?"  
" There…is an old story, an old prophecy of sorts," Sally offered. She looked extremely troubled. " I don't know how to explain it."  
" No honey?" Pooh asked hopefully. He had been asking about honey on and off for some time now. Riku looked at him, subtly shaking his head. _I swear he's addicted to the stuff!  
_" Maybe later, Pooh," Tarzan promised. " I know a place back home, where there's…well, we'll find some later, Pooh, when we find the time."  
The yellow bear nodded wistfully.  
" As I was saying," Sally said slowly and with great difficulty," there's an old wives' tale that the son of King Ansem would find and read it. We only hope he is careless and leaves the writings somewhere conspicuous."  
" Who's the son?" Riku demanded. He was met with silence.  
" She shrugged," Tarzan offered an answer after a long five-minute silence. Riku bit his tongue, remembering quite well that he was very much blind, thank you very much.  
" They say he has his father's hair, to the very least." She tried to recall some rather scattered facts. " Ansem apparently wanted to have a body that looked at least remotely like him, yet another reason why he chose you. Yes Riku, I'm talking about your silver hair. Therefore, the son of Ansem has silver hair. But I can attest for you that you are _not_ Ansem's son. No, you are not. I have seen his son once, only once, and that was when he was very little. He looked nothing like you and I know he'll never look anything like you."  
" How do you know," Riku scowled, not liking this at all, " since you saw him when he was little? People change a hell lot from when they were little to, say, my age."  
" Your nose is not his nose," Sally offered a point.  
The teenager stopped and scratched his head. " Good point. Damn it. Thank goodness it's not me. I'd die if it was me."  
" I feel sorry for this son of Ansem," Tarzan commented. " He is the son of a man of evil."  
He disappeared to who-knows-where in the back of the ship for a reason that nobody needed to know. Really, it's not something we'd want to know.  
Pooh stared at a point in the midst of the Universe. He stared as the point became a tiny circle which became a bigger circle which became a circle filled with smoke and strange colors which became a circle with a strange-looking castle which became…  
" Hollow Bastion," Riku said coldly. Ever did darkness radiate.

" Surprise, surprise, _he's_ come at least," a cold voice spoke in the dim room. " Hide the Heartless. The army is not ready yet."  
" Why, we can't take him out?" another voice, darkly noble, snapped back, as its owner paced the room. " He's alone, or at least with a jungle man, a teddy bear, and a woman made of parts and straws. We…can wipe _them_ out."  
He slammed his fist on the oak desk that dominated the room.  
" That is not my interest," the first man spoke slowly and lazily. " Nor is it my goal. I do not waste my time and energy on petty things. Let him pass. He may benefit us."  
" What, with stories of this damn world?" the second man asked. " What will that do for us?"  
" The Keyblade Master has already been here before." His yellow eye stared into the other man's fiery pupils. " He knows, or knew, of this world's situation. You were foolish to let him catch a glimpse of your army."  
" We did not expect any visitors! I had in mind the belief that even the mere mention of the world's name would keep everyone out! Even the Keyblade Master for that matter. After all he'd gone through thanks to your -"  
" Nonetheless, he saw your army. If the other child, the child of 'dawn', sees that your army has vanished, he can relay that message to the Keyblade Master, in effect bringing him here. We can easily dispose of him then."  
" By the time we do, he may be too powerful for us!" the man with the eyes of fire snarled. " How long will it be before he unlocks more secrets of his powers? We will find it harder to complete those plans of your 'general' if the Keyblade Master begins to fuse. We must keep him away from Hollow Bastion...indefinitely."  
" No. I'd prefer he comes here. That way he'll bring along that bastard, too, and then…I'll have my revenge."  
Axel strode into the dank room, staring down each of the two men with his cat-like emerald eyes. His Fire and Wind Wheels happened to be sitting on the oak table and he had come to fetch them.  
" Right as usual," the man with the yellow eye sighed. " We need to stop that child as well. See, we cannot stop Riku now. He must see the 'peace' on this world of yours. That peace will lure the Keyblade Master here; he knows this world is the source of the Heartless and in the lull, he will want to explore."  
" What of the other intruders?" Axel asked hungrily. He had an itching to spill blood. Not _his_ blood, mind you. " The ones from our little group?"  
" They're no use for us now," the man with the eyes of fire said. " Just dispose them."  
" No, they will bring word as well," the other man countered again. " Just…just focus on your army. We'll handle the other details."  
The other man sighed in mock defeat. " The next time around, I will be the one handling the situations on my world. And you will be staying on the sidelines."  
He began to walk towards the double doors.  
" One of the intruders," Axel began, " has silver hair."  
The man froze, his hand about to push the door open.  
" Surely you're interested in meeting this intruder," Axel continued, his eyes grinning on their own. " So very interested. After all, if he has silver hair, is he not kin to you?"  
" Neither of them are kin to me!" the man snapped. " They're dead, they're all dead!"  
" That's what the Advocate says," the other man noted. " I, for one, do not believe him. Therefore, I do not believe you. But I do not doubt the fact that it is not Riku. Oh no, Riku is someone different, someone very different."  
" I think we all know that," the man said angrily. " I'll leave you two to your 'business', and tend to my army. I'll just leave a surprise or two for Riku and his pals."  
" What kind of surprises?" Axel asked with interest.  
" Just the ones that would test his resolve," the man replied and the doors opened and slammed shut.  
Axel looked to the other man. " Master, perhaps I should go and burn that text before he finds it…"  
" No," the man shook his head, seemingly suddenly a bit tired. " No, let them be. That text is a magnet and it will bring others. Oh yes, it will bring others."  
" And what of Aozora?" Axel asked.  
" He will be dealt with later," the man replied. " I want you to focus on finding the one who opened those two doors Domitan saw. Only one of us could have opened the doors. Find the traitor and brand him!"  
" You know," Axel began slowly, " I have a hunch it's our youngest member."  
" Oh really?"  
" Yes, Zexion, I noticed, was very close to Aozora during his stay with us. And he seemed very close to that old double agent of ours as well."  
" I don't want speculations, Axel. You know what I want!"  
" Yes, yes, of course, of course," Axel replied in a very rude manner but the man ignored his insubordination. " Marucia wants to see you. Something about Neverland and Australia. Are you busy at the moment?"  
" No, let him come," the man stood up from an intricately carved wooden chair and went to the window, looking out at the dark world that Hollow Bastion had become. " I have matters do discuss with him as well."

" This is Hollow Bastion?" Tarzan demanded as he tucked the vial of fairy dust in his leather pouch.  
" Nothing like the honey tree, I see," Pooh Bear said in a depressed mannerism as he lugged out the Crystal Trident.  
" Nor is it like it once was in its former glory," Sally added as she walked down the ramp and left her arm behind in the process.  
" Former glory?" Riku asked as he picked up her arm and handed it to her. " What do you mean by 'glory'? Oh right, this was a former kingdom, eh? Is that it?"  
" It was a very beautiful kingdom, I must admit," Sally answered as she bent done and scooped up a handful of dry soil. " The earth was black and very rich, and the hills were covered in green. The people were a very happy lot and the palace, my, it is a palace that rivals the one King Mickey resided in."  
" For your information, I don't know what King Mickey's palace looks like."  
" But this world fell into decay," Sally continued sadly, ignoring Riku's comment. " Very few know if this really was Ansem's kingdom. See, there were reports several years ago of the world's destruction. The refugees landed everywhere and for a while they were living in despair. They were leaderless and the king's son had disappeared. Then rumors came that the world had not been destroyed but simply vanished. It had reappeared again and all the refugees packed up to go back to their homes. Only…they never made it. Some chose to stay at whatever world they happened upon and the others…were looted and killed by bandits, who had used the rumors to their advantage. Now, almost nobody knows what Hollow Bastion used to be, they no longer know of its former legacy."  
" That answers some things," Tarzan said slowly, scratching the surface with his spear. " My real parents came out of nowhere, they say. And some said they came to…England, by sea, like castaways."  
" Wait a minute!" Riku exclaimed, his mind already putting the two and two together. " The time, the time doesn't match at all -"  
" Deep Jungle's time is much faster than ours, even faster than the time on Spira," Sally said. " So we can safely conclude that Tarzan's original parents originated from Ansem's kingdom, because the time here is fast enough for them to age and have Tarzan and have him grow up must faster than in general. Many worlds often have times that vary, either faster or slower. Deep Jungle and Spira are but two of these worlds. But if you travel the Universe often, your body would conform to a general time, which Disney sets for the rest of us to follow…mostly."  
Riku's jaw was gaping at her in a stupor and Tarzan blinked.  
" Explains a great deal to me," Pooh quipped.

" Civilization?" Tarzan gestured to the column of smoke rising in the distance.  
They had been walking for some time and in the end, Tarzan was forced to carry both the fairy dust and the Crystal Trident, and Riku was burdened with the task of carrying around a very weary Pooh Bear. Sally was continuously stopping and reattaching her left arm, while observing the scenario with her huge eyes.  
" The castle?" Pooh asked of Sally, who was in the middle of threading her arm back on.  
" Perhaps," she agreed, but with a hint of worry. " I do not recall smoke."  
" Well, you say this place is completely different," Riku replied, striding forward. " I take that literally. C'mon, let's see that castle!"  
Beyond the high canyon walls, he a strange smell, a smell of smoke and flame and steel.  
" What the…?" Tarzan stared at the great castle. " Just like in Jane's slides…"  
" I'm sorry?" Riku asked. He had not seen the castle.  
" It's a castle, a castle with a smoking top and its shiny, like steel and copper," Tarzan described. " A very big castle at that, too."  
" That…is not a good thing," Sally agreed. She then looked down, as they happened to be standing on a hill. " There is a transport there, a landing of some sort. Come. Perhaps it will take us to the castle."  
" What, we can't just _walk_ there?" Riku demanded as he dropped Pooh to the ground, with no harm being done. " What's wrong with walking, may I ask?"  
" We've a huge ravine to cross." Sally was quick walking downhill and her arm did not fall off. She was met by a smooth walkway of stone and a massive mosaic. " Well, this is interesting…"  
" What's interesting and what's wrong with a ravine?" Riku demanded as he stood on the hill, not realizing Tarzan and Pooh had gone down to follow her. " Tarzan, what is she talking about -"  
He realized he was alone and talking to himself like a loony. " God_damn_ it!"  
He ran downhill after them.

Sally, Tarzan, and Pooh were standing in front of a mosaic, studying it carefully as Riku came to a screeching stop next to them. " Okay, what is going on here?"  
" We've some very peculiar images," Sally responded calmly, her fingers on her right hand tracing something in the air. " We have an image of some golden gates, a massive wave, and a starlit sky. The gate….stands between them."  
" Okay, and your point is?" Riku demanded impatiently.  
Tarzan was muttering, straining to read what was set in stone underneath the mosaic.  
" B-b-be-bewa-wa-ware-beware o-o-of the ga-ga-gat-gaté o-of -"  
Riku stared in the general direction of Tarzan. " _What!"  
_" He means " Beware of the gates of sea and heaven." Sally was obviously well learned in letters.  
" You forgot the 's', Tarzan," Pooh added.  
The poor jungle man scratched his head. " I was trying."  
" What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Riku scowled and paced. " Stupid riddles, I should just…"  
He clenched his fist but did not explode in wild rage. " Can't we just simply get on the damn thing and get going!"  
" This is a warning." Pooh stared at the image, his paw covering his mouth.  
" Indeed," Sally agreed. " There are powers of the sea and the heavens that guard the gates to Hollow Bastion. If we go, we risk running into them."  
" So?" Riku demanded, folding his arms across his chest and looking very intimidating.  
" We have the Crystal Trident and fairy dust," Tarzan reminded them. " Crystal Trident equals sea and fairy dust equals….um…"  
" Heavens," Riku grinned. " There's our solution. Now come on, let's get going."  
He walked right across the warning and onto the marble platform. Sighing, Sally joined him as well, followed by Tarzan and Pooh.  
She decided not to mention that right below the big bold letters was a smaller engraving with the little fact that nobody had passed into Hollow Bastion's walls since its resurface.  
Even Sora.

" There, you see, nothing. Nothing!" Riku snapped at them as he got off the hovering platform and onto the balcony landing that awaited them. " Now are you happy, Sally? Let's just get in and get this over with!"  
He stomped up the two flights of stairs, followed quickly by the others, with Pooh nervously looking behind them.  
The walls of Hollow Bastion loomed to their right, clad in sinister metals and puffing out smoke at a continuous rate. Balconies jutted out, most without fences, and crackling gold wire crisscrossed among them, connecting them in an intricate network of 'live' wire. Then there were sets of golden arches and two massive doors of varnished oak in the distance, welcoming all visitors that dared to enter Hollow Bastion.  
" See?" Riku said, gesturing around them. " No problem at all. I'm sure Sora handled the mess when he came here."  
" I'm not so sure…" Sally said rather quietly.  
" Sora can beat anything!" Riku said, puffing his chest out with brotherly pride. " I forced him to learn real early."  
" I should imagine," Tarzan quipped, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
" Fine, fine, have it your way!" Riku threw his arms up in the air. " You want to see him as a natural hero, be my guest. As for me, I -"  
Under the first golden arches, the balcony shook violently. Riku fought to stay on his feet, succeeded, and immediately called the Dark Keyblade to his hand. " What the?"  
" Is a huge shadow," Tarzan commented, setting aside the Crystal Trident and moving his spear up front in a defensive position.  
" A Shadow?" _How can a Shadow Heartless cause such a racket?  
_Then he realized that his senses were telling him something different. There was a massive bundle of dark energy before him, weaving in and out, circling them in a threatening manner.  
" It is a shadow of a beast, a winged beast," Sally alerted the blindfolded teenager. " It is only a shadow, however. But that doesn't make sense!"  
" Look!" Pooh exclaimed, pointing in the general direction of the great double doors of the castle of Hollow Bastion.  
Behind this 'shadow' were three great golden arches. Beyond the arches was something that flamed darkly, in dark blue hot blazes. More darkness. It was winged flame.  
" It doesn't know we're here," Tarzan said," but the shadow does."  
" And why not?"  
Riku twitched at the voice. He knew that voice! Something close to blood red seeped into his mind, replacing his reasoning with a wild rage.  
" What do you want!"  
" To observe. I want to see my pet projects tested against the likes of you. Guardians of the gates of hell. Oh but perhaps not. I've other, more important things to do. Pity I won't be able to see just how well you'll fare against my own creations. Have fun, Riku."  
Riku shook in near-blind anger at the voice, knowing quite well who owned that voice.  
" Come back here, you coward!" he screamed at where the voice was. " Come back here and fight! Get down here and let me kill you for what you've taken from me! Ansem!"  
There was no reply.  
" Riku, the shadow!" Tarzan exclaimed, holding his spear up in front. " It looks like it's going to attack!"  
" I don't know how scary it is," Pooh said, " but it looks it."  
" Then we'll meet it head-on," Riku declared, pulling the Dark Keyblade up in front of him. Then he shouted and dropped the Keyblade. The handle had turned white-hot and burned him.  
" The Keyblade's gone!" Tarzan exclaimed in astonishment,  
" What? Where?" Riku was floored. He tried to call for the Keyblade but got no reply. In fact, all traces of the blade were gone from his heart, his mind, his soul. " What happened?"  
" Riku, your powers!" Sally pulled him back into the reality facing them. " The shadow!"  
Its head rose from the ground, a draconic head with jagged teeth and rows of what appeared to be massive, bony spikes. It had a rather long forked tongue but preferred a hideous screech to a sinister hiss.  
" Oh gods, make it stop, make it stop!" Riku covered his ears and winced at its horrendous cry.  
But Sally did not notice. For she had seen an unexpected spectator from the top of Hollow Bastion. A rather unwelcomed spectator who happened to be walking away with Riku's Keyblade.  
" Advocate, Advocate, what game do you play?"


	52. A Tower of Souls

Author's Note: Somehow I erased what I was gonna write, so now I am very pissed. But this is what I remember: unless you are stupid and blind or just really slow, most of you should start understanding what's going on as the story progresses. Kairi's side, actually. Of course someone's already mentioned it before in his/her review but still…just please don't flame me! – laughs evilly – But this is a sad chapter in my opinion. Just please, don't flame me! Enjoy!

also, i decided to not dense the paragraphs again. that was a pain...>.  
also, language will become a factor in the rating of the fanfiction, so i advise you people to be careful and be sure that you won't be offended as we go further into the story. i'm not sure there's language in here but it's just a warning

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 52: A Tower of Souls**

" It's just a bunch of incomplete sentences!" Tidus yelled at Iago. " There's no meaning to it if it's not correctly written!"

" Boy, when you _really_ start reading prophecies, you'll _know_ the meaning of 'incomplete' sentences. If you want to talk about grammar, talk to my red feathery ass!"

He turned around and literally stuck his behind up at Tidus.

" Thanks but no thanks," Tidus replied, eyeing Iago a bit strangely. " Hey, Kairi, we've found something! …with improper grammar…"

He found he was wasting his breath; Kairi was not paying attention to him, instead looking out into the distance, to the east, where that mysterious teenager had vanished to.

" I think she likes him," Iago whispered.

Tidus slowly turned his head to the parrot. The look on his face must've surprised Iago but nothing more than the smack on the bird's head that came after. " Ow! Whatchu do that for!"

" You idiot!" Tidus hissed back, fiercely, in horror of such a heretical statement. " You stupid idiot! You bastard! How could you say that, you – you – you _birdbrain_!"

" Ah, but I am a birdbrain," Iago reminded him. Then he fell silent for a few seconds. " That means I'm stupid, right?"

Tidus sighed. " Someone save me from this monster."

" Hey!" Iago squawked, flapping around and creating a storm of red feathers.

" Look, it's Selphie and Merlin!" Kairi suddenly exclaimed, gesturing with excitement to the southeast. " And Oracle Kenaii!"

" The old man!" Tidus and Iago exclaimed at the same time.

" Who's an old fart!" Iago added soon after.

" Who's got wax in his dead ears!" Tidus input after _his_ statement.

" No, the dead oracle," Kairi shot back sarcastically.

" Kairi!" Selphie shouted as soon as she caught site of her friend. " She's alright after all! Merlin, we've found her."

" Yes, yes, yes, I know, I know," Merlin muttered back, while deep in conversation with the oracle.

" And with some blond dweeb and a red parrot," Selphie added. " What the?"

" He's not a dweeb, Selphie," Kairi laughed as she came forward to meet them. " Don't you recognize him?"

The brown-haired girl replied by looking pointedly at Oracle Kenaii, who coughed, harrumphed, and cleared his throat before looking away. The girl continued to stare at him, until the specter looked at her and asked, annoyed, " What?"

" Why is it that whenever you're right, it ticks me off?" Selphie demanded.

" For you to find out," Merlin quipped. " Ah, it's Iago. Our old friend, a most unexpected double agent."

" Excuse me?" Selphie ignored the oracle for a moment and turned on Merlin. " Say that again?"

" Relax Selphie, he's on our side now," Oracle Kenaii input. " Yes, Kairi, you can relax, too. He's given up his old ways for good. Aladdin and Jasmine and friends can vouch for that."

Kairi nodded, suddenly subdued. Puzzled over her sudden change of moods – Kairi, up to the moment they were pulled into that secret door in the secret spot in Destiny Islands, had never really exhibited any signs of bipolar disorder – Selphie studied her face, then demanded, " What happened?"

Kairi wanted to answer quickly but she knew she had to say things very carefully now; apparently, no one other than Tidus, Iago, and herself knew of what they had come across. Or, in their case, who. " Oracle Kenaii, what…is Celt Circle?"

" Ahh…you know of this world now, don't you?"

Selphie inched towards Kairi; the smile on the specter's face was not particularly comforting.

Tidus and Iago looked in their direction, their ears zoning in on the conversation between these acquaintances.

" Celt Circle…was a good world, a world were refuges often went to. It was a lush, prosperous world, famous for harboring extremely famous exiles. Our last hope was among those residing here…when the world was destroyed."

" How?" Kairi demanded.

" We…wish we could answer you but there is a lot we don't know," Merlin offered an explanation.

" Hey, Oracle Kenaii is dead; he should know," Selphie replied rather crossly. Kairi looked at her in puzzlement. What happened to _her_?

" This is the one thing I don' t know," Oracle Kenaii admitted, looking depressed as well. " That is why we are here. Our only clue lies in something this young man knows of well."

He gestured towards a very confused Tidus, who was gesturing to himself and mouthing the question, " Me?"

The specter nodded. " The key lies in dreams, they say. This you, and you alone, most certainly understand, as you are the only one who passed from the world of the living to the world of dreaming back to the world living, am I right?"

Now even Tidus looked troubled. " It is not a past I'm particularly fond of."

" Yet there is goodness in your past," Oracle Kenaii pressed on. " Your friendship with the others of your seaside home, your life on Spira, your friends there, and one girl in particular…"

Tidus turned red.

" Wait a minute…" Selphie went to him and peered into his blue eyes. " I know those eyes…but that's impossible! Tidus?"

He weakly flashed a grin and two thumbs-up.

" Oh you're joking." Selphie turned to the others for support but found none. They were all agreeing with the 'blond dweeb'. " Are you serious? Tidus?"

" Hey, Selphie. My, my you've grown some."

" Look at you!" She gestured at him several times, stunned. " You think I've grown some? You've gone through some mad growth spurt or _something_. I mean, _come on_! You're a walking, talking, breathing, eating, drinking, everything-ing _adult_!"

" Spira's time is faster than our time, Selphie," Kairi decided to input.

Selphie hit herself on the head. " Enough! Whatever, fine, so what if Tidus is three years older than us or something like that! Oracle, talk your stuff, I'll shut up now."

Her explosion disturbed Kairi a lot. She looked at the two old men, one who happened to be dead. " What happened?"

Merlin sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. " I think she snapped. We hid too much from her and she cracked."

" You know, I thought she scared me, back at Destiny Islands, with her thing for romantic stories," Tidus said, recalling something from a distant past. " But _now_, she _really_ scares me."

" Where's that parchment piece, Iago?" Kairi asked as they huddled around the rather claustrophobic parrot.

" Right here!" He stepped on the edge of the paper and it crinkled under his feet. " But the wording's kind of weird. Tidus, read it to them."

The man scowled at him. " Why me?"

" 'Cause I say so!" Iago shot back. " Read my lips: Tidus, read it to them."

" Except for the fact that you don't have any lips," Tidus countered.

Iago scowled as best as his beak would let him. " Shut that hole of yours and read it!"

He flapped around madly, sending up a wave of crimson feathers.

" Fine, fine, fine, anything but the feathers, please!" Tidus threw his hands up to evade the feathers. Groping about, he found the parchment and pulled it towards him. The others winced as they saw the parchment begin to tear.

" Okay, here's what it says…in _unfinished_ sentences:

Utter silence...

A fragmented tale...

A world without you...

The eyes will close...

Something so natural...

The memory beyond...

Something so simple...

Ansem's Other Report

A creature born of ignorance...

Behind the darkness...

Door to the light...

The Secret Place...

A world between...

A forgotten world...

The gathering...

The third enemy...

Nobody...

Endless...

Heartless...

The Thirteenth Order...

Change the Third Key...

End of the world.,

Paradise...

Now what the hell does _that_ mean?"

He turned on the others but found no answer, save Oracle Kenaii.

" We will worry about that later," he decided, apparently the leader of this mismatched group. " We must find the tower of souls."

" A what?" Kairi, Selphie, Iago, and Tidus demanded.

" It is a tower of lost dreams," Merlin, the translator, interpreted for them. " All the lost dreams of Celt Circle were concentrated – collected, I should say, at one single spot, a tower. It is a tower of dreams, of souls. We need to release the dreams and relive the days leading up to its destruction. Our hope lies in the fact that maybe the dreams may go as far back as the coming of a refugee, a very important refugee."

" A refugee…" Kairi looked to the east again.

" Why do you keep looking east?" Selphie demanded.

Her mysterious smile mystified them. " There is a sentry, here, a sentry of a forgotten era. He is now gone but his memories are still here. Memories of a happier time, of another life, before the darkness came and took it all away."

She ended in a bitter note, surprising them.

" A sentry?" Oracle Kenaii looked at her sharply. " No…"

" What?" Selphie asked, looking from Kairi to the ghost back to Kairi. " What's going on here?"

" He escaped, then," Merlin deduced. He looked at Kairi. " His name…is Aozora, am I right?"

Kairi nodded, bowing her head. " He's gone. He's gone to find Sora."

The collective sigh of relief made her look up. " What?"

" He's escaped. Somehow he escaped," Merlin looked gleeful. " Eldest has done it again! That man is a wonder unto himself."

" Escaped?"

" Imprisonment, Selphie. He had been imprisoned but he has escaped. There is hope for us. He will return to the Real Universe and follow Sora."

" Wait, I've a question," Iago squawked to Oracle Kenaii. " Who survived the destruction of Celt Circle?"

Both Merlin and Oracle Kenaii looked at him heavily. " No one."

" Wait a minute," Tidus looked at them in surprise. " Are you sure? That's not right."

" About what?"

" Of course…" Kairi understood as well. " Aozora said he came from here, Celt Circle, from this town."

" No…" Merlin countered. " Impossible. Nobody survived Celt Circle's destruction!"

" But that's what he said," Kairi exclaimed. " He said he was here, that he came from this town. He said he remembered _everything_."

" Impossible…"

Merlin and Oracle Kenaii looked at each other in absolute horror. The stunned looks between them could not be explainable.

" What? What now?" Selphie demanded angrily.

" Nothing, we are talking about the tower of souls," Merlin replied. " Come, let us find it."

" See!" Selphie shouted. " You never tell us everything!"

" Perhaps he has a good reason to keep things quiet," Tidus offered. " Of course, that makes the rest of us wonder…"

Oracle Kenaii drifted off, muttering to himself, waving his hands madly, obviously agitated about something.

" But Aozora wasn't wrong," Kairi whispered. " He did come from this place, he did. He told me…everything."

" It is only the tower of souls that would answer all questions," Merlin explained. " You see, a world that had been violently disrupted, destroyed, becomes nothing more than a dream, a figment of the past. But the people…the creatures, the places, they were never able to find peace, find Paradise…"

" And so they've become dreams, never at rest." Tidus looked rather sad. " Dreams that live on…not knowing that they are gone."

" If we release the dreams of this world, they will tell us the truth. Which is why Kenaii had gone ahead to find the tower," Merlin continued. " A tower locks the souls. Unlock it…and we shall see."

" See what?" Selphie asked curiously.

" Whether or not our last hope had died."

They found Oracle Kenaii in the middle of what seemed to have been the town square. It looked as though the rubble strewn about had just recently stopped letting off smoke. The charred wood had not rotted into dust and the crumbles of stone had not moved, was covered in a fine layer of gray dirt. There was a carving, a crude marble statue of a fisherman and his catch. It laid on its side, shattered, an echo of a tragic past, a tragic ending to a happier time.

" I can feel it," Tidus whispered. " I can feel…the dreams. They are restless, they are weary, they seek release."

" They have waited for long, for far too long," Kenaii said slowly, walking through the shattered statue to them. " Once they are released from the tower, they vanish…to Paradise."

" The Farplanes?" Tidus turned on him.

" Merely a part of Paradise," Oracle Kenaii strode about, his hands flailing, blind yet seeing. " They , like all, seek Paradise. The Heartless seek it, the Nobodies seek it, we seek it, because Paradise gives us what we cannot fashion ourselves. Peace, everlasting peace…that frees one's heart and soul. Release the dreams, they will show us, and then they will go."

They looked to Kairi, who had suddenly fallen silent. Obviously something was going through her mind. And then she looked up.

" We must free them, then, if it will give them peace…and us answers."

" But do you think we can find the tower so easily?" Iago demanded as he sat rather comfortably on Tidus' shoulder. " I sure don't see a tower!"

" You don't understand," Tidus turned to Iago. " Unless you find and release the tower, you will not see the tower. You can only…feel it."

" Really?" Kairi asked, her feet taking her along a winding path, barely flinching when her feet crunched on bones. " A calling…?"

" I hear voices," Oracle Kenaii said, turning around. " But they are all around me, here and there, undistinguishable, buzzes in my wax-filled ears."

" I know…" Tidus agreed, just as confused. " So do I."

" A calling…" Kairi kept walking, until she came upon the post and lintel of a door, a lonely structure in a sea of rubble. " It calls…"

She moved to step into what remained of a home but froze. Before her right shoe were droplets, crimson red droplets. Splashes of color in the sea of gray.

" Was he here?" she wondered, looking up and at the standing, broken posts. Furniture lay strewn upon the stone ground, broken wooden chairs, tables cracked and splintered, ragged and tattered cloth hung over the jagged wood. And yet…and yet, the center of this lonely structure was clear, empty, and clean of rubble dust. She thought she saw something shimmer in that center, a tall shimmering mirage. She looked up at the rippling nothingness as it soared into the gray sky. It towered over her, calling her.

" Will it shimmer?" she asked. " A shimmering nothingness that soars?"

" Shimmer? That I don't know," Oracle Kenaii stuck his head through the remains of a standing door towards her. " Why? You found something?"

" It…shimmers…" Kairi inched forward, sidestepping the droplets of what she knew was surely blood. " So strangely…"

She reached out slowly, cautiously, towards the strange rippling, the imagery that defied the laws of reality. The power, it was growing under her fingertips, glowing, a strange pleasant warmth. She felt, slightly, the pulse of life

Her hand met something solid. She felt it with her fingertips; it was a pulsing, living thing that soared into the skies, invisible, rippling. She moved her fingers and felt it, felt _them_, actually, intricate carvings. She moved her hand and then she felt it, a wing, a carving of a wing.

It came to her. This was a tower of carvings, of motifs. But what kind? Her fingers followed the wing to a beak; it was a seagull. Did it soar above the harbor, about this seaside town, at the hour of its destruction? She moved her fingers, felt faces, hands, feet, bodies, clothing, buildings, motion…it was all there, everything, she could feel it. They were pulsing, faster, more intense, willing her to release them, once and for all…

Her finger met a depression, a carving, shaped into a crescent, the crescent of the moon. Could it be?

" No…" she pulled out the Moonbeam, the one Aozora had given her. Holding its little medal, the silver moon with the motif of King Mickey's head etched into it, she tried to fit it into that crevice, that little depression.

" What is she doing?" Selphie demanded, staring at her touching rippling air.

" She's found something, that's for sure," Iago surmised.

" You always say the obvious." Tidus rolled his eyes, and walked towards the ruined house. " Maybe it's the tower."

" Kairi, is it the tower?" Merlin called out to her. " You must be careful! If it isn't, it could unleash destruction of the very worst! We don't know what was on Celt Circle before it detonated. You have to be careful!"

" I know what I'm doing!" Kairi shot back. The crescent moon slipped into the crescent hole and they could all hear a click.

" The tower!" Oracle Kenaii exclaimed.

A soft song hummed in the gray, still air. It was a sad song, a sad melody, wailing, crying in this dead world. The hair stood on the back of her neck.

" No, not the song…" Tidus covered his ears. " That _is_ the tower of souls!"

" Lights!" Iago squawked. " Lights! Ah!"

Lights swirled around them, coming from the rippling, glowing, little fireflies. One soared into the sky and, to everyone's astonishment, took the form of a seagull.

" The dreams are coming alive!" Selphie exclaimed. " Amazing!"

Then the fireflies shot around them, among them, through them, hitting the wreckage, the broken statue, the earth, the walls. They heard the cries of seagulls, the lull of the waves, they heard, faintly, cries, laughter, argument, talk, gossip, anger…

Before their eyes, the little seaside town became _alive_.

Children ran before them, pulling along a little toy on wheels, while old men dragged into the town square baskets of fish. Women of all ages hawked their wares on the sides; the town square was a market and in the center the statue of the fisherman and his catch was resurrected and whole. Buildings sprung up, cozy homes, and lively taverns, and a shady hostel in the far corner. The dock was alive, creaking as waves lapped at its supports, while white seagulls circled the ships and fishing boats, crying, begging fishermen for a bite of fish. The grass was green, the flowers were brilliant, the skies picked up a hue of bright blue.

And everything happened to be rather translucent, kind of like Oracle Kenaii. That meant…

" They're ghosts!" Selphie exclaimed, suppressing a scream.

Tidus looked at her strangely. " You're afraid of ghosts?"

" No!"

Tidus didn't seem convinced. " They won't harm you, Selphie. They're dreams. Unless they're very special dreams…"

" Where'd Oracle Kenaii go?" Kairi looked around, not seeing that damn old dead man.

" Off to search for the truth, I presume," Merlin replied calmly as he put his hand through a man's head. " Watch, for this dream is locked in time. Before the catastrophe, this was what was happening."

" They were living on their daily lives…" Kairi whispered.

Her blue eyes followed two siblings as they laughed and skipped to where a woman had set up a stall to sell homegrown greens. She seemed to be their mother. Then they skipped back, towards them, until they came to a sudden stop.

" Locked in time," Selphie shivered., watching the two children look about. " How scary is that?"

" Not very scary, really," the dream girl replied. " Of course, if you're afraid of ghosts, then maybe we have a problem."

Selphie seemed to turn to stone, staring at the girl. She tsked, " Thought so. At least you've come. We've been waiting for ages."

" What-what do you mean?" Kairi asked carefully.

" See, we've been waiting for the right person to come for ages," the girl spoke. She had long wavy brown hair and an adorable face. " We're the representatives of the dreams here in Celt Circle and only we can see you."

" I've been wanting to go to bed for so long," the little boy, her brother, added cheerfully. He had short brown hair and a ready smile. " It's tiring staying up so much longer than Mom lets you."

" How long have the dreams been waiting?" Tidus questioned.

" Since we were destroyed, we've been waiting in that tower," the girl explained. " The power of the Prophet saved us, locked us away, until our secret was to be revealed."

" Well that's what I want to know," Iago said loudly and crossly. " What secrets!"

" The question I always ask of Merlin and that damn dead man." Apparently Selphie had come to life.

" You see, Celt Circle harbored many refugees," the girl began. " We've always been known as the ones who took care of those who fled their homes, loves, and lives. Kings, wizards, persecuted creatures, we took them all in and protected them. Celt Circle, a fertile world, had the means to do so. We had the bounty and the space. And peace; the world barriers rarely fluctuated and no danger could cross into our borders.

' But I guess everything had to come to an end. A distant world, Deep Tranquility, was destructed by unknown dark forces. We almost lost the king of Disney Castle; we were not so lucky when it came to Keyblade masters and wielders. Only one child of the last Keyblade Master survived and he came here, yet another refugee."

" King Mickey was here before, too!" the little boy chirped. " Grandpa said so!"

" King Mickey?" Kairi asked sharply.

" Indeed he is right," Merlin nodded. " King Mickey took refuge here, in another time…"

" Our world was destroyed because the darkness sought to kill the last child of the Keyblades. King Mickey had no surviving children; his only child was taken from him by Time and grief keeps him from begetting another heir." The girl seemed so much wiser than her years; it frightened them yet awed them.

" Sister, the report, the report!" the little boy whined.

" That I'll get to later, brother," the girl hushed him. " The more pressing matters they must know."

" King Mickey had a kid?" Iago demanded, scratching his head. " That…don't sound right."

Kairi and Tidus looked horrified. " _What_ is going through your mind!"

" Let him be, I understand," the girl forgave the bird. " You see, things aren't what they seem. The power of the Keyblades seem very strong yet they are not; with every day they weaken in power. Even Sora's. King Mickey's powers are fading; his time was of another generation and with no one else to take his blade, he must continue to wield it, until several things happen: the door of light is found, the Keyblades are destroyed, he has a child or finds his lost child, or…he ceases to exist. Dark indeed but Fate would have it so, like us. Once you witness our destruction, we will vanish, to sleep in peace forever and to live in our eternal Paradise."

" Dark words, as the Prophet spoke," Merlin murmured.

" He…is never wrong," the girl answered. " Yet I, now the speaker of the dreams, have more knowledge than he does. Sora is unlocking his powers. If they do not come into full use in time, if he does not reach the door of light, if he takes one wrong turn, then it is all over. Paradise will break away and carry with it all who had already been saved; everyone else is doomed to utter darkness and forgetfulness forever."

" Oh my god, just shut up, you're depressing me," Selphie snapped.

" Ignorance is folly, while knowledge is more holy!" the little boy grinned back. " Grandpa taught us."

" Wait, you said something about the reports," Kairi spoke to the girl. " What do you mean?"

" One contains a prophecy, which the red parrot found. Several contain information regarding your enemies, past, present, and future. And some lead you down the path to the truth of the past, because in the past lies the key to the darkest secrets Hollow Bastion holds."

" Hollow Bastion?" Kairi demanded in horror. " No, not that place again!"

" Yet the secret hides there, and hide it will," the girl said. She looked up, at the first of the dreams, the seagull. " Only through the darkest of crimes will reveal that secret. A terrible trade-off in my opinion, but nothing will come of it if the secret remains sleeping."

Kairi fell silent, thinking, wondering. This was not sounding very good at all…

Bells tolled in the distance. People began to hurry back to their homes, hurriedly packing up their goods and rushing off, finding their children to carry home safely, warning others of an unknown danger only the bell and its ringer knew of. And in the distance, where Kairi first found the tower of souls, they heard explosions and horrible screaming.

" Ah…the darkness, the sleep of Paradise has come," the girl smiled, was now peaceful. " This was what me and my brother heard before the tidal wave drowned us. This was the beginning of the destruction of Celt Circle. The culprits? A familiar face was once among them but now darkness reigns within."

Selphie screamed as a huge tidal wave towered over them, Transparent as it was, it still looked frightening enough.

" The prophecy with its incomplete sentences is a tale of the future, near and far," the girl said, lifting her hand to wave farewell. " Heed its words well or else you will be overcome. Farewell, Warriors of Light! May the Light guide you on your path to the Door!"

Stiffly, they waved farewell. The little boy laughed and shouted," Bye bye!" before the wave engulfed them and stormed the city, rushing right through them to ravage the buildings once thought to be safe refuge.

" I can't look, I can't look!" Selphie sobbed, closing her eyes and trying to block out the screams and wails as people were dragged out of their homes, trees, any building, into the waiting belly of the sea. " Let's get out of here, please!"

" I for one, definitely agree with her on this!" Tidus exclaimed.

Kairi had to agree, though her feet seemed rooted to one spot. The screams shackled her to the ground; the wails and cries of despair shook through her in torrential waves.

" Kairi!" Iago squawked in her ear.

Jumping, she turned to the others. " I agree. This is too much. Oh why did I release those dreams?"

"Wait!" Merlin thundered as soon as they tensed to up high-tail it out of the dying town. " You will not outrun the tidal waves, nor the earthquakes nor the thunder and lightning, nor the volcanic eruptions, nor the disruption of the fissures, nor the erasure of the living beings of this world. Stay put or you will see worse. Trust me, a certain, immortal eyewitness told me all the gruesome details in great satisfaction, something you don't need to know. And Oracle Kenaii must come back!"

" Which I did!" the old man exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere all of a sudden. Selphie nearly screamed. " Great and strange news, Merlin. I cannot find the last child. He was not among the dreams. I have looked everywhere and he is not among them!"

" Then that means…" Tidus guessed it already.

" Then he's not dead."


	53. Interlude

Author's Note: For this chapter, I hope you understand what 'interlude' means. That's the whole point of this chapter. If you've been anxiously waiting for any word on Sora, sorry. On the other hand, there's a surprise waiting for you at the end of this chapter, as well as with every chapter following this one. Enjoy! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 53: Interlude**

A cold breeze blew, as thunderclouds rolled across the skies. Zeus the thunder god and father of Hercules seemed rather bored. Which did not make their situation less painful.

" Why thunder?" Kobi whined, staring up at the sky. " Why!"

Lorien did not answer or consider his question. In fact, she had blocked him out entirely. Her mind was already pondering why it was that they had turned up in Hollow Bastion instead of Traverse Town. Did one of the doors malfunction for once? And at the wrong time?

" This for sure ain't Traverse Town," Lorien commented crossly. " Traverse Town did NOT look like this."

" You think I don't know that?" Kobi's mood swiftly turned from childish to full-blown teenage anger. " I'm not some idiot toddler you can boss around, Lorien."

She turned to him, narrowing her sharp blue eyes. " What's gotten into you?"

" Nothing!" Kobi turned away from her and decided to stubbornly stare at the dark towers of Hollow Bastion.

Lorien stared at him for minutes longer, then sighed. " Look Kobi, we can't act all immature right now. Make do with what we have and let's get out of here."

Kobi sighed, tried to pull himself back together. " You're right, Lorien. I need to put my act together. It's just…it's just that…"

" The stress finally getting to you?" Lorien asked as she began to walk towards what seemed to be back doors. Not front doors, but the back doors into Hollow Bastion.

" No…well, yes! I mean, uh…" Kobi pondered this as he ran to catch up to her. " I don't know Lorien, but I can say this: we must be here for a reason."

" A reason? Like what?" Lorien asked as she studied the great rusted bronze doors. " This is the home base of the Heartless. You do know that, right?"

Kobi nodded, his eyes wide with astonishment. " Uh…sure…"

" We're in the heart of enemy territory. Maybe you're right, Kobi. I know for a fact that we would not be here, this close to the enemy, unless someone or something directed us here for a very specific reason…"

" You and your predestiny again," Kobi sighed as he reached over and pushed open the doors. " Maybe Eldest directed us here…only problem is that we don't know why…"

" Maybe you don't know but I think I do," Lorien hit on something, scratching her head. She peered down the long dim hall, with its crimson carpets, watching for any suspicious movement. " Remember? Eldest kept talking about a library here. Supposedly the greatest library in the Universe. Even greater than the Castle Library at Fabled Countryside."

" No shit really?" Kobi asked incredulously as he followed Lorien into the hallway. He ran his fingers through his silver hair. " Oh wait…never mind. I remember, Eldest had a lot to say about that. All those books…didn't he say he wish he was there now?"

Lorien nodded, pushing her way through the dark hall of Hollow Bastion eagerly, seeking a hall or door that may lead them into the fabled library of Hollow Bastion. " Yes…he wanted to find books. Specifically, two books. One was on the old wars between the Dark and the Light. He said that book would tell us more about why the Darkness does what it does than being part of the Darkness itself…like us. You know, double agents? The other book was some report written by former King Ansem ages ago. Something called Ansem's Other Report. That would tell us about the past and what made things the way they are now."

" Lorien, those books are the same then." Kobi was now confused.

" No, I mean, that old book would tell us about what happened maybe thousands of years ago. Ansem's Other Report is what happened maybe a decade or two ago…or four…well, kinda recent stuff, basically. See the difference?"

Kobi nodded, feeling more lost than ever. Where did she get her info?

Lorien spotted light at the end of the tunnel and headed straight for it, her senses on the alert, watching the quiet suits of armor that lined the hall along with the chandeliers and candle holders. She nearly knocked over a pot in her haste to get to that light but luckily Kobi was behind her just in time to catch it.

" Whoa!" Lorien found herself in what seemed like the grand entrance. Huge double doors before her rose up. She stood on the second story, a semi-circle that faced a beautiful chandelier and a hovering platform. Pots and suits of armor lined the second floor. Below them was a fountain that gushed water of strange pastel colors; it seemed to sparkle before her eyes. Then something else shone and her eyes turned to the source of the light. She gasped.

" What? What's wrong Lorien?" Kobi asked urgently as he rushed up and looked down with her. He nearly yelled when she quickly covered his mouth, then held a finger to her lips and pointed down.

She had seen light reflecting off a very familiar weapon. A Fire and Wind Wheel.

Kobi's eyes widened. _Axel_?

" Let's go through the doors behind us," Lorien murmured in his ear. He felt his knees weaken. " I don't think they're coming out the room those doors lead into."

They carefully pulled back, sliding their feet along the carpeting to reduce noise. Carefully they eased the ornate mahogany doors open, pulled themselves in, and eased the doors closed. They winced when the doors clicked shut.

" Let's hope nobody heard that," Kobi remarked, feeling relieved by their sudden rush into danger but Lorien didn't seem to hear him. She stared at what was behind them, her mouth agape with astonishment and shock.

" Lorien?" Kobi turned…and reacted in the same fashion.

Books. Books loomed before them, next to them, all around them. Shelves stacked up on one another, books piled on top of each other, scrolls littered the tables, books were _everywhere_.

" Oh my god." Lorien inched forward, fully ready to respond to a tripped wire, but nothing happened. It was quiet, silent, a library of the dead. There was not a living soul in the library. No one but themselves.

" This…this is amazing," Kobi whispered to her. " We could probably find anything and everything in here."

" Exactly," Lorien hissed back, an idea forming in her mind. " Eldest always wanted two things fro this library, a book on the ancient history of the Universe and Ansem's Other Report. You know what that means."

" With this many books?" Kobi gestured at the hopelessness of their fine plan – thousands of books awaited their eager eyes. " Isn't this kind of impossible?"

" Nothing's impossible if the enemy doesn't know you're in the heart of their base," Lorien shot back rather devilishly, grinning as she went to the first bookshelf. " Nothing at all."

''

"…kick his ass, I tell you!" Axel muttered angrily to a rather calm Domitan. " He's such a dolt. Nobody's gonna pull through with that kind of plan! You can't just walk up to a damn tooth doctor and-"

" Axel, it's _dentist_, not tooth doctor," Domitan corrected him. " Say it."

Axel, twitching, as jittery as ever, growled out through clenched teeth, " Dentiiiiist…you happy?"

Domitan smiled evilly. " You didn't even have to say that. But please, go on."

Axel snarled but kept talking. " As I was saying, you can't just walk up to a damn _dentist_ and ask him to bag some fish for you! The damn angelfish or whatever he is is _damn_ well protected! That's what the Order's good at!"

" But Orion was able to expose Cid Number Two, am I right?" Domitan pointed out. " Therefore, we can get this fish out in the open…and snag him! We'll pay the dentist very good money for it, too-"

_Click_.

Domitan froze. The two conspirators blinked at each other, then both looked up, at the source of the clicking sound. Axel knew instantly what it was.

" Doors," he told his friend. " Someone's closed some doors."

" Who could be here right now besides us, Marucia, Master, and Ansem?" Domitan puzzled over. " Oh and besides the idiots outside of Hollow Bastion and that damn Advocate wherever he is…"

" Nobody can enter the library without leave from the Master," Axel explained. " Intruders…"

" As in the ones that tried to escape us?" Domitan asked. He knew already. " I could feel it. Their energy, they are here. Somehow the door went haywire, I'm guessing. I know for a fact that our little double agent would not direct a door to Hollow Bastion."

" You mean its impossible, Domitan." A dark green fire began to flame in his eyes. " Unless…you-know-who intervened on their behalf…or their doom."

" You should tell Master about this," Domitan told him. " He should be through with Ansem right now."

" The fool that Ansem is," Axel shook his head as he turned to push aside a suit of armor to reveal a spiraling staircase. " Domitan, watch the front. After I alert the two, I'm going to explore the castle a bit…"

""

" What happened?"

Aladdin's question echoed down the abandoned streets of a very desolate – and messy – city known as Agrabah.

" You tell me," Genie remarked, staring down the main street in horror. " What a nightmare!"

" But…everything's back, everything's returned," Jasmine countered, the optimistic one in the group. " Father…the Princess of Heart has done her job."

" You mean that one?" the Sultan questioned pointedly.

" Yes…" The sultry princess of Agrabah smiled. " Did you see? Some of the other worlds were returning."

" You mean that little mass of debris spinning around like mad near Traverse Town?" Genie questioned, scratching his head. He pulled off a scorpion and threw it a little ways. " I thought the worlds would just come back with a _pop_! Apparently not. Wish things weren't so natural."

" If nothing was natural, things would be just weird, Genie." Aladdin smiled as Abu climbed onto his shoulders and chattered loudly into his left ear. " What's that? What? The Cave of Wonders?"

" The Cave of Wonders?" Everyone's attention turned to the chatter between Aladdin and Abu.

" That means we can get the gem!" Genie exclaimed eagerly. " The Red Eye that can only be handled by human hands!"

"But…" Jasmine looked thoughtful. " Won't the red gem have been lost in the transition?"

" I doubt it!" The Genie, ever optimistic, gave a thumbs up and jabbed in the direction of the searing desert. " That gem, I told you, can't move without human hands! I mean, c'mon people, listen to what I just said! It can't move without someone's hand on it! We might as well check it out. No harm, is there?"

" Genie, I'm quite sure the Guardian didn't get lost in the transition," Jasmine reminded him. " You can get by him easily but we can't…well, maybe besides me…"

" Great, you can be in the middle of it!" Aladdin said happily, everything coming together instantaneously in his mind. " You two can convince the Guardian to let us pass. We'll disturb nothing but the Red Eye itself. The Guardian should know how important it is to let us pass into the Cave…of course, he's just a head of sand so I doubt he's got brains in him."

" Leave that to me," the Sultan shuffled off towards the palace.

" Father! You shouldn't go barging off by yourself in a world much too quest to be at peace with," Jasmine reprimanded, following her father.

" Let me escort you both!" Genie said. He snapped his fingers and the three of them promptly vanished.

" Genie!" Aladdin threw his hands up in the air. " Seriously, the things you do…"

" We're back!" Genie announced loudly and with a loud _pop!_, they reappeared. The Sultan was cradling a gold statue of a monkey with emerald eyes.

" You can trade this for the Red Eye," the Sultan offered. " This also came from the Cave of Wonders, years and years ago. Don't ask how I got it; it's a family secret."

" I don't wanna know!" The Genie cried out in a rather exaggerated manner and shielded his face. Aladdin was quite tempted to smack his head to bring him back to reality but quickly changed his mind. " Anyways, let's go to the Cave of Wonders. Where's that magic carpet?"

The lovely tasseled Persian rug soared into view.

" Okay, everybody hop on except the Sultan and me. We're going to fix up Agrabah as best as possible!" The Genie waved farewell then led the Sultan away. They quickly immersed into a discussion on how to renovate Agrabah to make it better than ever.

Blinking, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Abu watched them go. The magic carpet rose up and tapped Aladdin on the shoulder, gesturing madly towards the open desert.

" Once the Red Eye is ours," Jasmine told Aladdin on their flight to the Cave of Wonders, " this world will be protected from the Heartless. They may come periodically, as the flow of darkness can never be stopped fully, but they can no longer do serious harm to us again."

" Why can't we stop the darkness completely?" Aladdin asked curiously.

" It's common sense, Aladdin," Jasmine answered. " If all darkness is gone, then how can one define light? There can be no light without darkness, no white without black, no day without night. You can't have love without hate. That's why we can't stop the darkness completely. All we can do is staunch the flow of darkness to a bare minimum."

Aladdin nodded. " Makes sense."

Abu suddenly went and chattered into Aladdin's ear. As they neared the circular depression that marked the place of the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders, a look of surprise crossed over Aladdin's face.

" Hey, Jasmine, you know, we forgot all about Iago. Where'd he go?"

Jasmine looked surprised as well, as the magic carpet landed. " He didn't make it with us…so he would've gone to the other side."

" What happens to those who go to the other side?"

" It depends," Jasmine said with a shrug. " I don't really know."

" Oh crap," Aladdin swore as he stepped off the carpet. " Iago…"

""

Silence. Utter silence. All was quiet.

He looked up from the piece of paper in his hand. It was there, those words, those dreaded words. It had happened, once again. But this time, there was no inside help. It was all done by the machinations of the Society.

" They're getting better," he spoke, in a voice so quiet, yet to dominating. " Emperor, we must do something about this. Are we letting things slip? Or are they simply getting better?"

" That is the Society's little gift, I daresay," the Emperor commented, stroking his long beard. " Their gift, our curse. They're catching up."

" They haven't harnessed every power yet," Friar Tuck remarked, walking into the onyx-covered room. " The Lake, for one. The Crystal Force, for another."

" And they have yet to match the strength and courage of many devoted to our cause," Meg added, entering the room as well. " I'm not just talking about Hercules, mind you. Oh and one of our new 'recruits' brings official word: the Guardian has escaped. He personally oversaw it. We still have hope."

" A fading hope," King Mickey sighed, sitting down on his ebony seat. " Their options are running out. Their every move is being thwarted by our efforts. Only one option remains…and we must not let them grab the chance. Find Aozora!"

" We must reach Kairi first," Meg countered. " He has yet to reappear in this Universe."

" Agrabah has come back," Friar Tuck said. " That means he must be here…somewhere…"

" Or he could simply be at the crossroads," the Emperor said calmly. " You know what I mean by the crossroads. Two of our greatest warriors have passed through the crossroads, you know. He could be there as well. No telling what might happen from there."

King Mickey sighed and pushed his chair back. " There's no telling how much we must do. Someone find out what's become of Princess Kida. Emperor, we might need to contact Mulan. We're going to need her help in amping up the defenses. Meg, contact Cid Number One and his crew. Someone needs to evaluate the worlds Kairi's sent back. We need to send someone to Spira. We still have to find that Vegnagun. We need Leon and Cloud to find Eldest's two disciples. Cid Number One hasn't sent us word of those two, meaning they're lost or something happened to them. Someone get to Twilight Town. After our little 'accident', we have to know what's become of Cid Number Two. I'm not sure it's safe for him to stay in Twilight Town, someone find him and find out. And someone please find out what happened to Gil!"

" Well, its obvious," Bo Peep commented, knocking and walking in. Wheezy waddled in after her. " The Society's gotten smarter. Oh and Wheezy's fully recovered. Besides the singing."

" Are we still going to go through with the plan to recruit Buzz?" Wheezy asked tentatively. " He's got the skills and the spirit for it."

" Hm…" King Mickey thought.

" Chip and Dale could build him the actual weapons," Meg laughed. " He could finally be the real Buzz Lightyear for once!"

" Exactly," the Emperor nodded vigorously and turned to King Mickey. " We need more members. We've lost Grandmother Willow, Cid Number Two can't do much anymore after being exposed by that relative of Ansem's, and we've lost Gil. And we don't know what's become of Princess Kida yet. We're going to need more members, King Mickey."

" I know…" King Mickey sighed. " Alright. We need fresh blood. Bo Peep, find Buzz. Besides, if Woody's your world's Keyhole, Buzz can be his ammo-charged fightin' guardian."

Bo Peep nodded to Wheezy and they left the room.

" Right…" King Mickey sighed. " Any word of Pete?"

Silence.

" Ah…no, not exactly," the Emperor offered as a reply. " It's tough, Mickey. Extra defenses around New World, amping up defenses elsewhere, keeping track of darkness activity, and we're trying to defend four different parties at once. It's a tiring task, Mickey. It's not easy adding that to our already-impressive list of things to do."

" Sorry, sorry," Mickey apologized hastily, seeing the error in his question. " But Pete is still a problem to us, Emperor. What do we do?"

" I'll take care of that," Friar Tuck offered. " We haven't done much since Sora saved us. Robin Hood, Little John, and their impressive group of recruits are running Sherwood Forest and Buckinghamshire well on their own. I could spend my time tracking down Pete."

" How?"

The friar hit his head and sighed. " The Lake, King. Since we no longer have contact with King Nedakh and his power over the Crystal Force, the Lake's the only reliable force to use. I could still use all its powers. I can use to find Pete."

" If you are still the Lake's master," a fire had begun to glow in Meg's eyes, " then can you find our little four?"

" It will not be easy," Friar Tuck said. " I've tried before. Some strange barrier seems to surround them. But I will try."

King Mickey nodded. " I guess that concludes our little session. Back to business, I guess."

Those present nodded and filed out of the room. King Mickey sighed again and rubbed his eyes.

" Hyper little body, but still I miss the height," King Mickey stood up. The table was for a full-sized man and King Mickey was just taller than it. " What's done is done. Time for a little excursion into the darkness…"

He stretched out his right hand and the Golden Kingdom Key quickly materialized in his hand. He gave it an expert spin, took some experimental swipes, then set the blade over his right shoulder. Whistling, he pressed into a wall and a door spun. He vanished behind it into the unknown.

""

" Have you found anything yet?" Lorien hissed to Kobi, who was one story above her. She dropped the book she was holding on top of a very impressive stack of books and pulled out another one.

" I'm not sure…" Kobi's voice drifted from above. A few seconds later, a page turned.

" So you _did_ find something," Lorien shot back. She went to the next book, dropping the one she was holding. " What is it?"

" Hold on a sec…"

Lorien sighed, dropped the next book, and was about to finish wiping out the 104th shelf when she spotted something deep within the depths of the shelf. It was a dark oblong thing, a book perhaps? Maybe.

" What have we here…" She reached in and felt dust and cobwebs falling all over her hand. " Not a pretty sight, I guess. Must've been in here for a long-ass time."

Her fingers felt all around, searching for the corner of the oblong thing she saw, until she felt a hard corner.

" Gotcha," she muttered under her breath, and pulled it out.

It was the dirtiest book she ever saw, blanketed in a snow of dust and cobwebs. She shut her eyes and blew on the cover, then held her breath as she felt the dust rise in the air.

" Blegh. I hate dust."

She looked at the book now, touching its leather cover. It was a black book, with no titles, nothing on the covers. Well, maybe there was something on the cover. A little stamp, something like a huge, fancy A. Lorien could only guess whose A it was.

" Ansem," she muttered and carefully flipped open the book.

The first thing she saw was a beautifully pressed spider. It seemed to have been there for the longest time. She tilt the book and watched the black spider silently slide off. Then she scrutinized over the elaborate handwriting on the very first page.

" If you find this text, written by my hand, you may turn the page, and read what you can. Beware, though, for what you will find may not be the material for your troubled mind. So read with care, I dare you, for what I found will tell you your fortune."

She stared at the writing again, seriously considering if King Ansem did have a life when he was more human.

" Stupid poet," she muttered and turned the page. Instantly, a musty smell arose and threatened to gag her. She held her breath, waited a few seconds, then breathed again. The musty smell had gone.

" The poem makes sense," she remarked snappishly. " Musky smells are not for my troubled mind."

She peered at the handwriting. It was even fancier than his handwriting on the front page. She blinked at it, staring at the page. On the very first page, the writing went from neat and careful to wildly messy.

" Oh shit," she swore. She looked at the next page and sighed in relief. Ansem had reverted to printing, in neat block letters. She flipped through the pages quickly, studying the handwriting. Ansem must've gotten bored while writing; the writing changed from cursive to block printing to calligraphy, all in different orders.

She caught one page in the book. It was in massive calligraphy, done quickly. It was written: I HAVE A SON! I SHALL CALL HIM…

Her hands shook as she read the name. _No, it can't be…_

She quickly flipped over several pages, then read again: _The king frightens me. His liquid black eyes boil like oil. They follow me, follow me everywhere. He thinks I have done something but what have I done? All I've done is begin my studies of the followers of Shadowrenis…he says those who study the darkness lose their will to the darkness. Is that what will become of me? No, my will is strong, I will not bow to the darkness. I must stay strong for my only son, I will show him what we can do, what we can master. The King of Phoenix Walt will not stop me; I will study this darkness and find the weakness that will destroy it!_

" Phoenix Walt?" Lorien had never heard of that before. And Eldest had told her nothing of it either.

" It is the former name of Disney, home of the wretched ruler King Mickey." Someone breathed down her neck, cold puffs of air.

She whirled around, her back pressed against the bookcase, staring up at the one person she least wanted to meet, especially in a dusty library, gloomy and silent as it was.

" And what are you doing here…dove?" Domitan grinned, leaning against the bookshelf and effectively cutting off one means of escape.

" Don't call me dove," she shot back through tightly clenched teeth. " What are you doing here?"

" We don't like intruders here," the blue-haired Elite member said coolly, his sapphire eyes boring into hers. " Especially intruders like _you_."

She didn't like the look in his eyes and began to slowly inch away, Ansem's book hidden behind her. Domitan watched her, a hawk watching his prey, half-caught.

" You're…not going anywhere," he hissed and the other arm blocked her off, cornering her in.

" Who says?" Lorien said, her breathing coming in faster from a growing fear.

" I say so, dove," Domitan grinned. She swore he seemed to be closing in on her. And for reasons other than attacking 'intruders'.

" Always the pretty one," he whispered darkly. " Roxanne cares for none…and you're the only one left."

" Stay away from me, you bastard," she spat. " If you dare…I will kill you."

" How, dove?" Domitan questioned, his eyes mocking. " I don't see any weapons. Your friend is too busy immersed in reading his own past. And I could kill you, right now with my own bare hands, if I wanted to."

" And if I called for help?" Lorien snapped.

" I'm not the only one in here."

_Axel,_ Lorien realized. _No!_

" Just one small kiss and I'll finish you off," Domitan grinned. " No struggles. If you resist, I'll make your death all the more painful. If you let me, it'll be quick and painless."

Lorien had to smirk at this. Some people were just serious idiots.

" You are an insane airhead," she remarked matter-of-factly. " An insane airhead and a fool."

Domitan twitched ever so slightly. She felt rather evil, evil and happy when she saw his blue eyes flaring with the insult.

" You…" he hissed. His right arm moved and pressed against her throat. Lorien tensed, feeling danger magnifying tenfold.

" Such an immature little adult," she added. " Ready to do the reckless thanks to a lightly thrown insult. I can't imagine how you got into the Elite in the first place-"

" Shut up!" Domitan snapped angrily and shoved his forearm into her throat.

The world that she saw began to fade into black, when she saw silver hair appearing, silver hair and a blindfold…"

''

He slowly flipped through the next page, his light sea green eyes glazed over with every word he read. He slowly scanned the page, his mind imprinting every word into memory, then turned to the next one.

" Entertaining, Kobi?" Someone asked in dark amusement behind him.

Jerking from reflex, he quickly shut the book and shoved it away, turning around quickly, his arms up in the air. His staff and Lorien's sword leaned against a bookshelf, much too far away for him to reach in time.

" What an interesting book you've found to read," Axel drawled, his emerald eyes scanning the cover of the moldy text. " Pity you can't read it anymore. Intruders aren't allowed here."

" Just like you," Kobi hissed back, his voice shaking madly.

" Apparently you've read far too much," Axel added, his voice becoming hard and angry. " But soon…you'll forget."

Kobi had just enough time to call his staff to his side.

**Chapter 54…**

_Who are you to invade my mind?_

_There is a way to fight the darkness…_

" _We only jumped ship with you. Thought you had a plan or something."_


	54. Cold Fusion

Author's Note: The most anticipated chapter so far into the story. But I must warn you: as the story progresses, you'll soon start to see the meaning of the Teen rating. I consider Teen to mean PG13. If you know what I mean. But everything will be fully explained in due time. Enjoy! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 54: Cold Fusion**

Silver flashes. Gold fire. Blue thunder. Colors roared in his mind, swirling, flashing, filling him with a fiery warmth and a strength he had never felt before. The unseen entity pulsed in his mind, willing him to get up, to stand and face the premature dismantling of Atlantis.

_If I am to show you, you must get up. If you refuse, you may be at fault for ridding this Universe of one of the last hopes of the Light._

_Then tell me who you are,_ Sora demanded silently, staring at his reflection in continuing horror. His eyes, his blue eyes, they were like liquid metal. _Who are you to invade my mind?_

_I am a voice of one imprisoned far back in Time,_ the nameless, sexless entity boomed and he winced. _Designated guardian of the Crystal Force and a voice of the Queen of Light. She has bid me to teach you all that I know, all that you must know._

_Why haven't anyone told me of this 'Queen of Light'?_ Sora asked angrily.

_Why must you know now?_ The voice snapped back, growing impatient._ Attack first, ask later. You will have time to know but now is not the time._

Sora sighed and closed his eyes. _That's what it feels like every moment, every second of my life. But you are far from wrong. I will not bring about the downfall of everything and everyone I know and love. Teach me and I will fight._

He heard the voice whispering in his mind. _Excellent…_

Slowly he rose to his feet, his knees and hands dripping. He shook slightly, felt one last fiery impulse, hotter and more painful than the last.

" What's he doing?" Commander Rourke muttered to Helga as he became distracted from the very blue Princess Kida and faced a more immediate danger. He had read the look in Sora's face and didn't like it one bit.

" The Crystal Force did something to him," Helga observed sharply, raising her pistol. " He's still glowing that same blue. And his face…"

Milo stared first at the blue Kida, then at the glowing eyes of a stern-faced Sora. He couldn't figure out what frightened him more, the extraterrestrial animated crystal woman or the glowing-eyed vindictive teenager.

Simba stepped forward carefully, feeling a barrio rise up between them, a wall separating the mortal and real with the immortal and impossible.

" Sora?"

" Lay low, Simba. There are those who will receive their just reward for their actions." Sora spoke with two voices, his serious real voice and some strange, impassive voice.

" Commander Rourke!" Sora called out. " How much longer, until you receive your just reward?"

" The situation's getting far too out of hand," Helga decided once and for all. " Terminate…that little brat."

She pulled the trigger.

Sora stared impassively, even as the pistol sounded off. His glowing eyes watched the metal bit, what Yuna called the 'bullet', spin slowly in his direction. The Silver Keyblade materialized instantaneously in his hand and he simply waited for the bullet to pull through the last leg of its journey.

The others, it seemed that he pulled off an impossibly fast move in smashing the bullet away. Helga stared, dropping her pistol in shock.

He shifted his stance quickly, his left hand facing them, his weapon pulled back and ready to strike again. " Bullets are not going to stop me."

" But these will," Commander Rourke smirked. General Pete had given him the power to summon the Dusk at will. And Sora was hindering him. Time was short. Time to feed the bastard his own medicine.

He raised his left hand and eight Shield Nobodies immediately materialized.

" This is bad," Simba told himself, jumping to his feet.

" What are you doing?" Milo demanded as Commander Rourke reached out and grabbed Princess Kida by the arm. The middle-aged man yelped and yanked his hand back; the blue crystal was giving off its own heat.

" Do not interfere. I will follow," her voice, somewhat detached from her crystalline body, spoke.

" If you say so," Commander Rourke shrugged, yanked out a very hi-tech looking pistol, and quickly strode to the center of the platform. Helga picked up her pistol and ran behind Princess Kida, to make sure nothing would go wrong.

Milo turned around, spotting them make a hasty get-away. " Wait! No!"

" He will come," Princess Kida ordered. " But only to the edge of Atlantis."

Commander Rourke grumbled something incredibly unintelligible but let Milo on. The poor man looked back to the semi-circle of Shield Nobodies advancing on Sora, who still showed no signs of emotion. Simba was slowly inching on one side of the semi-circle, creeping through the rocky terrain of this underground.

" Fight all they want; they won't get out," Helga smirked as the platform rose and they vanished from view.

''

Sora watched each of the Shield Nobodies, as the voice spoke in his mind. _There is a way of fighting the darkness. A different way, in which you are not bound to the earth. A way that could free you and let you do the impossible._

Two of the Shield Nobodies lunged forward, in a brutal attempt to pinch Sora into mush. His glowing eyes spotted their incredibly fast moves and he leaped into the air, somersaulted away from the imminent collision and landed safely from the clash. He then stepped forward and with two quick jabs, the two Shield Nobodies were dispatched.

As Simba watched in growing horror and fascination, Sora spun away from another Shield Nobody, used one as a launching pad, and eliminated more of the Dusk. Sweeping low, he avoided a jump, and spun around, his Keyblade coming up and slicing the descending Shield Nobody in half. The one he had used as a launching pad was still disoriented; he smashed the Dusk's helmet in and it exploded into a blue heart.

Three remained, wary now. Five minutes had gone and five Shield Nobodies had been destroyed by the brutally fast Keyblade Master. His metallic eyes seemed to glow even stronger. His right eye shone like gold fire; his left eye radiated mercurial silver. They watched each of the Shield Nobodies, pursued them mercilessly, as they tried to dodge the Keyblade Master's flying attacks.

Sora somersaulted, spun sideways, and swung at a Shield Nobody that had charged forward and ended up rushing by him. Caught in the back, the Shield Nobody stumbled forward and splashed spectacularly into the dark waters; a blue heart bloomed from the tumultuous waves and exploded like fireworks in the dark cavern. In the blazing light, Simba saw the tunnel that led out of the cavern. Apparently, the rulers of Atlantis had more than one way of accessing the Crystal Force.

A Shield Nobody went flying and smashed into bits against the lifeless remains of the spinning stones they first saw. Simba was unfortunate to be near; a finger of the Shield Nobody smacked his muzzle.

One remained, wary of Sora. Was the Shield Nobody actually full of fear? This was new.

Sora stood in the shallows of the water, watching, looking incredibly unemotional as the Shield Nobody danced to and fro, staying away from the water. Then the Shield Nobody lunged, its shield and jagged sword ready to try and smash Sora.

He quickly sidestepped and smashed the Shield Nobody with his elbow. The Shield Nobody toppled over and exploded again.

Simba stared. That was it? One jab of the elbow and the job was done?

" Sora?"

But he knew this was not Sora. Sora was no more. Something in the great spinning stones had done something to him. Simba knew that it was not only Sora that told him to lay low.

" This will lead us to where Donald and Goofy had gone," the Keyblade Master simply responded. " For it is Pete we are after, Peg-leg Pete. If we are to stop Commander Rourke, we are to stop Pete first. A man with no power over the Nobodies is nothing and easily dispatched."

" Sora, I don't like you killing everything," Simba told him. " If killing Commander Rourke is your intent, I will not fight."

" They must receive just rewards for their actions," Sora answered. " An eye for an eye, an ear for an ear. They have killed, so will we."

Ignoring Simba completely, Sora strode past him, dripping with the water from the cavern's pool. His stride was different now, Simba realized. Long, low, quick, and with a purpose. Sora knew where he was going and nobody was going to stop him.

There was something about Atlantis that Simba didn't like, especially if it turned Sora from a sad teenager to a murdering avenger. But why? What had happened?

''

Milo shifted his feet, full of fear, as his former friends began to load the casket bearing Princess Kida into their great tanker. Hundreds of Atlanteans stood behind him, watching the spectacle with consternation. They had yet to understand just how serious the problem was."

" Commander, how can you just…take off like that?" Milo demanded, finally summoning the courage to ask his question. " These people will have no hope, no reason to live, if you take her away!"

" Tough luck," Commander Rourke snapped back. " That's life, pal. To the victor go the spoils. We've won, they've lost, and so have you."

" But-but you will be killing these people, Commander!" Milo cried out futilely, pulling out one last weapon, one last truth that would gain sympathy from one who was truly human.

" Do I look like I care?" Commander Rourke barked at him. " No! Might as well leave you here with your little underground friends; we've no more use for you now."

Milo stared at the middle-aged man in shock. He didn't care if the Atlanteans died!

Audrey Rocio Ramirez was stunned, too. She always had a soft spot in her heart for the poor young scholar and she made up her mind to join him at Atlantis. It was the only way to get rid of the guilt threatening to swallow her up.

" I'm with you," she said boldly and, jumping off the tanker, she ran to join Milo.

The others looked at each other. They were in for the money and they wanted to get away as soon as possible but what Commander Rourke said was rather chilling. They also had no idea what Commander Rourke had done in that underground cavern.

" I'm in," Dr. Sweet, the tall black man, declared and joined the two, staring at Commander Rourke and Helga in defiance.

" So am I!" Cookie laughed gleefully and ran to join them, hanging on to his mixing bowl in the process.

" Oh me, me, too!" Mole practically burrowed his way to them.

" Oh shame on m!" Vinny, their excellent dynamite expert, moaned. " I will not walk with someone so inhuman when others have joined forces against him! Farewell, home above the sea!"

He ran to Milo, Audrey, Sweet, Cookie, and Mole.

Commander Rourke scowled. Things were definitely not going well.

" What's going on here?" Packard demanded as she stuck her head out of the truck. " Ah, rebelling against that egghead at long last? I'm in!"

Commander Rourke scowled even more. " Very well. You mutineers might as well die with Milo and the rest of the Atlanteans!"

" I don't' think so, Rourke!" Audrey shot back. " We were in for some money and finding Atlantis and all but you have gone way too far. There was nothing in the agreement about wiping out a whole civilization!"

" That's right," Dr. Sweet agreed. " And I should know what it means to wipe out a whole people!"

He was referring to his own heritage; he was half Native American.

" The best land I've ever been on and I won't let you take it away!" Mole sniffed at him.

" And I've heard their libraries are extensive, especially in the area of dynamites," Vinny said. " Once these people are gone, the libraries would vanish and it will be all your fault! Return the Princess or we will do something about it!"

" Like what?" Commander Rourke sneered. " What are you going to do?"

The huge missile launcher on the tanker trained on them; Helga had gone and helped clear off the pathway out of Atlantis; now she had turn the gun around and was aiming at them, to silence them.

" Any ideas, hotshot?" Audrey muttered to Milo.

" Uh….well, not exactly. Anybody?"

" We only jumped ship with you. Thought you had a plan or something," Dr. Sweet decided to mention.

Milo sighed and hung his head. " Make my day."

" I will," Simba snarled, appearing from behind them, his eyes trained on Commander Rourke. " An eye for an eye, an ear for an ear, a nose for a nose. His intents make it clear who he is. There will be no repercussions for the one who stops Commander Rourke and Helga by extreme means."

" Lions don't scare me," Commander Rourke stated flatly. " Take her away, Helga. Let us leave these losers to die, as is the fate of all who lose."

" Wait, no!" Milo yelled and ran forward.

The missile launcher roared and a blast of hot air hit his face, throwing him back. The ground shook violently as smoke billowed upward, obscuring the tanker.

" No, stop!" Milo was ready to rush forward into the cloud of smoke and dust after the tanker but Simba lunged forward and pulled him back.

" Fool! They've blasted the bridge out!" the golden lion snapped. " We need another way out of the city after them."

" There is no other way," one of the white-haired Atlanteans stepped forward. " That was our only pathway out of here, if you're talking about where they're headed."

" This…is bad," Packard puffed on her cigarette.

" Maybe not." Milo remembered the crystal that Princess Kida wore around her neck. The other Atlanteans, she had informed, did, too. And they did come across strange machines with holes shaped to allow someone to insert their crystal in it. The serpentine machines seemed to have a purpose, known as flying.

" You, come with me!" Milo exclaimed, gesturing to the man who had spoken. " I've something to try out. If it works, we may have a way to cross the bridge."

Minutes later, one of the serpentine machines roared to life and soared upward, to the cheering of the jubilant and hopeful people. More Atlanteans pulled out their crystals, searching out machines to turn on with their crystals. Soon, formidable tankers and flyers congregated in front of the blown-out bridge.

Milo, tired but happy that they had a plan to stop Commander Rourke, looked at Simba. Worry suddenly crossed his mind.

" Simba, where's Sora?"

''

" Donald, I'm…I'm tired," Goofy sat down abruptly, breathing hard.

" You can't be tired now!" Donald yelled at him. " Firaga!"

Pete simply cartwheeled away and laughed at them. Was this really all they could give him? Look at them, their weakness, their pathetic-ness; fools, they were, fools they are, fools they will always be.

" Look at you, out of breath, weak in the face of darkness!" Pete mocked them. " See what happens when you remain in the light? The longer you stay in the light, the farther you go in its aura, the more it will blind you to your path and the longer your shadow will grow. A pity it is too late to invite you into your ranks now; my pity for you died long ago."

" We…don't need your pity!" Donald spat at him. " Gwaahhh! King Mickey should've done you away while he had the chance! If only!"

" No matter…the darkness…" Goofy struggled to speak; he was so tired he could do nothing but breath…and speak a bit. " No matter…the darkness…the light will always shine. So will our hearts…though yours…was lost…long ago."

" Sympathy upon a heart of stone; my heart is stronger than yours!" Pete laughed. " Ansem was right when he discovered that all hearts were born from darkness! And you resist its calling, the darkness calling your heart back to its place of birth! And that is why I am so much stronger than you!"

" You…are not!" Donald shrilled. " Waterga!"

All three stared at the trickle of water that fell from Donald's staff and created a hole in the ground.

" Weakness, the light is too weak," Pete remarked. " _This_ is the power of darkness. Firaga!"

" Aeroga!"

A huge wind shield whirled up around Donald and Goofy, protecting them while deflecting the massive fireball that Pete had thrown at them. Pete, startled as he was, was able to react fast enough to throw himself out of the way of the incoming mass of fire, which set the tree behind him on fire.

" Sora!" Goofy cheered enthusiastically as Sora appeared from between the threads of the wind.

Donald narrowed his gaze. Something seemed wrong here, something very wrong. Why was Sora's right eye shining gold and his left eye gleaming silver?

" Sora? Is that you for sure?" Donald squalled as Aeroga died away.

" It depends," Sora spoke, but the wizard could hear the layering in his voice. Despite his tired state, he leaped onto his feet and pointed his staff at the Keyblade Master.

" Who are you and what have you done to Sora?" Donald demanded angrily. Both Goofy and Pete stared at this exchange in surprise.

Sora seemed unfazed. " I am Sora. But…I am also someone else. A power in this land wishes to see its wrongs righted, for one last time!"

He turned to Pete, his eyes narrowing dangerously. " Your ally Commander Rourke will be of no use once Milo Thatch and the Atlanteans stop him. I, the voice of the forces of Atlantis, know this and so do you. The darkness here will fade one last time before the great destruction and I will see that it will come to pass!"

" Give me all you got," Pete spat, shifting into fighting stance. " I've always wanted to fight the famous Sora, the one Ansem always talked about!"

Sora's face didn't even flinch; he merely watched the great, hulking enemy passively. " One last thing: try as you might but his powers will unlock. And then…you _will_ be in trouble!"

Sora turned to Goofy. " Fusion Force!"

''

It was the most brilliant thing Donald had ever since, the most intimidating display of power seen. He basically just sat there, gaping in utter shock.

Flashes of blue flames licked the air as light shone skyward and outward. Sora and Goofy glowed in pure, white-hot energy, until Donald could not see them anymore for fear of frying his retinas. There was a roar as air rushed up into the sky, surrounding a pillar of hot white flame as it shot for the skies of Atlantis. There was a silent explosion, a violent but quiet ripple of energy as the white flames poured down from the spectacular burst.

" By the dark fox!" Pete was heard swearing.

Wisps of white power continued in a dancing circle around a glowing form in the middle of the great pillar of power. It looked like Sora…but not really. Goofy's power ran through the strong lines of the glowing Keyblade Master and he was holding two weapons, which came as a surprise.

" Sora? Goofy?" Donald asked tentatively.

His eyes were gold and silver but shone with the souls of those within. His clothes were bright red, crimson red with strength and unfailing courage. He spun the Kingdom Key and the Oathkeeper in his hands, unafraid of the power within him.

" The Brave Suit," Pete growled, his eyes narrowing darkly. "Only three times before and never in our lifetimes. A challenge indeed."

" The powers of Fusion have awaken once more in a Master," Sora spoke but now he spoke with three voices. " Whether or not the power will stay…we shall see! Hyah!"

He came at Pete, both Keyblades flying. Pete quickly pulled his armored arms up to block the blows but had underestimated the power behind the two Keyblades; he stumbled backwards in astonishment. Sora/Goofy didn't give him time to rest, flitting to the side and striking out. He then somersaulted over Pete's head, then whirled around and slashed out with the Kingdom Key. Pete easily blocked it but could not regroup in time to stop the Oathkeeper that came flying a short time afterwards.

" Argh!" Pete screamed, picking himself up from the ground. " Such power! One that the Society can handle. This has gotten out of hand; my part in your doom is done!"

" Coward!" His eyes blazing, Sora/Goofy suddenly appeared before Pete and blocked off his exit. " False courage you display, you false noble. If you keep up this gimmick, soon you will see that even the darkness is false and that your very life is but a dream."

" GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Pete roared and slashed at Sora/Goofy, who merely jumped backwards and landed lightly on his feet. He did nothing as Pete fled from them, crashing through the underbrush in the manner of the wild animals of the forest.

Donald stared after the yawning pathway Pete had just created. There was an audible _pop_ behind him and he whirled around. Goofy sat on the ground, blinking in stunned astonishment, his shield cast off a little ways. Sora stood a little way, looking longingly at the obvious trail the rogue darkness left behind. But he made no move to pursue Pete.

_To pursue the untouchable darkness is to waste good time_, the strange entity whispered in Sora's mind, lassoing in his urge to chase after the enemy. _There will be another time, if all the forces will allow it, for you to stop him once and for all, and avenge the slander and pain that Disney suffered from his evils. But only if the forces will allow it._

" Only if the forces allow is…" The words sounded so strangely ominous.

_Here I will leave you, to find your own path to the one that equals you in all but the color of the heart_, the voice spoke, solemnly, seeming to know what darkness lay before Sora's path. _Ask what questions you will but the identity of your adversary I will not speak. Perhaps you've met your adversary, perhaps not. But beware the flames of darkness. That is my only counsel. I bid you luck of the most immediate kind, for darkness is your path and the path you will take, whether you like it or no._

" Darkness?" Sora demanded out loud, whirling around. " What darkness? Tell me the truth!"

Donald started. Sora had turned his head and his eyes had turned the sky blue that Donald and Goofy had known. But now there was a spark of gold in his right eye and his left had a strangely silver sheen.

" Um…Sora?"

Sora shook his head. " I'm…I'm fine. Don't mind me…Donald, Goofy, where are we?"

" We, ah, we're in the middle of a jungle…in Atlantis," Goofy remarked.

Sora started, as if he had just realized where he was. " Atlantis…Milo! C'mon!"

""

Poor Milo. He may have the alliance of the Atlanteans, he may have the power of their incredible technology, but Commander Rourke was still more powerful. Though Helga had been brought down, though by the Commander's own hand, he more than held his own.

" Which finger shall I stomp on first?" he asked, striding about on the small platform that surrounded the container that held the crystalline form of Princess Kida. Milo, hanging for dear life, whitened as he tried to move his clasping fingers from the range of the Commander's boots.

" This one? Or this one? Or this one?" Commander Rourke stomped at the last and Milo yanked his hand back.

Helga, grimacing, came into consciousness. She felt as though every bone in her body had broken and she knew just as well that this was true; Commander Rourke had betrayed her and cast down her to kill and silence her.

" He may bring me down," she muttered through gritted teeth, feeling weaker by the moment, " but bring him down I will. Vengeance shall be mine before the teenager meets him!"

She pulled out her flare gun, aimed at the parachute pulling the container, Princess Kida, Commander Rourke, and Milo Thatch up the volcano passageway – never mind the still-smoking wreckage that was the gummi ship - and pulled the trigger.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy, thanks to their High Jump skills, had cleared the gap in the bridge and were running to where the others had gone when a violent, fiery explosion, followed by a blue blast, threw them back.

From the smoking cavern came flying the great, slender machines, bearing many riders tainted with soot, followed by Milo on foot. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, briefly stunned, staggered back onto their feet, and noticed how fast people were fleeing the source of destruction.

" Is it a good time to run?" Sora yelled to Milo.

" RUN!"

Lava came steaming out of the cavern, frying the air around it as it hungrily slid its way towards the earthbound people on the bridge.

" The gap!" Goofy yelped to Milo, who screeched to a stop and stared in horror.

" Hang on!" Sora jumped into the air. " Super Glide!"

He grabbed Milo by the collar and safely hauled him across. Donald and Goofy High Jumped after him as the lava came pouring down. Atlantis shook violently as the volcanic lava continued to flow; the Atlanteans screamed or stared in frozen horror as the air around them shivered and steam rose from the water below. The high ceiling above them violently shook as well; Helga had unknowing set off the most violent explosion ever witnessed by the Atlanteans since their great city first sank under the sea.

" We're gonna die!" Audrey screamed and Mole madly dug a hole for himself to hide in.

" PEACE!"

Blue light flashed through the city, reaching to the skies and piercing the lava.

And all turned to light…

""

" Perhaps some day we will visit before your city finally dies," Sora said tentatively, as soon as they had retrieved the pieces of the gummi ship and, through _Queen_ Kida's power, rebuilt it. He stood with solemn silence, knowing that though Atlantis had escaped destruction, the day of doom was drawing nearer.

" If you can spare the time," she smiled. Her wise eyes were still solemn, filled with the pain of her father's undoing by the now dead Commander Rourke's hand. " If you can spare the time."

" And make sure you find Pete, too," Milo added fiercely. He had elected to stay in Atlantis, recording their history as known by the eldest of the Atlanteans, studying the architecture and the ancients, and especially the incredible technology. And of course to be with Queen Kida. His friends had already begun the arduous climb to the surface and Sora, Donald, and Goofy were about to go.

Simba, the proud lion king, would stay with them and begin mobilizing defenses around Atlantis; then he would return to what remained of his world back in Traverse Town.

" Make sure to visit," the scholar added, " or we shall all be terribly disappointed."

" So would I," Sora smiled. " So would I."

" Sora," Queen Kida seemed ready to give council and council she gave. " Be careful. The next place you must go to is dangerous, very dangerous. We've lost one of the Order and that means the Heartless can freely roam. Be careful, for our sake and yours, for your life may be in far graver danger than you think."

" They…will not get me," Sora said slowly.

" And we'll make sure they don't," Goofy nodded grimly and with assurance, crossing his arms and nodding.

" But if only…he be still with you…" Queen Kida left the sentence undone as she, arm in arm with Milo, began the walk back to the palace. " Farewell…"

Sora looked on, troubled and frustrated at the same time. With a huff, he turned and headed for the gummi ship.

**Chapter 55…**

" _Where'd the hell did you send me?"_

" _Well, I come from the ocean."_

" _It's about time you got back on track."_


	55. Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Author's Note: Hey, lookie, another chapter, wOOt! Will Sora ever get his necklaces back? We'll see, won't we? I mean, it's not his fault that Aozora keeps forgetting, right? As for the other question, here's the breakdown on the core characters: 

Sora: 15  
Riku: 16  
Kairi: 15  
Aozora: 15  
Kobi: 15  
Lorien: 15  
Ashita: 16  
Yuri: 15  
Selphie: 15

Now, let us continue, shall we?

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 55: Somewhere Beyond the Sea**

His mind gave him no rest. Ever as he drew nearer to the gate that would lead him back to the Real Universe, they haunted him, those blue-violet eyes, haunted by the darkness that now ravaged the Universe and brought it close to war.

_She shouldn't suffer_¸ he thought, as the world around him became arid and colored. _She doesn't' deserve to suffer, she doesn't deserve to bear the heavy weight that we all share. She's gone through enough, maybe too much. The Fates are cruel to let her suffer-_

_Is life so fair or does it go on without care? For you, dear Guardian, is letting stray your mind. You forget the one with whom you left your heart behind._

Aozora grimaced as he heard the rhyming voice resonate in his mind. " Shut up, you stupid lion. I don't need sniping crap from the likes of you."

_Touchy, touchy, the poor child suffers from love. Who shall it be that you call your dove?_

" Now you're reaching me," Aozora snapped sarcastically. " Anything more to say?"

_The pathway you seek is here. Walk to where you belong, never fear!_

" Good," Aozora nodded. " That's more like it. Thanks, Guardian, I owe you one."

_Nay, child, you owe me none. Now go, never tarry, begone!_

" Sheesh, I'm going, I'm going!" Aozora grumbled as the great lion's head, tinged blue with color, erupted from the sand pit before which he had stopped. " I'm not gonna get lost while Agrabah gets back, too. Damn!"

A gaping black hole stared starkly back at him as the great lion's head opened its jaws. Within, Aozora heard, faintly, the cries of seagulls and the soft waves of the sea.

_Paranoid, yes?_ The lion asked amusingly as Aozora turned pale and trembled. _That was my guess. In you go, dear sir. Now face what you must endure._

Aozora, by then, had controlled his rising fear of the terrible ocean. Breathing deeply and calmly, he blinked several times, then walked into the mouth of the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders.

The Guardian silently closed his mouth, as Agrabah rumbled and shook.

_Methinks this will not turn out to be so good. But it is done, all I can do is brood…_

""

First came the violent tumble into darkness. He had first felt solid ground beneath his feet give way into space. Now he felt like he was falling, falling forever. He lost all sense of time, of self, of everything but the fact that he was falling…

Something slowed him down, something fluid yet solid, cold and yet hot, cool yet warm. Now he could hear, the bubbles rippling, the sound of rocks tumbling gently over each other, the rippling water –

Aozora opened his eyes. Water? Where?

Everything came out fuzzy. He blinked a couple of times to clear his eyes and suddenly realized that his range of vision had changed. Except for a small blind spot right in the middle of his face and right behind him, he could see almost all around him. How strange.

Then he realized that he seemed to be in the middle of a tall green forest with colorful gravel for the floor and strange stone formations. Light seemed to reflect off these objects in strange ways. And then he realized that he wasn't standing on the floor.

" What the?" he stared down at the colorful stones…

…and caught sight of a black and white tail. Yet when he looked again, the tail had vanished – no, it was right there, right out of his vision – no it had vanished again – no it…

He saw his reflection, faint as it was, on a strange barrier that was clear yet reflective. Beyond the barrier he could see a room, with chair and equipment fit for a giant. He heard voices, felt the pounding of feet and thought, _Is this the land of giants? But my reflection? WHAT HAPPENED?_

He wasn't staring at himself. He was staring at a killer whale, an orca.

" WHAT HAPPENED?" he screamed, touching himself all over. He felt nothing but smooth rubbery skin, which was atypical for a human being but not for a large, supercharged killer dolphin. He touched the barrier, discovered it was glass, and realized that he was in a fish tank.

" But this, this is impossible!" Aozora muttered to himself, slowly using his tail to _swim_ forward, as he stared at the colorful gravel, the green forest, the strange rocks, the massive fake volcano, the little treasure chest –

He smacked his snout on the glass wall of the other side.

" Oh shit!" he swore and backed away. This made no sense at all. He knew, sure as hell, that orcas were very big dolphins, very big ones. Much bigger than the room he was in right now and yet, here he was, the size of a fish tank fish in a fish tank!

And he was all alone.

" Damn you, Guardian!" he swore, flipping his tail and overturning the top of the treasure chest. Bubbles came streaming out of it. " Damn you and your damn mouth! Where'd the hell did you send me? This ain't Twilight Town! It's-"

" Bubbles!"

Quite abruptly, something shoved him aside and a yellow tang fish, with a paranoid craze in his eyes, fell all over the treasure chest, stopping the flow of bubbles. Aozora looked at him with consternation.

" My bubbles!" the yellow tang shot back.

" Whatever you say, man, I'm sorry, sheesh!" Aozora backed off…into a rather spiky blowfish.

" Yow!"

" Whoa! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" the blowfish backed off as well. " Just…uh…calm down! Don't panic. You've no need to panic, understand?"

" And why don't I have a need to?" Aozora asked slowly as a tiny cleaner shrimp, a starfish, a black-and-white humbug, and a royal gamma appeared from the depths of the tank as well.

" You're a killer!" The royal gamma screeched and hid behind the humbug, who gently calmed him down.

" Now, now, Gurgles, be nice to our…guest," she spoke with a frown on her face.

" Okay, will somebody tell me what's going on here?" Aozora demanded, eyeing this motley group of fishes worriedly. " For all I know, this ain't right. You guys talk and I'm supposed to be a killer whale. Did you do something to me? Because really I'm not supposed to be a killer whale!"

" But you look like one," the blowfish commented.

" And act like one," the royal gamma added fearfully.

Aozora eyed them. " I'm not! I'm not a freakin' orca, I'm a human being!"

They all gasped. "What, is something wrong with that?"

" A human being?" they all looked at each other. " Impossible. He's a fish alright…well, a whale actually….a really small whale…yeah…"

Aozora stared at them. " You know what, you fishies freak me out. Good day!"

" You know, you could be a bit nicer," the starfish commented. " You're not very nice."

" I am in a very serious situation right now, starfish," Aozora growled. " I have a right to be mad."

" Well would it help if I told you that you came out of the blue, like popped into the tank?" the starfish enquired.

Aozora thought for a moment. " Maybe…just give me some time to think. I don't get how this is all working the way it is…"

He slowly drifted through the fake forest of what he now knew as kelp, until he found a secluded corner and hid.

" This can't be right!" Aozora knew quite well that he was human, not a miniscule killer whale that breathed underwater. " Something must've gone wrong while the Guardian was transferring me here from In Between. That's it, something went wrong is what! But what? And why? Why am I here? For all I know I can't go after Sora looking like this!"

He felt a disturbance in the water, something he found he could sense quite easily and looked up from his reverie…

…staring face-to-face with a small young clownfish, a clownfish with a bad fin.

They stared at each other. Aozora stared at the wrinkled tiny fin beating madly in the water. The clownfish stared at the whole of him, his eyes wide with fear.

" Um…" Aozora decided to break the silence. " I'm not going to hurt you."

" But-but-but," the little fish stammered. Perhaps a young child among the fishes. " You're supposed to be big, big and one of those _air-breathers _But you're small, um…small and you aren't an _air-breather_."

" Well, I was supposed to be an 'air-breather'," Aozora admitted. " But something went wrong when I came here…this isn't what I'm supposed to be, believe me."

" You're something else?" the fish asked, fearful but madly curious at the same time. Aozora really did like that.

" Yes, I was supposed to be something other than this orca," he continued cautiously. " This is like some new skin to me. I'm frankly not used to this, especially swimming and not falling. See…I'm supposed to be one of those land dwellers. But I guess something really went wrong and here I am…an underwater miniature killer whale in a salt-water aquarium talking to a fish."

" Well…I come from the ocean," the little clownfish said proudly, swirling in the water, his big fin doing more work to compensate for the problematic little fin. " The big blue ocean."

" Is that so?" Aozora asked, trying to sound as kid-friendly as possible.

" Yup," the little fish nodded. " And my name's Nemo. What's yours?"

" Aozora," he replied in like. " If you're from the big blue, why are you in here?"

Nemo seemed to shrink. " Well…I-I disobeyed my father and went beyond the reefs back home. Some humans caught me and put me here. In two days, the human who caught me is giving me to this little girl and all the others said she's a fish killer!"

" A fish killer?" Aozora followed Nemo as the little clownfish swam to the window in the room, the one overlooking a harbor.

" My daddy's out there," Nemo said softly, almost to himself. " I wonder what he's doing…"

" Looking for you, maybe?" Aozora suggested, trying to lighten the somber mood.

" Fat chance," a cool voice fired from behind them. " There's no way he can make the jump from the harbor, if he ever decides to reach it, to this mangy dentist office."

" Oh hey Gill," Nemo referred to the giant moorish idol fish as he swam near, giving Aozora something like 'the eye'. Aozora coldly returned the stare. Nemo, caught in the middle of this exchange, quickly backed out. " Uh…guys? Hello?"

" Welcome, Guardian," Gill said slowly, his words harsh and precise. " It's about time you got back on track. What took you?"

" I should ask the same of you, considering the fact that a free-ranging fish like you is stuck in this stupid tank like the rest of the _fish_ here," Aozora snarled back. " Member of the Order, indeed. Aside from Cid Number Two, the Society spent the least time placing you under chain and lock…or should I say glass?"

Gill's eyes hardened into steel bits. " We have our limitations. As you have just so kindly noticed, I am a _fish_. I cannot pick myself out of the water, walk out of this dentist's office, and out to the great ocean. You do realize that."

Aozora glowered at him. " Why did they want you?"

" I'm part of the freakin' Order, you jackass!" Gill barked. Nemo and the others in the tank blinked at each other, started by Gill's behavior. " I wonder why they wanted me! Without me out there patrolling the seas, the Heartless could thrive in the waters, like they used to back in Atlantica, that waterlogged planet! Of course they've got other reasons as well…"

" Pray tell," Aozora asked in mock formality.

Gill heaved a sigh; he suddenly looked tired, very tired.

" Gill?" the starfish asked worriedly.

" I don't know much," Gill said quietly, " but I think it has to do with where I'm coming from. I was born in the seas of Deep Tranquility, a world now destroyed and gone, perhaps forever. I was lucky to have survived the blast that finished it off; like a shooting star, I fell here…in the world Australia."

" You came from another world?" the blowfish demanded. " You never told us that! You said you came from the big blue!"

" I did!" Gill shot back. " I landed in the _waters_ of _Australia_. There I was, in a world that I didn't know, among fish I never knew. The human child that fed me everyday I knew was gone as was the rest of his family. I remember that human child well. He was dark haired, with eyes like the bluest sea, and he always brought me something to eat. Those were the good days and I knew those days were long gone. He had a brother, too, but his brother didn't really like the ocean…never knew why. I knew he had the sea in him but he just seemed to plain scared of the water…"

" You're getting off topic here," Aozora offered to wake him up out of his reverie.

" Oh right, sorry, sorry, sorry," Gill shook his head back and forth, clearing the images from his mind. " Well, I lost my only friend, and I had to go around finding new ones. What luck. First I got caught by some stupid fisherman, then I ravaged my fin trying to get out of this damn tank. So…I've been trying to get out of here ever since."

" He's only been here like how long and already he's nearly killed himself!" the starfish exclaimed to Aozora.

" Do you guys have any names? Seriously, all I know here are Nemo and Gill," Aozora demanded.

" Bloat, pleased to meet you," the big blowfish grinned.

" Bonjour!" Jacques the shrimp bowed elegantly.

" Um…heheheheh, I'm Gurgle," the royal gamma said nervously.

" Bubbles!" the yellow tang exclaimed.

Aozora winced at this one. The yellow tang was not only obsessed with bubbles but his name _was _Bubbles. What a namesake.

" Deb here, and this is my twin sister Flo," the humbug introduced herself and her reflection.

" And your friendly neighborhood friend Peach," the starfish grinned. " Picked it up from those Spiderman movies the dentist shows now and then."

Aozora stared at her.

" Never mind."

" Gill thinks we have a chance to go home," Nemo said proudly, breaking the awkward silence. " He's got this plan and all, since Darla's coming in two days."

" Darla?" Aozora asked.

" The dentist's niece," Bloat explained. He then whispered, " She's a devil! A fish killer I tell ya!"

" Oh please stop mentioning her name!" Gurgle wept. " Oh please stop!"

" See, we had a tank mate, Chuckles," Deb explained patiently. " Last year, the dentist gave him to Darla. That was the last time we saw him alive."

" He killed her!" Gurgle shrieked. " Right in front of our faces, just like that!"

" And the dentist plans on giving Nemo to her!" Bubbles blurted out.

" This…is bad," was all Aozora could say.

''

" We've a plan to go and send Nemo up to the filter," Gill told Aozora later that day, after Aozora was given a tour of the tank. " I was thinking, " If we clog the filter, then the dentist has to clean out the tank. He'll put us in plastic bags and then we'll roll ourselves out the window, down the street, and into the harbor."

Aozora blinked. Was that really what Gill said? Is he that insane?

" Are you sure you're part of the Order?" he asked carefully. " Because that sure as hell doesn't sound like something someone of the Order would plan to do."

" When you're desperate, you're desperate," Gill sighed. " Believe me, out there in the big blue, I'd be more sensible, more calculating than this. Sure it's farfetched. You got any better ideas?"

" Uh…talk to the dentist?"

" Okay, _you're_ just plain crazy. There is no way you can do that without having someone wipe out his memory afterwards. You really think you can barge into his perfect little world by talking to him as a miniature killer whale? I don't think so."

This he said in a dangerously low voice.

" But Gill, remember that man who paid the dentist to keep you?" Peach shouted out but all the others heard was a muffle. Conveniently, she had her face flat against the glass.

" We can't hear you, Peach," Gill called out patiently; apparently they had gone through this many times before.

" I said 'Remember that scary looking man who paid the dentist to keep you'?" Peach repeated.

" Wait…that's a longer sentence," Bloat counted out.

Peach rolled her eyes. " You know what I mean."

" A strange man?" Aozora looked to Gill for an answer.

" What did he look like?" Nemo asked curiously.

" He was…" Gill started to look kinda funny. " He looked quite out of place. Really blue hair. Didn't quite like the look in his eyes…"

" Black trenchcoat?" Aozora knew who it was.

" Well, no," Gill answered.

" He's not Gothic," Peach added.

" Oh."

" But Peach, he was Gothic," Deb spoke up, then looked at her reflection. " Isn't that right, Flo?"

" All black, don't know what's wrong with him," Bloat agreed. " Who'd want to wear something that dark in this Australian weather?"

" I think I know…" Aozora offered, softly, knowing just what was going on here. " It's Domitan."

They all heard the door into the room swing. Gill looked at Aozora. " Quickly! Hide!"

Nodding, Aozora dived into the long green forest of the tank, then peeked out with his shining bronze eyes to see who it was that entered.

" Okay, right this way, young lady," the dentist said pleasantly as he led a teenage girl to the seat with all its contraptions built into it. " I'll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable."

The doctor hurriedly left. As soon as the door clicked shut, the teenage girl looked around to make sure the woman at the reception desk wasn't looking, then quickly got off the chair and hurried to the fish tank. Her blue eyes peered intensely into its watery depths.

" Wait a minute…" Aozora murmured as Gill ventured out.

" Gill, how are things in there?" the blonde girl asked tersely.

" Well, it would be a whole lot better if you can get me outta here!" Gill hissed back. " Why don't you just wipe out the damn dentist's memory and get it over with?"

" You know I can't do that!" the girl shot back. " The king was explicit on his order. I'm forbidden to tamper with memory.

Aozora stared. " You again…"

The teenager looked at the bronze eyes. " Gill, who is that?"

The moorish idol fish looked behind him. " Oh him? That's the damn Guardian, being where he ain't supposed to be."

" The Guard – what did they do? Why is he here? He's supposed to be at Twilight Town!" she exclaimed. " What happened?"

" Speak to him, like I'd know-"

" I know you," Aozora said, tying down the anger in his voice, " Naminé."

She sighed. " Yes, it's me, the brain hacker, the fiddler of memories. And I'm actually glad I found you. Aozora, I need to tell you something."

" Like what?"

" Do you remember anything before you came to Celt Circle?" Naminé asked.

Aozora was silent. " Well…no."

" What?" the others looked at him, then at Naminé, then at him again. " What does this have to do with anything?"

" I thought you wouldn't," she said quietly, looking away. " All you know is that you had a father, a mother, and a twin brother, huh?"

" I don't get it," Aozora said slowly. " What's going on?"

" Look Aozora, its my fault you don't remember anything," Naminé admitted, sighing. " When I found you, I…I messed up your memories."

Silence.

Total silence.

" Wait…what!" Gill turned on Naminé. " What did you do!"

" I…was an apprentice to a witch," Naminé began. " And I had been taught from a young age to help those who need it. So when I found someone washed up on the shores of town, I thought that it was best to 'change' his memories of whatever happened before, so he'll forget the shipwreck I thought he was in."

" Only there was never any shipwreck," Aozora concluded. " Was there?"

" None," Naminé shook her head. " After I found out my mistake, I tried to change it back. All I managed to link was your memory of who was in your family. Everything else…all your other memories…were lost. I couldn't bring them back; I was too young."

" You were certainly a precocious child," Gill muttered.

" So…does that mean I'll never find my memories, ever?" Aozora asked in despair. " Are they gone forever?"

She shook her head. " Remember, I was young. And inexperienced. Now I could undo whatever I had done. Back then, I didn't know how. And past deeds, I discovered, could not be undone. Undone by the one who tampered with the memories but, as Sora had done, the one who had been tampered with could bring back what was lost. The dreams you had back at Twilight Town involving your mentor…was really all my doing. I tried to bring back your old memories because I felt you had too much to do to spend time trying to find your memories…but instead I only found your most recent memories."

" And in the process, you made me forget much of what I'd gone through with the Society," Aozora concluded.

" See, your memories are picking up the pieces I've left already," Naminé smiled. " You knew much more of the Society before I played around a bit. But gradually it's been coming back to you. As you traveled with Sora, Donald, and Goofy, you were able to pick up things involving the Society that you thought might not have remembered. Eventually, either someone tells you the truth…or you find it yourself. I'm sorry, Aozora. Everything really is my fault. Because…who knows what might have been in your memories…"

She looked away, completely broken. Aozora swam to the glass wall and touched his snout against it. "Naminé…I understand. Some things just happen that way. Don't worry. You'll be happy once I find all of my memories."

" I hope so, Guardian," she smiled. " I hope so."

" Well this is all very strange," Bloat boomed. " A human child who can play with memories. Does that mean you can change mine, too?"

" I would but I'm forbidden to," Naminé replied.

" What keeps you back? There really is nobody to stop you," Peach muffled out.

" Peach, we can't hear you," Gill called out, rolling his eyes.

" Oui, oui, speak in the clear, Peach," Jacques nodded.

" I said, " What's keeping you back? There's nobody here to stop you,"" Peach repeated.

" Wait, that's longer than what you originally said," Bubbles counted out.

" That was _my_ line," Bloat grumbled back.

" Some of us, Peach, have a code of honor," Aozora answered for her. " Therefore, once we make a promise, we're bound to it."

" Just like Sora," Naminé spoke up, smiling. " He didn't know who I was or what my purpose was but he promised to protect me. And he held true to his word, when he could've just left me at the castle and gone on to find King Mickey, Kairi, and Riku. See, it was honor that bound him to finish what he had done."

" Makes sense, right Flo?" Deb asked. " O c'mon Flo, say something! See, she's always imitating me…"

" What are we going to do now, though?" Nemo asked, being rather timid around the blonde teenager.

" Wait and see," Naminé said optimistically. " I've been told that others have arrived to help fish you out of here."

" As in Sora?" Gill asked hopefully.

" You'll see."

Aozora nodded at this, then made to head back into the forest of kelp.

" Aozora," Naminé ventured to mention. " Listen, there _is_ one thing I managed to find from your early memories."

" Really?" Aozora turned around and quickly swam back, putting on the brakes fast enough to prevent himself from crashing into the glass wall.

" Yes, I've been wanting to tell you this for ages. It's some poetry, imprinted in your mind. I think maybe your mother read the poem to you many times before."

" My mother…" Aozora bowed his head. " If only I could remember her…"

" Maybe if I tell you the poem, you'll remember her," Naminé offered. " Shall I?"

Gill, Nemo, Bloat, Jacques, Deb, Bubbles, Gurgle, and Peach all looked at Aozora, who was deep in thought with his eyes closed. Then his great golden bronze eyes opened. " Tell me."

" As you wish, Guardian," Naminé smiled again. She never seemed to run out of them. " It goes like this:

Walking this road,

Without you,

To remake forgotten promises

And meet you at road's end.

Faded memories,

Reconstructed memories,

A dream – a dream of you,

In a world without you.

The dream I see in the world without you.

Torn dream, like a memory from the far past.

I'd like to put it together

With you…

I think, and this is my hunch, mind you, that your mother knew something was going to happen."

" And it did…" Aozora swam back into the forest of kelp.

" Aozora?" Nemo questioned, looking to where the orca had gone.

Silence answered him.

" Let him be, he needs time to think," Gill told Nemo. He looked up at Naminé. " Thank you. I think this may be the breakthrough we need."

" I know," she agreed solemnly, her smile suddenly gone from her face. " I hope so. Thing is, Gill…"

Here her voice dropped to a whisper. " Thing is, there was something I've kept in my mind forever, ever since I first saw into his mind and erased his memories. And from what I see, I don't think anybody's going to like what I'm going to be able to describe to them."

" Your secret is safe with me," Gill swore with all honesty.

" No time!" Deb suddenly exclaimed as they heard footsteps nearing the room.

" It's the dentist!" Gurgle shrieked. " Hide!"

''

Aozora drifted in the sea of kelp, keeping as far away from the dentist as possible. The poem jarred his mind, it kept playing over and over again in his head. But it wasn't Naminé reciting the verses. It was another voice, hazy, faded, far back in time. Someone was reading the poem to him, in another age long forgotten.

" Mother…" he whispered, as the lilting, soft voice repeated the poem in his head over and over again. Faded memories…a torn dream…with you…without you…

He saw something, hazily in his mind. Golden hair and smiling sky eyes.

" I remember your name," he whispered. " _Alara, _Mother."

**Chapter 56…**

" _Pooh, what have you done?"_

" _I saw an elephant do that once, quite by accident you know-"_

" _Remove the clot and you'll soon find out there are no rewards."_


	56. The Eye of the Storm

Author's Note: This will be the last time I warn you all of the reason for the Teen rating. Language is involved and you'll all see why else later on…anyways, yes some of you people are right. This is Riku…Enjoy! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 56: The Eye of the Storm**

Riku may have the powers of darkness but he was missing something: a weapon, a real physical weapon. In all his life, he had never faced danger without something physical that promised to inflict pain on the evil, on the enemy before him. First he had his Soul Eater, then he had his Dark Keyblade, the Heart Unlocker, but now he was practically weaponless, save his dark powers.

" Shiiiiit," he swore, as the great shadowy draconic thing rose up from the ground.

Tarzan swung out with his spear swiftly but was astonished to find his spear rush right through the dragon; it really was just a shadow.

" This is not good…" Sally murmured.

" Ae-aeroga!" Pooh exclaimed and cast the protective windshield around all three of them.

The dragon's head shot forward and pulled back at the windshield surrounding Riku. He had braced himself upon contact but was quite surprised by the power in the attack. He then flung at that mass of shadow an orb of darkness.

It tore a hole in the dragon and it shrieked. It struck out at all three of them and they went tumbling, despite the protection of the windshields. Riku's dark power did nothing more than enrage the beast.

" Major shit," Riku muttered, creating a large flat disc and chucking it at the great dragon.

With the roar of pain came a rain of attacks, driving Riku back. Tarzan was helpless against this non-physical being and Pooh's magic attacks seemed to be swallowed up by the shadows.

" Why isn't this working?" Riku thought, throwing another black disk.

" It's a shadow," Tarzan concluded, dodging the black tail. " Maybe it only responds to black magic."

" This is not black magic!" Riku snapped back. " It's the powers of the Darkness, different from black magic. And I can't be the only one fighting on like this forever!"

" What can I do?" Pooh asked worriedly. " Nothing's working for me but for you."

" Think of something!" Riku yelled back.

" Um…think, think, think…" Pooh sat down and tapped his head. Tarzan stared at him in astonishment. " Pooh, what are you doing?"

" Think, think, think, think…" Pooh knew there was something, some sort of connection, but he couldn't recall it. " Oh if only I could remember…the honey tree…I need some honey to help me think…bees and balloons, up the honey tree and think…"

But Sally quickly understood what he meant. " Pooh, that's it!"

" What's that?" Pooh looked up. Sally only smiled. She stretched out her hand, the one holding a small golden vial. " Fairy dust?"

" It'll bring shadows up into the air," Sally said softly. " That is what you tried to remember."

And then it clicked. " Oh I remember!"

He took the fair dust, turned to the scenario, and found that both Tarzan and Riku were busy distracting and bombarding the shadow dragon with Riku's dark magic. They did not notice Pooh approaching with the vial of fairy dust.

" Maybe…I should toss it to them," Pooh reasoned to himself out loud, then threw the fairy dust at Riku.

Riku, who was busy dodging the whipping tail, felt something hard bounce off his head. " Ow! What in-"

The rest of whatever it was he was gonna say got lost as glass shattered against the shadow dragon.

" The fairy dust!" Tarzan exclaimed. He quickly spotted the culprit. " Pooh, what have you done?"

The shadow dragon roared in sudden agony, thrashing and snapping off railing. As all who had perfect vision saw it, molding appeared on the shadow dragon, a sudden sense of 3-D. Then the dragon stood up and roared…and they saw that now it stood upon the ground solidly, did not melt into the ground as it did before.

" Riku, it's solid!" Sally called out. " Now everyone can strike!"

Tarzan decided to test that; he succeeded in taking off a good chunk of the dragon's tail. They watched as it went spinning over the edge and into the misty abyss below the castle, spraying dark liquid as it went.

" Fire away, Pooh!" Riku yelled.

" Water?"

All of them were immediately doused in water. The dragon roared again but Riku was just plain mad. " No, Pooh, I meant fire – you know what, never mind. Bad idea. Use Cure and Aeroga, Pooh"

" Stop?" Pooh questioned.

" Pooh, shit, no!" Riku yelled back. " You freakin' yellow son of a-"

" Riku, strike with all you got!" Tarzan exclaimed. " The dragon's frozen!"

" Huh?" Riku whirled around and realized that the shadow dragon that was formerly a shadow had indeed frozen. " Gotcha."

Summoning everything he had, he generated a massive ball of dark energy and tossed it at the frozen dragon.

The explosion that followed rocked the castle, throwing everyone to their feet as the great dragon burst. Liquid sprayed all over them, leaving behind a rather gooey mess.

" Now this is gross," Tarzan commented as he picked himself up. " Much worse than those caterpillars Terk showed me."

" You ate caterpillars?" Riku demanded as he got up. " Caterpillars! Why in fu-"

" C'mon, I think I know what we're supposed to do with the Crystal Trident," Sally said with a grin. " And Riku, mind your tongue. It's getting way out of hand."

" Oh I'm sorry for my rowdy tongue," Riku grumbled back. " My ass."

" I heard that!" Sally reprimanded.

" Sally, give me the trident," Tarzan said as they passed under the arches of gold. " I'm gonna toss it at that firebird."

" Aim right, Tarzan," Riku warned him, " or I might have your head for supper."

" That's not funny," Pooh said after a moment's silence.

" It was a joke, Pooh, a joke!" Riku practically yelled at him. _Why doesn't anyone understand me?_

" Aim right," Sally whispered as the dancing flame spotted the two warriors, the yellow teddy bear, and the scarecrow woman and soared towards them in a dance of flames.

Tarzan aimed carefully; he was an excellent marksman, mind you, and, as the flame neared, he threw the Crystal Trident at it.

A bird's cry rent the air and Riku grimaced again. First that hideous, hideous screech and now a bird's scream magnified ten times? This day was not kind for his ears.

" Oh my…" Sally murmured as the Crystal Trident shattered against the firebird and water sprayed everywhere.

" What, is it really a naked chicken?" Riku grumbled.

" A chicken?" Tarzan seemed to have never heard of one before.

" Never mind."

" It is a bird, a hawkish bird with a swan's neck and golden feathers," Sally described, evidently enraptured by the great winged beast. " A most beautiful beast."

" Ah…I don't think it looks very happy to see us, Sally," Pooh said nervously.

" Never consort with the enemy," Riku commented. " Take that!"

He threw a ball of dark energy but the bird merely avoided it.

" You missed," Tarzan replied calmly, then leaped up and began swinging vigorously at the bird, thwacking it constantly but failing to inflict any serious injury on the golden bird.

" Fire!" Pooh exclaimed.

" Pooh, no!" Riku knew what happened with elementals and like spells.

" What?"

The bird shrieked again as part of its wing exploded into flames. Then the great hawkish creature gave a keening cry.

" Pooh, don't use fire!" Riku shouted.

" Fire?"

" No!"

He hastily brought up dark shields and deflected the fire spell. " Water, Pooh, water!"

" Water?"

The bird avoided the weak spray of water. Tarzan could not help but comment, " I saw an elephant do that once, quite by accident you know-"

" Enough details," Sally interrupted.

" Okay, Pooh, use Water, Watera, and Waterga all you want," Riku gave him the rules. " Cure and Aeroga are fine but only on us. No fire. Thunder may be okay but NO FIRE!"

" Okay," Pooh smiled. " I get it now. Fire on fire doesn't do anything, right? What about ice?"

Riku thought for a second. " Okay, I guess that's okay, too. Duck!"

Pooh dropped onto his stomach and felt wind rush over his back. " Oh that was close."

" Pay attention or we won't be happy," Riku warned him.

" And you'll never find your friends," Tarzan threw in for extra measure.

" Oh…"

" Tarzan, that was harsh."

" Sorry."

" Enough. I can't do anything but you three can. Do something!" Sally informed them of the reason for their existence.

Tarzan bounded up and jabbed with his spear, succeeding in yanking out some tail feathers. The bird shrieked in fury and dove down at him.

" Waterga!" Pooh yelped. Water splashed on the bird's head and it quickly backed up, startled.

" Take that, you stupid chicken!" Riku tossed a black ball at it, smoking feathers on its chest but unable to get in deeper. It seemed that the bird's layer of feathers protected it from many outer attacks. It needed something physical like Tarzan's spear or magic of the type like Waterga to penetrate the bird.

" Damn it!" Riku grumbled.

" Riku, manipulate your dark powers," Sally advised him. " If you can make shields with the darkness, think of what else you can make."

He was missing the Dark Keyblade. He needed a physical weapon right now, or at least something that could penetrate the feathers. And he had an idea.

Riku opened his right hand, palm up, and focused all his energy on the air right above it, forcing out a great orb of black energy. Then he used every last bit of will power, trying to force the dark energy to elongate into a long blade with a sharp end. It was hard, very hard.

" I…don't think its…made for…manipulation…" Riku quipped through gritted teeth while Tarzan and Pooh succeeded in taking out more tail feathers and drenching out the fire on its wing. But under his powerful will, the orb grew into an oval, then elongated even more until it became a long rounded cylinder sparked with purple and glowing black. Riku twitched his left hand and two-thirds of it flattened into a sharp edge.

" Riku, you did it!" Sally exclaimed.

He took an expert swing, thought better, and produced another orb in his left hand. With a slight twitch, it flattened into a small round dark shield. He dropped his left hand but the shield stayed floating, a hovering dark disk that moved at his command.

" Chicken for dinner," Riku muttered, then charged.

Tarzan, aiming once again, threw his spear and it passed through the bird's left wing. As golden feathers spread everywhere the bird shrieked and attacked the spear as it lodged itself in the flesh. Flapping madly, it could not avoid a blast of water in its face and left off a roar, belching out hot flames that sent Pooh running. Then Riku appeared, the shield left his side to stopper the blast of fire, and jumped at the bird, the black edge ready to bite.

See, Riku never exactly held it by the handle; he simply controlled it by his hand's proximity to the dark energy. His hand hovered over its handle as he swung his arm down at the swan-like neck Sally had described.

The great fire bird collapsed; its head went in one direction and its body fell in another direction. Gold-red blood spurted from the gap in between where Riku's makeshift sword had ended its apparently short life.

" There's something in the blood," Tarzan noted, touching the slightly hot liquid with his fingers.

" Don't touch it," Riku ordered; there was some strange power in it. He could feel it

But Pooh was drenched in it and he was sitting in it, too, with a stupefied look. " It feels…funny, like my empty tummy…"

Riku held back a sigh. " Let's see…"

He removed the glove from his right hand and touched the golden liquid blood.

" This is a potent mix," Sally, safe from the mess, studied the strange liquid. " I think it's a power enhancer of sorts."

" What makes you say that?" Tarzan asked, picking up his spear from the blood and making his way out of the mess.

" Golden blood often signifies power," Sally explained, then pointed to Tarzan's spear. " Study it."

Tarzan stared at his weapon. The wood of the rainforest had become dark, lacquered, and very hard, not to mention shiny. And the spearhead…

" This is the lava stone." He felt over the large obsidian spearhead, admiring its jet-black shine.

" I don't feel anything," Pooh countered. " But I feel full. Like I had some honey from the honey tree."

" Did you eat this, Pooh?" Riku demanded, lifting his hand up and watching the gold liquid spill out of his hand and back onto the floor.

" No."

" Oh. Okay. How strange…ow! Damn, this is hot stuff!"

" I don't feel anything."

" You're a bear, Pooh, a teddy bear. You don't have sensors like we do, therefore all the pain you feel comes from your heart."

" Oh."

Riku felt his hand, checking for any burns. When his gloved left fingers encountered something smooth and hard, he pulled off the glove with his teeth and ran over the palm of his right hand again with bare fingers. Again he met something smooth and hard, like a healed burn.

" What the…" He pressed down and bit back a yelp; power fired from the palm of his right through the fingers of his left and up his shoulder.

" What's wrong?" Sally demanded.

" Uh…nothing," Riku quickly shot back as he pulled his gloves back on. " Nothing's wrong, really. Come on, Pooh, let's go inside Hollow Bastion."

He sounded very dull as he finished completing the sentence.

" Don't cry over melted ice cream, Riku," Sally advised. " What's done is done. Worry about what we may face once we are inside, not what happened here the year before."

" I know…" Riku groaned as they neared the great double doors.

" Is it just me," Pooh ventured to say, " or do I have a bad feeling about this?"

''

Once he took a step into Hollow Bastion, Riku knew something was wrong.

It wasn't the silence that bothered him; it was a clash of power somewhere in the deep of the castle but ruffled his sense and put him on the alert. Something was going in the library, wherever it was.

" Nothing's changed about the entrance, I see," Sally noted, striding to the fountain that sat between two staircases that joined at the top. " But something, I think, is wrong."

" I know," Riku agreed. " Pooh, stay with Sally. You two stay here, right _here_. Don't leave the fountain, whatever you do. Tarzan, we're heading for the library. I've a feeling we're going to find something rather unpleasant."

" But Riku," Pooh questioned, " what if something comes?"

" Uh…" Riku spotted several tall, empty pots around the rim of the semi-circular room. " Hide in those. If you think you can take them out, though, do so."

Pooh nodded. Sally then said, " I will study the fountain. There's something funny about it, too."

" Everything is funny to you, Sally," Riku muttered, then ran up the stairs. Tarzan followed close behind.

" The door is supposed to be to the left," Riku informed as they slowly, and as quietly as possible, inched in the direction Riku mentioned. " But let's not go in yet."

He felt along the wall until he came upon the ornate frame of double doors. Dropping to his knees but ready to jump up at a moment's notice, he pressed his ear against the door.

Tarzan studied his actions for a few minutes, then did the same thing.

"…an insane airhead and a fool."

Riku blinked under his blindfold. What was a girl doing here in Hollow Bastion?

" You…"

Okay, now he knew who this was. He had the privilege of not meeting him in his journey through Castle Oblivion, having heard of the fearsome things this member of the Society had done but really, what was Domitan doing here? And who was he talking to?

" Shut up!"

_Click_.

" Tarzan," Riku hissed. " Someone's entered the library from above; go there. I'll go through here. I think it's a two-way ambush or something."

Clearly Domitan had a quarrel with this girl, but why? And who was she? And who had also entered the library, this time from the door on the second floor?

Tarzan swiftly headed for the platforms surrounding the fountains that continuously hovered up and down. Riku carefully searched out the handle and pulled it open.

A musty smell, mark of old books, slammed in his face as he carefully shut the door behind him. He summoned a dark shield, finding himself rather surprised when he found he could call upon his dark powers much quicker than usual. And then he threw out feelers of darkness, searching for other life forms that carried their own black pools.

His feelers met a sudden block, in the tall form of a man trying to choke a teenage girl with his forearm. Anger rushed through his veins and Riku rushed forward.

A few feet from Domitan, Riku unfortunately heard another voice saying, " Domitan, behind you!"

Riku threw up the shield as Domitan turned, letting the girl slump to the floor. They clashed and Riku jumped back, forcing another black orb into a long blade.

" Well met, Riku of the Twilight," Domitan grinned, whipping out his whip.

" It's Dawn, you 'airhead'," Riku snapped back. " What are you doing here?"

" I should ask the same of you," Domitan hissed back as he let fly the whip; Riku's shield rushed up to meet it. " What are _you_ doing here?"

" It doesn't concern you."

" My point exactly. What I do doesn't concern you either."

Riku hastily deflected the whip, then charged forward, pushing Domitan back. " And who were you so desperately trying to kill?"

" A traitor," the blue-haired man hissed back. " Just like you."

This time Riku found himself on the defense, stumbling backwards. Domitan grinned. " I thought you were more powerful than that. Pity Crimson wouldn't let me test you back at the blasted castle."

" Diz?" Riku questioned.

" It does not matter; you're weaker than I thought," Domitan sidestepped the question.

" Am not!" Riku growled back and furiously parried back.

This went on for a few more minutes, with both of them going nowhere, when Axel's voice yelled out, " We're outnumbered! This battle's going to take much longer than planned. Let's get out of here and leave them alone!"

" About time," Domitan shot back, then quickly withdrew from the fight. Riku, breathing hard, stood up straight and demanded," Going somewhere, punk?"

" It does not concern you," Domitan said rather delicately. " I'd rather waste my time doing something other than fight something as pathetic as you, you blind fool."

" Being blind is not without its rewards," Riku snapped back.

" Remove the cloth," Domitan said, turning away, " and you'll soon find out there are no rewards."

He quite suddenly vanished.

" Hey, get back here, you!" Riku yelled. " Running away, huh? Get back here, you blue-haired coward, you fu-"

" Would you just shut up!" the girl's voice shouted at him from behind. " Geezes, the racket you're making is giving me a headache!"

" Oh, sorry!" Riku found his way to the girl. " Are you alright?"

" No broken bones, sore throat, bruises, privacy intact, yep, I'll live," the girl replied, struggling to her feet. " That's enough reading for today. Never going to look at libraries the same way again."

" Reading?"

" Oh yes, its this book. Can you do me a favor? Take this book with you to Twilight Town and give it to Cid Two. He'll make copies and send it onward to Cid One back in Traverse Town, thanks."

" Uh, okay…" Riku said hesitantly as he felt a book in his arms. " Who are you?"

" My name is Lorien d'Cadia but believe me, it's a stupid last name and I never use it," she spoke, seemingly unaffected by Domitan's rough treatment. She also acted like the boss around here, which was itching on his nerves." We were looking for some stuff Ansem wrote but I only found this one. I'm not sure what Kobi found, though…"

_Kobi_.

Riku blinked. For some strange reason, that name struck an odd chord in his mind, his memory. Where had he heard that name before?

" Hey, Riku, are you okay?" Lorien asked worriedly.

" You know my name? Who told you?"

" Dude, everyone who works for King Mickey knows who in hell a blindfolded, silver-haired idiot is!" Lorien exclaimed, poking him on the head. " Use your head; I heard you were supposedly smart!"

Riku bristled again. " And your being pissed off doesn't scare me. I've been through enough for nothing to scare me."

" Some things scare you," another voice called out from above. " Lorien, it's time to bail. I think we've been here a bit too long. If Axel and Domitan alert the others in here, we'd be in very serious trouble."

" Right, right, I'm coming," Lorien replied. " Okay, Riku, here's the deal: you go to Twilight Town. You'll…meet someone there who'll give you a key to a very special door. Lock the door and don't screw up. I will personally kick your ass if you do. And if feathers fall from the sky, assume the worst."

" Feathers?" Riku echoed. " Feathers! Why feathers!"

" Give whatever you were reading to whoever's up there with you," Lorien called out. " Cid Two can make copies. We need to go to Traverse Town. Kobi, leave the book _alone_. Let's go."

" I'm coming, I'm coming," Kobi grumbled. They heard a book drop on a desk, then he came walking down the stairs. " Oh…"

" Yeah, that's Riku," Lorien affirmed while Riku cocked a head in his direction. " Impressive guy, huh? Walked through the darkness and still survived."

" I don't give up easily," Riku informed.

" Whatever you say," Lorien ignored him completely. " I think maybe there's a train station around here somewhere. Not the castle, of course, but somewhere out there. We'll take the train to Traverse Town."

" Alright," Kobi nodded, then looked at Riku. " You look familiar…"

Riku started; that was what he had initially thought when he had heard Kobi's name. Had they met before. " Have we, uh…met before?"

Kobi was silent for a few minutes. " I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But you do look familiar…your silver hair does, at least."

Riku touched his shock of hair. " This hair? I haven't appreciated my hair that much, since what Ansem did to me a while back…"

Lorien sighed. " Bad memories, huh?"

" Next time I meet him, he's dead."

" You'd better hope you can meet him so you can demand payment from him," Kobi said darkly. Then, he threw out a question into the open. " What happens if you remove your blindfold?"

Silence.

" Kobi, what kind of question is that?" Lorien demanded of him.

Silence.

" I don't know. But…I think I need to know. I don't know why."

Silence.

" I think you've offended him. Apologize."

" No need," Riku said slowly, his fingersd reaching his blindfold. " I've a feeling I need to see who you two are for myself."

" What, can't trust us?" Lorien asked in amusement.

" Well, its not just that," Riku replied, slowly undoing the blindfold. " Kobi's voice…sounds familiar. Maybe, if I could see his face, I could know just where in heck he came from."

''

" Sally, why are you looking in the water?" Pooh asked curiously; he couldn't see what Sally was seeing.

" I'm seeing what our two friends are doing," she replied. " Why is Riku removing his blindfold?"

" He is?" Pooh asked in astonishment.

" What is he doing?" Sally wondered, leaning closer to the water.

In the rippling surface, she saw Tarzan appearing behind Riku, carrying an old book. Riku, who was also holding an old book, was slowly pulling away his blindfold, while the two pupils of the mentor, Eldest, looked on. The silver-haired boy looked rather nervous; the red-haired girl looked on sternly.

" The eyes of the storm," she gasped. " That explains the blindfold…"

"What does?" Pooh demanded, trying to climb up the ledge that Sally sat on as she stared into the water. " What does?"

" The blindfold," she murmured. " This is the consequence of the darkness. You get some, you give some. What a sacrifice."

As Riku removed his blindfold, he opened his eyes to the waking world for the first time in many months. Both Lorien and Kobi jerked back in surprise.

On the outer rims of the iris were colors, iridescent colors of the tropical sea but as one moved inwards towards the pupil, all became white. His eyes were, in essence, hot, glowing white flames tinged sea-blue.

Riku immediately squinted in the dim light; perhaps the light was blinding him. If there was one thing Sally knew, it was that eyes like those were extremely sensitive to light and one needed near-darkness in order to see, which would explain the blindfold.

" Riku…"

''

Riku blinked, then blinked again. Everything was shaky, shaky and ultimately too bright. He could barely make out the forms of two people before him, though he did locate the owner of the silver hair quickly.

" Riku, your eyes…" Lorien stared in horror.

He peered at Kobi, trying to see his face. " I – I can't see. I can't see!"

He shut his eyes, felt hot tears forming. " Why am I blind? Why can't I see anymore? Why? What's wrong with me!"

He dropped the book on the floor and quickly covered his eyes again. But still, he felt a tear crawl down his face from under his blindfold. He angrily dashed it away, picked up the book, and turned to go. " See you again next time."

He yanked the hood over his head and strode out of the library, shoving the door open and slamming it shut behind him. Tarzan, who had not seen his eyes, stared at him in astonishment, then bounded after him. " Riku, wait!"

That left only Kobi and Lorien, who looked on as the double doors banged shut. Lorien looked at Kobi.

"His eyes…like white fireballs," she murmured. " How'd he end up that way?"

Kobi shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image. " Lorien, I'm suffocating, let's get out of here. I…don't want to stay here any longer."

Lorien had to agree. Things were starting to get out of hand.

**Chapter 57…**

" _But the dreams do not lie."_

" _You can never come home again."_

" _Secondly, they might not be Keyblade Wielders."_

Author's Note: If my page break system is not working, then blame not me! Jk but really, it has a tendency to malfunction. On the other hand, please check out my new Kingdom Hearts fanfic Song of the Blue Moon!


	57. The Eternal Calm

Author's Note: There is a reason why this chapter's labeled 'The Eternal Calm' and no, I am not referring to Spira. I don't know what else to say, except thank you to all you wonderful readers who give me the incentive to keep going! Thank you, thank you, thank you…hoo, I'm in a good mood today; just been to one of the best birthday parties in my life…long story, though. Well, enjoy! Oh and a warning: beware of malfunctioning page breaks! You might get confused… 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 57: The Eternal Calm**

" I don't like this one bit," Merlin murmured to Oracle Kenaii. " If you put two and two together, it doesn't make sense at all!"

" But the dreams do not lie," the oracle reasoned. " The last son of the Keyblades is not among the dreams; he is not lost to us. And what Kairi said, about our young Guardian…"

" But he is _not_ the Keyblade Master!" Merlin countered. " Sora and King Mickey are the current and only Keyblade Masters right now. There are no others."

" Remember the prophecy? ' Change the Third Key'?" Oracle Kenaii added. " We have two Keys; we are missing a third."

" That does not mean the Guardian's the last son!" Merlin shot back. " Recall this, Kenaii – refugees sometimes go unnoticed, unmarked, unrecorded. Therefore, we may have other survivors, survivors we have not counted on. It may be another person who's the last son of the Keyblades. And recall that official records give this child two names: his official name Kurozora and his secret name Aros. There is nobody out there who bears either of the two names."

" True, true." Oracle Kenaii, however, refused to accept defeat. " But the facts do not lie: I have not found the son of the Keyblades and Aozora recalls his life on Celt Circle. This world was destroyed in his time; he must have been living on this world to have recalled it. And if he survived it and I cannot find the last son's dream, then what would you conclude?"

" That there's still too many gaps," Merlin grumbled back. " Eye colors don't change! His eyes are bronze, like polished weaponry! Kurozora was recorded as blond and hazel-eyed."

" Well, you're right on that part…" Oracle Kenaii was forced to agree; biological factors are permanent, unchanging. " Have any of you guys seen a child with blond hair and hazel eyes?"

He turned to Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Iago, only to be met with blank stares and stunned silence. Every eye was on him. Oracle Kenaii sighed. " Why do I even try?"

" You two make yourselves less and less reasonable, with every step we take towards finding this Universe's door," Tidus observed.

" Exactly. They're always talking amongst themselves, leaving us here in the dark," Selphie added scathingly. " They never tell us where we're going and what's the whole story behind everything we're doing."

" We do tell you," Merlin protested, giving his wand a twirl in the process.

" Not enough," Kairi had to agree. " You two seem to know what we don't know. Explain that."

" Yeah, at my feathery a-"

Tidus reached up and clamped Iago's beak shut.

" Well, truth is, we don't know as much as you do," Oracle Kenaii said. " We sound like we do but we only do so in trying to calm you down. If we were to tell you we were bullshitting everything, you might as well go crazy and give up this mission."

" You were bullshitting everything?" Selphie gaped in astonishment. " Everything you told us wasn't true?"

" No, no, no!" Merlin held his hands up. " Oracle, way to go. We…are on the same journey you four are. We know a bit more, yes, considering our age, with Oracle Kenaii in particular. However, we are as much in the dark as you four are."

" So you don't know as much as we do?" Kairi questioned.

" I apologize for leading your mind elsewhere," Merlin said. " See, we concluded that if you were to learn that we knew nothing as well, then you would have no reason to go so far on this journey for the truth. Therefore we decided-"

" But I have a reason."

Merlin studied Kairi for a moment. " That is true. You do. But what of the others?"

" Well, I intend to stick with Kairi and see to it that she gets to Sora," Selphie declared, crossing her arms before her and glaring at the ghost and the old man.

" I want to get out of here and go back to Spira," Tidus informed.

" And I want to meet my pals again," Iago added. " So you see, we've got our own reasons."

Merlin looked at Oracle Kenaii. " We're so busted."

" I think you are," Selphie agreed menacingly.

''

" So besides this prophecy, what do we do know about Celt Circle?" Kairi asked as they meandered along the gray shorelines of the lonesome world. " You know, like what have we concluded about this world, what's gonna happen to this world, and where are we headed next?"

" To answer your first question, it seems that hope may still live, since we cannot find the last son of the Keyblades," Oracle Kenaii said glumly. " This world sacrificed all its goodness and glory for doom and death when they discovered the child by the seashore."

" Oh," Selphie said in a very small voice.

" To answer your second question," Merlin input," this world cannot be saved."

" What?" Kairi demanded.

" What does that mean?" Tidus wondered.

" This is a damned world," Merlin sighed. " For all good things must come to an end. So did this world come to its end. Forever it will be in our memories; it will no longer exist in the Real Universe. But do not be so sad. Don't you see? This world still lives? Unlike other places, life still breathes upon these gray shores. And the dreams? They have found peace. See for yourself."

In the hazy mist, they realized that they had walked right into a ghost town, a village by the sea. Everything was ominously translucent and faintly they heard the gulls cry and the children laugh, as they passed through buildings, through people, through this village. Women laughed, men joked, and children merrily went about, with a happiness and innocence that Kairi missed.

" They're…happy," she smiled.

Selphie shrunk away. " Can they see us? Like those two kids back there? They scare me."

" No, they no longer see us," Oracle Kenaii reassured her. " See, this is their Paradise. All they ever wanted was to live in peace on Celt Circle; that was what they wanted. Though all they knew and loved were lost to the Real Universe, they still live here…In Between, in Celt Circle, in dreams, in our hearts. Their eternal calm has been found; we have given it to them."

Iago looked up at the seagulls flying above them. " Now they can no longer see us…"

" It's better that they don't," Tidus spoke up. " Better to live in their own little world than to look to us wishing they were one of us again."

" True," Merlin acknowledged Tidus' understanding of this sad fate. " They are forever locked in this way; they can no longer go back to what they have been. That is the cruelty of all things. Eventually you can never go back to what you once were; you can only go forward, but at what cost?"

" A heavy price," Kairi whispered, her eyes distant. " You can never come home again."

The others were silent for a moment, pondering this strange statement.

"Are you referring to Sora, perchance?" Iago demanded.

Kairi refused to answer. " And where do we go now, Merlin, Kenaii? We are done here; where to now?"

" To the land of eternal calm," Merlin informed. " And everlasting mystery."

" This is the world we hope to resurrect," Oracle Kenaii elaborated as the seashore faded away into hazy gray. " Death shrouds it and mystery darkens it. Its name is most deceiving, for it has not been what its name implies."

" This was where the last of a dynasty died," Merlin continued. " A dynasty that began long ago with the first Keyblade Masters. See, like I said, Keyblades choose the right of heart but it prefers this family; every few generations, one is chosen to wield the Keyblade, to whatever end, be it happy or be it dark. The last descendents were living in this world…they vanished, along with the rest of the world when it detonated so many years ago. About twelve-thirteen years ago, Deep Tranquility was lost in what we call the Big Bang, which set off a chain reaction that brought about meteor storms and chaos of the worst kind."

" And we're going there to find out why?" Selphie asked.

" Right on target," Oracle Kenaii nodded. " We hope to find answers there…and find out the truth once and for all."

He glared at Merlin as he said this.

" What will we find there?" Tidus wondered.

" Something as gloomy as Celt Circle, I can tell you that," Iago muttered.

''

"…unrecorded but he did survive the Big Bang," Merlin told Kairi as the landscape around them became filled with gray-tinged flora. " I'm not sure if it's such a big deal but then again it had been said that nobody survived the Big Bang, nobody but one child. We came to two conclusions about this while back: either it's the last child of the Keyblades or Aozora. We couldn't trace back any further, since we lost all contact with that child, Kurozora, and Aozora not only went off with King Mickey and Eldest for several years, someone had tampered with his memory."

" Really?"

" Someone wiped out his memory clean," Merlin shook his head, his long beard swishing. " Inexperienced as this person was, he or she succeeded in turning his mind _tabula rasa_. He knows nothing of his past, so we cannot trace it back."

" Tabula rasa?" Tidus echoed.

" 'Clean slate', a philosophical thing," Oracle Kenaii added as they stumbled upon a road made of worn stones.

" Oh. That makes sense."

" That's…so sad," Kairi murmured. " He knows nothing then, except for what he remembers of Celt Circle."

" Which really bothers me but so far we haven't enough information to fish out and piece together the pieces of the truth." Merlin took off his spectacles, cleaned them, and pushed them back on up his nose. " Therefore, we go to Deep Tranquility, and we find the truth."

" Behind all this?" Selphie demanded. " That's an awful lot of things to recall, remember, and try to answer."

" Which is why we're not answering all the questions," Oracle Kenaii informed. " We want to answer one thing and one thing only: what happened on the night Deep Tranquility was destroyed?"

" And that answers everything else?" Tidus asked.

" Of course," Merlin replied. " We'll know what became of King Mickey, what happened to the original wielder of two of the Keyblades, and what happened of the wielder's children."

" What do you mean by King Mickey?" Iago demanded suspiciously.

" And what two Keyblades?" Selphie added.

Oracle Kenaii could only sigh. Kairi answered for him, though. " He means by that prophecy: Change the Third Key. That means there are three Keyblades out there. We know of Sora's Keyblade and King Mickey's Keyblade; now we need to know what happened to the last one."

" Which will be answered here, in the land of eternal calm, Deep Tranquility," Oracle Kenaii boomed, coming to a sudden stop at the top of a hill in the middle of the road and stretching his arms out. He looked down upon something and his voice had a ring of sadness to it.

" Oh, of all the things I've seen," Merlin whispered as he joined the specter, closing his eyes and looking away.

The four others looked at each other with certain consternation. If these two had problems with Deep Tranquility, what could that mean? But they joined the two ahead of them, anyways, and all together, they looked down from the hill upon what was called Deep Tranquility.

Or what its former glory was.

Trees, blasted into bits, remained only as charred and jagged stumps upon scorched ground. Rubble was strewn everywhere, whatever remained of homes and shops and monuments of all sorts. Boats from the far seashore sat among the rubble, forced inland. Many had smashed themselves up against what was once trees; vases and jars and amphorae were strewn everywhere, shattered into pieces or intact in all its tragic, gray glory. And everywhere there were traces of life.

" This…this is horrible…" Selphie choked up and turned away. She had seen a little girl's doll on top of a fallen wooden boat bearing the name _Katherine_.

" By Spira…" Tidus wiped tears from his eyes. " This…this is so much worse than what I've come to know…"

Iago bowed his head. He had seen enough. First Celt Circle, now this land of destruction and death. This was getting out of hand. Iago's world of desert and friends had been interrupted by darkness and now he had just seen what this darkness could do.

" This is evil," he finally whispered.

Kairi stared, silent in the face of the epitome of darkness and death. There was something about this, this place, that told her that something was wrong. It was a world waiting for someone to release its darkest secrets, the secrets of memories that it held within. And briefly, just briefly, she saw the world as it once was, its buildings erect and glorious, the ships bobbing at sea, and life, bustling and busy as it was, before something took it all away.

Deep Tranquility was waiting for her to unlock its darkest mysteries. The key was here.

" If…" she said quietly, " if we unlock the secrets of this world, will it solve everything?"

" It depends on how much was lost with it," Merlin replied slowly. " Why?"

" It calls," she whispered. " It wants someone to release its darkest secrets. Something happened here long ago, that left a stain on this world. An evil mark."

Selphie shivered at this. " Stop it, Kairi, you're starting to scare me."

Kairi shook her head, brushing away her red bangs. " Don't you see, Selphie? That's what we've been doing. We've been purging each of the worlds here of its stain of evil. As we purge each world, we unlock one more piece to this strange puzzle. Ansem's reports are part of the key; they tell us of the evils we must face. Maybe he was good in heart after all, when he began his research."

" He was once good but humanity got to him and corrupted his vision," was all Oracle Kenaii would say.

" As we purge each world, we take one step closer to unlocking the key, the key to this evil, the key to why things are the way they are. One step closer…and we can solve the mystery. Maybe," Kairi thought, " maybe that's what our whole purpose was. There's a reason to why things happen the way they do and it's up to us to find out the truth."

_If it's the truth you seek, why not find it?_ Dream Heart materialized before them, looking worse for wear.

" What happened to you?" Selphie demanded.

_Cleaning up a mess_, it replied enigmatically. _I was checking on your progress. It seems Kairi's got a serious point in this. If we can find out this world's dark secrets, we may solve nearly every problem there is._

" Nearly?" Iago squawked.

_Only Sora can find the Door of Light. And he is no closer to it now than he was last year. First Castle Oblivion, now all this on Heartless, Dusk, the Society…they're trying to keep him away from the Door of Light. And his own memories. They seem to know more than we do in this matter. Beat them to it, Kairi._

" Like we haven't been doing just that?" Selphie snorted. " I'd be glad to go back home once this is all over with."

" Home…" Tidus murmured.

_There is no home that you can call your own until the Door of Light is found_, the Dream Heart spoke, dashing Selphie and Tidus' hopes right there and then. _For all that you know and love will either be destroyed or changed; nothing will be the way it was before. You cannot go back. You may look behind you but all you can do is understand it. You can only go forward. And that is where our fears lie._

" Fears?" Merlin looked sharply at the being in the armor of the Nobodies. " The threat magnified!"

_The Guardian's run into a little problem_, the Dream Heart explained. _The Guardian of the Cave of Wonders botched up on his job to take Aozora to Twilight Town; he's not there right now but elsewhere._

" Oh great," Oracle Kenaii moaned, rubbing his face and stretching at his skin. " This is bad."

" Meaning we cannot waste any time," Kairi said firmly. " Is there a tower of dreams here, or a place where we can unlock dreams?"

_Not dreams, no_, Dream Heart informed. _Deep Tranquility has none of that sort. However, this world has its own key, its own key to the greater key that hides from us all we must know. If you can find the key, you may solve half of all our problems._

" And the other half?" Iago demanded.

_We…leave that up to Riku_, and the Dream Heart vanished.

" So Riku's got his own little job, eh?" Selphie smirked. " He's a busy one."

" For a good reason," Kairi said. Selphie's smirk of a smile vanished when she realized that Kairi was very serious about it.

" Let us walk down this road to where the eternal calm ended," Oracle Kenaii called out as he began the long descent down the gently sloping hill. " For it was here that everything came undone…and your stories began."

''

It was a walk of silence, a moment of silence, to honor those silenced by this nightmare that had begun to take hold of the rest of the Universe. The further they went down, the closer they reached the rubble of the once-busy city.

" Due to its size, we must call it a city," Merlin explained when they reached the borders of a small farm on the outskirts of the ruins. " Oh it doesn't have big signs and modern buildings but it is, or was, very big and populated with many people. It was once one of the most important cities in the Universe, third only to Disney's Disney Castle and the palace-cities of Old Citadel. Disney's past glory is in the past and Old Citadel is only a memory now; here, it is all ruins. Ah but you should have seen this world in its glory days."

" You were there?" Tidus asked. " Oh right, you're not so young."

Merlin looked very put off by this. " Do you suspect my years? My age? My gray beard? I am your elder, young man, and don't you forget it!"

" My bad!" Tidus yelped. " I'm so sorry! I apologize!"

Merlin grumbled something about 'youngsters' and marched ahead of the group of a wicked pace, causing everyone save Oracle Kenaii to run after him.

" What!" Tidus demanded when he realized everyone was staring – glaring at him.

''

But there really wasn't much to look at once they reached the actual city. There was nothing to lead them here and there, no clues as to what had happened to cause such a disaster, besides the long stone road led to the harbor and the gray sea.

" You really think we can find anything in this mess?" Iago demanded as Tidus kicked at a still-standing stand and watched it topple to the ground.

Selphie shrugged. " We might as well try."

" Haven't you heard of that adage?" Iago asked. " You know, the one that says: try, try again. And then stop. No use in keep on doing…keep on doing it….um…okay, well I can't remember most of it. But there's the general idea. Try twice, then stop. No use doing it again if we're not going anywhere."

" We've been trying," Selphie shot back, walking across what was apparently a creaking floor of a house. " We got somewhere. _Here_."

" All the same, there is no way anything can be found in this mess!"

" You are a pessimistic winged rat. I just wanna squash you and grrr…"

" Good dog. Now stop growling!"

" Says you, you freakin' monkey. Natter, natter, natter, day and night, every second, every minute."

" Now don't you start comparing me to Abu!"

" Who?"

Kairi sighed. Good ol' romantic Selphie, in an argument with a red parrot that won't shut up. Lovely.

She suddenly looked up. A breeze was blowing here, too, a soft lulling zephyr from the sea. Something stirred in her heart, a calling of the sea. The calling was not her own but it was there, a yearning to be one with the sea. A warm feeling spread from her heart to her fingers and her feet, a strange sensation that left her breathless with surprise.

" Are you alright?" Oracle Kenaii asked worriedly, noticing just how stunned Kairi suddenly looked.

" I – I think I'm fine," she managed to reply. " I think…I think I'll go explore by the seashore a big."

The specter nodded. " Be careful."

Kairi's feet began the slow walk down the stone road to the silent harbor, where the sea would be. All sounds of bickering between Selphie and Iago faded away, all sounds of talk between Merlin and Tidus became distant; it became her and her alone, with the strange feeling within her.

_It's not me, it's someone else_, she told herself. _But who could it be? Who is it who wants to go to the sea? Why the sea? Who could it be?_

Abruptly the tufts of gray grass ended at a cold beach of fine grains of sand. In the distance, she saw the gray sea and faint lights in the dim sky, like stars. The sea seemed to be dark gray, tinged with blue.

_This world is not lost nor is it found_, she found herself telling herself. _It's gray but its colored; its been here for a long time after all, waiting for the truth, waiting for…release…_

She sat in the sand, looking out to the sea. She felt oddly at home in this lonely realm, a tranquility she had never felt before.

_So this is what it means by the Eternal Calm_, she realized. _This truly is a peaceful world. So beautiful, so quiet, so peaceful, so-_

" Very dull."

Jerked out of her reverie, Kairi whirled around, peering through the haze of gray. " Who's there?"

" Is this why you're so unhappy? Aren't you happy living this life?"

" Love, I was born to do things. But there's nothing for me to do here. I feel like…I feel like I need to get out there somewhere, roam around, break all ties with everything that holds me down."

" How could you say that? You have a family; how can they bore you?"

" That's not what I'm trying to say-"

" I understand, Ronsend. This life bores you, doesn't it? You want to play 'hero' but since Mickey already is the 'hero', you have nothing to do…"

Kairi got up slowly and inched towards the conversation, wondering who was the couple bickering with each other in this…desolate…

_Why are there voices of people here when nobody's supposed to be here?_

Kairi carefully followed the voices, inching towards the dark sea carefully, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Something was strangely wrong here, she knew. Unless she was dreaming, there were people here.

"…you and glory! Aren't you happy with your children? Aren't you happy living by the sea, the sea that's in your blood and made you what you are now?"

" I am from the family of the Keyblade Masters, love! I may have the sea in my veins but the land and the skies call, too. The stars call me. They want me to go, go and explore the Universe we live in. I can't help it!"

" Well tell those voices to shut up. You can go and explore once our children are old enough."

" I'll be old then, old and too feeble to do as I please. If I am to go, it is _now_."

" I can't believe you!"

Kairi thought she saw two figures, faint against the hazy gray. They were both tall and lithe, with one of powerful, muscular built and the other slender and supple. They were standing by the seashore, in a serious argument, not noticing Kairi as she approached. This seemed strange for sure but as she got closer, she realized why.

They were translucent. Like the dreams back at Celt Circle and Oracle Kenaii, they were like ghosts, but these ghosts were full of color and life and the air around them was tinged with life and color, too. Faintly she could hear the sea ripple across the sand and gulls cry in the far distance. It seemed strange, like someone placed a color photograph in a black-and-white world and bid it to come to life but only up to the boundaries of the photograph.

Kairi studied the two people. The man was strongly tanned, perhaps in his mid-thirties. He was a brunette, with long, layered hair that fell to the right side of his face. His eyes were hazel with a strong bluish haze and were very stormy and serious. Once in a while, the eyes flashed pale brown, nearly gold, as he moved and spoke. As Kairi drew nearer, she could smell fish around him; he was a fisherman.

The woman was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. She had a fair, delicate face, with strong bold blue eyes that shone like the sky in the hazy air around them. She had long, tousled blond hair with a sheen of brilliant gold. She wore a blue dress; she wore a soft pink apron on top and appeared to have been busy doing something at home when the two got into this strange conversation.

But there was something about them that seemed strangely familiar…

"…Shirozora and Aros may be the last Keyblade Masters after you and Mickey!" the woman said fiercely. " If you're not there, who's going to teach them to be who they may be?"

" Firstly, there's Mickey," the man, Ronsend, shot back. " Secondly, they might not be Keyblade Wielders. And thirdly, if you named him Kurozora, why don't you call him that?"

" Because we agreed to officially name him Kurozora and because I know you wanted to name him Aros," the woman replied. " Therefore, we call him Aros."

" That never made sense to me, anyways."

Ronsend began to walk away quickly from the woman. " I'm going out for a few hours."

" Where are you going?" the woman demanded harshly. " This is the fourth time this week you're doing this! Why not come home and have dinner with us, like you used to?"

Her voiced ended in a longing whisper. Ronsend froze, fought with himself for a few moments, then continued to walk away.

" It's business."

" For four days? You never had business meetings this often!"

" Well, things change, Alara. I'm going to a business meeting; make sure Shirozora and Aros don't wreck anything, and get them to bed."

" Don't tell a mother how to run her household!" Alara stated. " Fine, go to this meeting of yours. But I expect you to come home to your wife and your sons tomorrow! If you don't, you'll break their hearts for sure!"

Ronsend paused again. He seemed to wilt under this accusation. Kairi realized that he really did care about his children; she just couldn't understand why he seemed so bored with his life here in Deep Tranquility.

" I know…alright, I'll come home tomorrow for sure."

As he faded into gray mist, Kairi heard Alara whisper, " I hope so."

She watched Alara turn to the opposite direction and walk down the seashore, before fading into gray mist as well.

" She must be heading home," Kairi decided. " I wonder where that is…and who their sons are…"

Something about this intrigued her; something told her to pursue this strange story, this strange drama between Ronsend and Alara. Why was Ronsend so restless?

She decided to find out more, following where Alara had disappeared to. As she made her way down the sea shore, she discovered footprints, tiny footprints meandering around the sand. There were two sets; they apparently belonged to two youngsters playing in the waves of the sea.

Could they belong to Shirozora and Aros? " And why would they name Aros Kurozora but call him Aros?" she wondered aloud as she followed the footprints inland.

Presently, she came upon a sandstone walkway that rambled into a lush gray-green world of great trees, shrubbery, and flowers of every kind, blooming in this gloom. In the distance she spotted a small house, again with color and life. Another image of another time, locked in this gray present.

As she drew near, gazing in wonder at this ethereal garden, she discovered two toddlers sparring at each other with twigs and short sticks. They, too, were locked in time. The darker of the two had Ronsend's dark hair and Alara's blue eyes; the paler child had Alara's golden hair and Ronsend's flashing gaze. They were twins, in a world of laughter and joy.

Then something clicked in her mind as she watched them. There was something about the blond child, something strange, something familiar…

" Aozora."

**Chapter 58**

"_What if we can't breath underwater?"_

" _One quick question! Please?"_

" _They took your son?"_


	58. A Father's Devotion

Author's Note: Hey, it's Fourth of July, yay to American Independence! Anyways, I'm having a little bit of trouble with this whole updating thing because my internet's acting like a serious S.O.B. and won't let me update my other KH-themed story 'Song of the Blue Moon'. So basically that story's three weeks-plus behind and I can't do anything about it. Sorry. But here's the next chapter! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 58: A Father's Devotion**

Sora was strangely silent. Normally he'd at least declare that it was his turn to man the gummi ship but now he didn't even seem to think about it. He sat around or wandered about, lost in thought, while Goofy and Donald fought over who got to steer the gummi ship and what was eating the Keyblade Master.

Not literally of course. Tell that to the Captain of the Royal Knights of Disney.

" No, no, no!" Donald Duck hollered in his ear for the sixth time, taking care to stay just out of range of Sora's ear. " Nobody's eating him, Goofy! It's just an expression!"

" Gwarsh, what a funny one," Goofy commented, still not getting it. Donald sighed and contemplated knocking him upside the head with his Mage Staff.

He looked behind him to Sora, who was now sitting on the floor, stroking his right shoe and staring at the floor at the same time. He had a rather dazed look, distant and quiet. This worried Donald a lot; this is quite unusual behavior from someone who was usually as loud and upbeat as Sora.

Then again, Sora had been acting strangely ever since Aozora first appeared on the scene back at Twilight Town.

" Huyuk, look!" Goofy exclaimed, pointing at the window. " Another world!"

Donald saw only the world after it, a distant looming caste with train tracks leading towards it from the world Goofy was pointing at. And beyond that…

" Disney…" the white duck murmured.

''

Sora could not shake off the ominous feeling that settled heavily on his shoulders. It rested on his shoulders, weighing him down ever since they left Atlantis. It was a dark feeling and he couldn't pinpoint why.

He recalled the exhilaration, the pulses of power, the overwhelming strength of fusion. Goofy was probably a bit surprised, Sora had to admit, but it was either him or Donald and Sora didn't want to try out the magic side of things just yet; the laws of magic were still unsteady.

" But the power…" Sora whispered, clenching and releasing his right hand.

And the voice in his head had promised that he would learn more.

" Sora!" Goofy bounded to him cheerfully. " New world, it's the one Queen Kida was talking about. Australia, here we come!"

" Australia?" Sora was on his feet within moments and went to the controls with Goofy. Donald had apparently taken over.

" Look at the water!" Goofy exclaimed.

" Lots of it," Donald added. " We might need to change back to our forms from Atlantica in order to enter this world."

Sora was silent for a moment. Hadn't Queen Kida said something about this? " It's going to be dangerous. She said that an Order member is missing, one from this world."

" Well, you can't run from danger forever," Goofy spoke wisely. " Let's go!"

Donald grumbled as he punched in some commands. Then he pressed 'Autopilot'. " Don't rush things, Goofy. Magic for this is tough; fluctuating magic means we may not succeed in reaching our former forms."

" What if we can't breathe underwater?" Sora asked, suddenly concerned. He preferred any death but drowning.

" Well, that's the least the spell can do," Donald explained. " Its only a matter of what form you'll take because I don't think it's a good idea to go around as a full human."

" It depends on what's down that there world, y'know!" Goofy said. " Either its them mer-people again or its fish this time!"

Sora thought for a moment. " I have a feeling it's going to be…hm…fish."

Donald froze for a moment. " Then hope the spell works. Ready?"

""

" No eating here tonight! No eating here tonight!" Marlin sang, trying to do the boogie.

" No, no , no, eating here tonight, eating here tonight, you're on a _diet_!" Dory sang.

The male clownfish and the female regal blue tang danced for a few minutes, while a furious angler fish snapped at them. It was caught, quite conveniently, in a diver's goggles.

" So what did the mask say?" Marlin asked, being illiterate.

" P. Sherman. 42 Wallaby Way, Sidney!" Dory exclaimed cheerfully. She froze; a stunned expression came over her face. " I remembered what it said! I usually forget things but I remembered it that time! P. Sherman, 42-"

" Wait!" Marlin wailed out. " Now, where is that?"

" I don't know," Dory shrugged climbing for the lighter side of the ocean. " But who cares? I remembered!"

Marlin had no choice but to patiently wait for her to stop repeating whatever she had read as they swam out of the gloom of the dark side of the ocean.

" P. Sherman. 42 Wallaby Way, Sidney, woo hoo! Again! P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sidney!" Dory sang and repeated as she kept on swimming, sounding quite cheerful. Marlin, who knew what the more serious problem was, stayed silent, contemplating. Where was 42 Wallaby Way, Sidney?

" Is there anyone here we can ask?" he muttered to himself, looking around. Never had he been so far away from the reefs. The land here was vast, with scattered rock obstacles and the random kelp and seaweed here and there. It was an intimidating place, not for a coral-dwelling fish like Marlin. But Dory was used to open spaces and traveling around, and therefore made the best use of it.

" P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sidney! Again!" Dory yelled. " I remember!"

Marlin groaned. If he didn't do something, anything, she could go on like this forever. How long at it been since she deciphered the scribbles on the goggles? Three hours ago, perhaps?

" Isn't there anyone? Marlin asked himself, looking around. Then he spotted a huge school of silvery moonfish swimming nearby in a tightly-packed group. Maybe they knew.

" Um…excuse me?" Marlin asked timidly, swimming towards them. " Uh, hello? Hey!"

The school of fish swirled away from him abruptly, leaving him blinking at them in astonishment.

" Hey, hold it!" the clownfish yelled indignantly, swimming after them. " Wait a minute, I'm trying to talk to you! Hey!"

The moonfish evaded and avoided him entirely, leaving him gasping and in despair. Why won't they answer him?

" One quick question! Please?" Marlin cried out hopelessly, as they swam away. " And they're gone again!"

He sighed and turned back to look at Dory, who was swimming around and singing at the top of her lungs, " P. Sherman, Wallaby Way, Sydney! P. Sherman, Wallaby Way-"

" Okay," Marlin sighed, swimming up to her. " All right, here's the thing. I think it's best if I just carry on from here…"

Dory stared at him with a blank expression.

" By myself," he finished carefully, watching for her reaction.

" Huh?"

" I don't want to hurt your feelings," Marlin explained as gently as possible, knowing that the words would sink into her mind sooner or later.

" You want me to leave?" Dory asked, her eyes 'watering'.

" Well, I mean not…yes," Marlin stumbled over his words, caught unawares by her reaction. " It's just, you know…I can't afford any more delays, and you're one of those fish that cause delays."

He tried to sound as nice as possible but it didn't seem to work.

" You mean…you don't like me?" she sobbed, turning away.

" No!" Marlin exclaimed. " Of course I like you. Oh! Don't cry. I like you-"

" Hey you!"

Marlin froze, then turned around. He found himself staring at the school of moonfish that he tried to ask directions from. They were staring at him and Dory. And they did not look very happy.

" Lady, is this guy bothering you?"

" Um, I don't remember," Dory thought for a moment. She then looked at Marlin. " Were you?"

" Hey!" Marlin realized that they were now paying attention. " Do you guys know how I can get to P. Sherman-"

" Look, pal, we're talking to the lady, not you," the lead moonfish snapped at him, shutting him up immediately. " You like impression? Okay, just like in rehearsal, gentlemen…"

With Marlin staring in disbelief, the moonfish arranged themselves into a very convincing swordfish.

" So what are we? Take a guess," the lead moonfish told Dory.

" Okay," Dory, sniffing, stared at them. " I've seen one of those…"

Seeing that she couldn't recall the name, the moonfish offered a clue, " I'm a fish with a nose like a _sword_."

" Wait…" Dory thought hard, trying to remember. " Wait…um…"

Marlin was totally unimpressed by this waste of time. " It's a swordfish!"

" Hey, Clown Boy!" the lead moonfish yelled. " Let the lady guess!"

They rearranged themselves into a lobster. " I taste good with _butter._"

Dory blinked. " Oh, I know, I know-"

" It's a lobster," Marlin said depressingly.

" Hey, you're no fun!" the moonfish jeered at him as they turned into an octopus. " Okay, who am I now?"

" Um…" Dory couldn't recall the name again. Marlin sighed and was getting ready to let loose the right answer when a strange voice hollered, " Somebody explain to me what the heck that thing is!"

" Gwarsh, what a funny-looking octopus!"

" Hey, you!" the moonfish shouted. " Shut up, we're trying to be nice to a lady here!"

" Excuse me? What is going on here?"

" I said-"

Dory shrieked as three strange creatures materialized from behind some rocks. One was a turtle with the strangest head ever, with a bulbous black nose, long black ears, and a tipsy orange thing like a hat. Its shell was made with a round piece of metal. One was a white octopus with a flat yellow bill, a flattish blue thing with silver bits, and a long stick with a crooked brown thing in one of its tentacles. The other was…a dolphin. A strange one, with different hues of blue crisscrossing its body and with brilliant blue eyes but a dolphin nonetheless. And dolphins…eat fish.

" Swim away! Swim away!" the lead moonfish ordered and the school vanished within moments. Marlin tried to inch away but Dory was frozen in place, staring at them in astonishment.

" Dory!" Marlin cried out. " Get away from them!"

Dory looked at him. " They didn't do anything to us."

" That's the good thing," Marlin said hurriedly, watching the two monsters and the fish-eater cautiously. " Now quick, get away or else they'll…"

He remembered trying to get Coral away from the barracuda…and his failure to do so…

" Coral…" he whispered.

" Um…" the dolphin looked at the turtle and the octopus. " What did we do wrong?"

" I think my spell backfired," the octopus said flatly. " Goofy looks okay but…um…not us."

" Why? What did the spell do?" the dolphin demanded. He had a young voice, a young, righteous, and very angry voice.

" Well, der…um….Sora, you're a dolphin," the turtle, Goofy, pointed out.

" Well, yeah, just like last time," the dolphin, Sora, shot back. " What's your point?"

" Sora, you _are_ a dolphin," the octopus explained. " As in…um…you a dolphin as in a whole dolphin. From head to toe – er, tail."

" What!" The dolphin looked at himself, then at his flippers. " Donald!"

" I told you the spell may fluctuate!" the octopus hollered back in defense. " Goofy's all normal, my spell went a little overboard, and yours….turned you into an animal."

" I'm not an animal , I'm a human!" Sora shouted. " And your spell was supposed to turn me half human and half dolphin! Look at me!"

" You look like a dolphin," Dory said pleasantly. " Hi, my name is Dory, what's yours?"

Marlin cringed as she swam up to them.

" Oh, uh, hi," the dolphin blinked in surprise. " My name's Sora. The white octopus is Donald and the green turtle's Goofy."

" Humph," Donald huffed.

" Huyuk, hiya!" Goofy laughed.

Marlin, relieved that they didn't seem to want fish for dinner, inched forward. " Uh…Dory?"

" Oh, and that's, uh….what's your name again?" Dory thought for a moment.

" My name is Marlin, and I'm a clownfish," Marlin introduced himself, expecting a crack about being humorous. When he didn't get any, he continued talking, but with some relief. " That's Dory, but you have to be careful; she's got short-term memory loss. Um…what are you….three doing here?"

" Tell you the truth, I don't know," Sora replied, looking around. Then he narrowed his eyes. " What are you doing here?"

Marlin wondered if he looked hungry or suspicious. " I'm…I'm looking for my son, Nemo. Tiny clownfish, one bad fin, but he's a good kid. I…I lost him to some divers and I'm trying to find him."

"Divers?" Goofy questioned. " As in people? They took your son?"

" P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney!" Dory hollered. " That's the address! I remember it!"

" Good job, Dory." Sora sounded very sincere in his praise.

" Well, we're trying to find a way to Sydney, and I was trying to ask that school of fish but they ignored me, kept talking to Dory, and then you guys came and scared them off," Marlin explained their situation. " Not that I'm blaming you for anything."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. " Sydney?"

" Oh, you were asking about Sydney?" the silver moonfish reappeared. It seemed to them that the coast was clear after all and they were safe from the strange, rather small dolphin. " We know where that is!"

" You do?" Marlin asked hopefully.

" Oh sure, just follow the E.A.C," the lead moonfish explained. " That's, uh, the East Australian Current."

They rearranged themselves into huge wavy lines – a current. " A big current. Can't miss it."

They flashed into an arrow. " It's in that direction. And then you're gonna follow that for, uh, three leagues, and that little baby's gonna float you right past Sydney."

" Oh, great, thanks a bunch!" Marlin exclaimed with happiness.

" Don't mention it," the moonfish replied. " Just…loosen up a bit. Need to be more cheerful."

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora. " What! What did I do now!"

" Thanks!" Marlin quickly swam off in the direction of the arrows. Donald and Goofy quickly followed but Sora stayed behind, waiting for Dory.

" Oh hey, ma'am? One more thing."

" Yes?" Dory asked, turning back to them.

_Gee, they're so polite_, Sora couldn't help but admire.

" When you come to this trench-" they formed the image of a trench" – swim through it, not over it."

A few of the fishes broke rank and swam through the gap.

" Trench," Dory repeated. " Through it, not over it. Thanks!"

" Don't mention it!" the moonfish replied. Then they spotted Sora.

As Dory swam off after Marlin, Donald ,and Goofy, the moonfish called out, " Hey dolphin, come here a sec!"

" Yeah? What do you want?" Sora demanded.

" You're the Keyblade Master, aren't you?" they asked, turning into a large key.

" How do you know?" Sora demanded.

" Don't ask," the lead moonfish shot back. " But if I were you, I'd be very careful around here. Sea Neons were spotted here; that's why I told the lady to swim through the trench. The Society's got a hold on our Order member and a diver very conveniently snatched up the Keyhole of this world. Yeah, it's another moving thing, like Mulan. Yes, we know the stuff, stop staring at us. Well anyways, try and at least get the Keyhole back in these waters before the Heartless overrun us, okay?"

" Uh…sure," Sora said carefully watching them.

" Oh, and about your friends…"

" What?"

" Well, actually, all we can say is that all of you guys are going to be in a world of a whole lotta hurt," the lead moonfish explained. " Yeah, that's right, we can see a bit into the future, too. You guys are gonna suffer. Good luck."

They swirled away. Sora stared at where they were for a few minutes, shook his head, then swam after the others.

''

" Suffer, my ass," he grumbled, keeping up with Marlin and Dory effortlessly as they headed for the E.A.C. " That's what they always say…"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other and shrugged. They had nothing to do say. But Marlin did.

" Whoa, bad trench!" he exclaimed, screeching to a stop.

" I have to agree, for once," Donald agreed.

It was gloomy place of steel and stone. Stunted seaweed and the skeletal remains of fish scattered through the long dark passageway. Beyond, though, they saw a long green thing, something that moved rapidly, like a –

" Hey, there's the E.A.C!" Sora exclaimed, rushing into the trench.

" Hold it!" Marlin grabbed his tail and yanked him back. " Bad trench, very bad trench. We're gonna have to swim over it."

" Whoa, partner, little red flag going up here!" Dory stated. " Not a good idea. My senses say we hafta go through the trench, not over it."

Marlin stared at her, aghast. " What, are you insane? Look at it; it's got 'Death' written all over it!"

" Still," Dory said patiently and tenaciously. " I really, really, really, really think we should swim through it. Come on, trust me on this."

Sora stayed silent, wanting Dory to resolve this. This was their mission after all, not his.

Marlin was worried. He couldn't quite trust Dory; with a memory or mind like hers, she could make up anything on the spot, then forget about it as soon as possible. He didn't feel ready to risk his, er, gills, on her word, truth be told.

" Trust you?" Marlin echoed, looking at her skeptically. Right there and then Sora knew that there was something wrong with Marlin's mentality.

" Yeah," Dory said cheerfully, thinking he did trust her. " That's what friends do."

" Uh…" he looked around worriedly, trying to figure out what to do. Sora watched him through narrowed eyes. " Look! Something shiny!"

" What?" Dory looked around wildly, while an astonished trio looked on. " Where, where?"

" Oh, it just swam over the trench!" Marlin exclaimed, swimming up. " Come on, we'll follow it!"

" Okay!" Dory said happily and followed him. Donald and Goofy looked at each other worriedly but decided to follow but Sora stayed back for a moment.

" What had he just done?" he wondered aloud, and followed after them.

''

"… you wanted to go through the trench," Marlin laughed as he swam for the fast-moving green current off in the distance. He couldn't believe how easy it was to persuade Dory to follow him over the trench, where the daylight shown and they could see.

" I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine," Dory said happily, cooing to a little jellyfish that was drifting about in the clear sea. " Come here, little Squishy, come here, you -"

She touched its tentacle and Goofy jumped back as a spark jumped onto her fin. " Ow!":

" Dory!" Marlin turned around. " That's a jellyfish!"

" Bad Squishy!" Dory scolded while nursing her fin. Marlin rushed over and slapped the tiny jellyfish away. Donald winced as sparks flew again but the clownfish seemed unaffected.

" Shoo, get away!" Marlin snapped, then turned to Dory's fin. " Come here. Let me see that."

She winced as he yanked her fin towards him and studied the slight burn. " Hey, how come they didn't sting you?"

They failed to notice that larger, purpler jellyfish were falling down all around them, though Donald and Goofy saw them.

" It did," Marlin replied, studying her fin. " It's just that I live in this anemone and I'm used to these kinds of stings. It doesn't look too bad. You're gonna be fine. But now we know, don't we, that we don't want to touch those things again. Let's be thankful this time it was just a little one."

" Uh…ah…you might want ter take that back," Goofy edged in his comment.

" Huh?"

Suddenly, Marlin became very aware of the great purple jellyfishes ballooning their way down upon them. " Don't move!"

Donald and Goofy froze. " Der…is this really bad?"

" This is bad, this is bad," Marlin muttered worriedly, blinded by the purple. " This is very bad – Dory!"

He yelled at the blue tang, who was now joyously bouncing on the top of a massive jellyfish. " This is so much fun! Boing, boing, boing, boing!"

" Dory, what are you doing!" Marlin hollered.

" Me, too!" Goofy shouted and started bouncing on another jellyfish. "Boing, boing, boing, boing…"

Donald shook his head – and his eight tentacles – as the two continued to bounce on the jellyfish. " This is no time to play around, Goofy!"

" Wait a minute!" Marlin exclaimed. " The tops of jellyfish don't sting, Donald! Of course, why didn't I think of it before? If we stay away from the tentacles, we could get out of here-" he saw a patch of blue and a hint of a long green current in the deep of the jellyfish forest "- in no time at all. But we have to play it safe. If we touch their tentacles, we're their din-"

" Donald, Goofy!" Sora burst onto the scene, scattering jellyfish. " Ow! Damn those stingers – guys, guys, we have to get out of here now!"

" Why?" Goofy demanded, bouncing on the top of another jellyfish.

" Screwdrivers!" Sora hollered. " And Sea Neons! We're under attack!"

A screwdriver shot past him, realized that it had gone right past its target, and got lost in the purple forest. Marlin and Donald stared at the hole it punched into their little corner. Then Marlin looked at Sora.

" What was that?" he demanded.

" No time to explain; we have to get out of here!" Sora shouted, pushing them forward towards the blue patch in the distance. " Make for the blue patches! We're all in danger!"

" But the tentacles!" Donald reminded Marlin. " Got any suggestions?"

" Uh…" he watched Dory in particular. " Dory, Dory, okay, let's play a game!"

" Game?" Dory demanded, bouncing on another jellyfish.

" Game!" Goofy cheered.

" What!" Donald screamed.

" Okay, whoever makes it to that blue patch over there-" he pointed at the empty space of freedom from the jellyfish forest and Heartless threat "- is the winner!"

" Okay!" Dory shouted. " On your mark, get ready-"

" Rules!" Sora yelled, interrupting her in hurried fashion. " Don't touch the tentacles! Believe me, they hurt!"

Donald stared at the burns all over the dolphin's back. " Sora, what did you-"

" Keep bouncing on the jellyfish tops!" Marlin added, cutting off Donald. " Whoever's fastest wins!"

" Okay!" Goofy yelled. " Ready Dory?"

" Set!" Dory primed herself. " Go!"

An Aquatank burst onto the scene, ready to discharge the electricity it had stored in its body. To its bewilderment, there was nobody to stun, nobody but the hundreds of jellyfish that rained on it and stung at its massive sides.

''

Marlin hurriedly bounded his way towards the blue patch. Skillfully he maneuvered around tentacles and bounced against the tops of the jellyfish, keeping a close eye on Dory. He didn't worry too much about Sora, Donald, and Goofy but Dory had a tendency to get herself in a whole lot of trouble and he hated to be at fault for not warning or helping her.

As he bounced about, though, he found his stress fading away in the face of this challenge. This was…fun.

" Dory, are you hungry?" he shouted challengingly to her as he tried to keep up with the fast-moving blue tang.

" Huh? Hungry?" she asked in bewilderment, slowing down a bit.

" Yeah, 'cause you're about to eat my bubbles!" he whooped and spurted onward, blazing through the forest of jellyfish and losing all sight of everyone.

_Pop!_

Marlin tumbled out into the open waters, spinning away from the great wall of purple jellyfish.

" And Marlin is the winner!" he crowed, his eye on the E.A.C. " Woo hoo!"

Sora appeared presently, a bit winded but grinning from eye to eye. Well, then again, dolphins always grinned. Right behind him came Donald, gasping and looking just plain furious. " What the hell did you pull off on us, you great buffoon!"

" Donald!" Sora shut him up. " Where's Goofy?"

" Goofy?" Donald looked around. His eyes grew big. " Oh my goodness, where's he?"

" Dory?" Marlin also realized the blue tang had not materialized. That was very bad news.

" I'm going in," Sora said grimly and, before Donald could stop him, he launched himself back into the wall of purple jellyfish.

" Donald, wait here," Marlin ordered and charged after him.

" Hey!" Donald screamed after them, waving his staff but they were both gone.

Marlin hurriedly dodged the tentacles, ignoring the ones that brushed against his body. He hurtled through the forest, sputtered as he got a faceful of tentacles, then spotted Goofy trying to tug Dory out of the grasp of a rather fearsome-looking jellyfish.

" Goofy!" Marlin exclaimed as he dove into the tentacles and dragged out Dory. A bit stunned, he still had his wits about him, enough to demand where Sora had gone.

" Sora? I didn't see him," Goofy replied, a bit puzzled. " I kinda got…der…distracted, then saw Dory…then you came…so I didn't see Sora…"

" Oh no…" Marlin groaned, then spotted a flash of dolphin blue.

" Sora!" Goofy shouted and shoved aside jellyfish, making his way to a badly burned and very stunned tiny dolphin caught between the tentacles of a huge jellyfish and a huge Sea Neon.

" Goofy, hurry and get him!" Marlin shouted, tugging at a mumbling Dory. " We've got to get out of here!"

Goofy spun at the Sea Neon and chased it away. He then wrestled with the huge jellyfish and yanked out Sora.

" Hurry!" Marlin shouted and began paddle his way back to Donald, the blue patch, the open sea, and the E.A.C. " Goofy!"

He lost sight of the strange sea turtle, then focused on trying to get Dory out of the jellyfish forest. " Stay awake, Dory! Come on, stay with me!"

" Uhhhhhhnnn….." was the only reply he got.

Marlin swam frantically, this time making no attempt to dodge the stinging tentacles but simply swimming right through them. With each sting, he slowed down but he kept on pulling her along. The blue patch got bigger, though he didn't see Donald anywhere and he put on one more bit spurt of energy to get them forward.

" Almost there…c'mon, stay awake, stay awake," he gritted his teeth and shot forward…into a huge jellyfish.

He popped out into the open seas, stunned. " Stay…awake…"

He lost his hold on Dory, felt only the open seas…darkness…

**Chapter 59…**

"_There's no such thing as a white octopus, is there?"_

_What have I forgotten?_

"_How am I supposed to get out of here?"_


	59. Courage in All Sizes

Author's Note: Um…here's chapter 59. Not sure what else to say except that I still can't update my other story, which ticks me off….enjoy! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 59: Courage in All Sizes**

Nemo knew that he had less than two days to try and figure out how to escape from the tank. Less than 48 hours to get back to the sea outside. But what could be done? In his only attempt to escape, he had nearly been blended into pieces by the filter he tried to clog. Peach had implored a defeated Gill not to send Nemo on any more of Gill's missions and so far all he had been doing was learn to swim with his bad fin. That was…until Aozora came.

The tiny orca had been silent for the last three hours, barely uttering a word and in general staying in the safety of the colorful forest. Naminé had already gone; while the other fish watched with an obsessed interest, discussing dentist tools and what was better, the dentist had checked up Naminé's teeth, declared her healthy dental-wise, and sent her on her way. Now they were left alone, to contemplate her words and the impending doom of the arrival of a child demon: Darla.

" Gill?" he asked solemnly to the gloomy idol fish. " What do we do?"

" I don't know, Shark Bait," he replied, using Nemo's nickname. " There's so much that has to be done…but look at us. We're fish. We're restricted to the waters of the world. And every single thing that will happen to us won't be in the sea. Ah, the sea…how I long to swim in the blue freedom again…"

Gill turned and began to swim away. Nemo followed him rather meekly, staring at the churning filter as he passed by it. Gill had gone straight to Aozora; Nemo pulled back when the bronze-eyed orca gave him a warning glare.

"Nemo!" a familiar voice exclaimed from the distance. " Where's Nemo? Nemo? Nemo!"

" Huh?" Nemo turned around and saw Nigel crash into the glass window next to the open gap that he was aiming for.

" What a doozy…" Nigel, the pelican and the friend of most fish, flapped to the open side and popped his head in. " Nemo! Where's Nemo?"

Gill popped out of the forest with Aozora at his tow; Nemo swam to the glass walls of the tank. " What is it?"

" Your father's been fighting the whole ocean looking for you!" Nigel exclaimed eagerly, shoving himself into the dentist's office. " His been fighting sharks, evil fishes of the deep, a whole forest of jellyfish, and he's been spotted with the turtles on his way here! He's coming, Nemo!"

" Oh my goodness!" Deb gasped. " A whole forest of jellyfish?"

" He fought sharks!" Bloat shouted. " Amazing!"

" Nemo, your dad's Superfish!" Gill was just as astonished as everyone else; how could anyone do that and survive?

" Were there others with him?" Aozora asked, his voice stern. All fell silent.

" Uh…ah…" Nigel didn't know what to make of this strange killer whale in the fish tank that could talk. What the heck was he? " Who are you? Or should I say, _what_ are you?"

" That's a long story Nigel," Gill swam forward, his voice just as tense. " Was there anybody there with Superfish?"

" Well we've got Nemo's dad, some blue fish, a white octopus, a sea turtle, and a dolphin," Nigel ticked off on his flight feathers. " Any of them sound familiar?"

" A white octopus?" Aozora asked. " A _white_ octopus? There's no such thing as a white octopus, is there?"

" Ah…no…"

Aozora and Gill looked at each other. " They're on their way. They're coming for the Keyhole."

" Which would be Nem – Nemo?" Gill turned around and found the little clownfish missing.

" Nemo, what are you doing?" Boat gasped in horror.

Nemo ignored their demands for explanation as he swept down, snatched up the biggest blue pebble he could find, and dragged it up to the surface.

" Nemo!" Deb shouted.

" I can't look, I can't look!" Gurgle whimpered, turning away. Jacques slammed open the cage to his hideaway to peek out; Bubbles forgot about his treasure chest and his precious bubbles flowed to the surface.

" Nemo, hold on a second!" Aozora swam forward but Nemo quickly tossed the pebble into the filter and leaped after it.

" No!" Gill popped his head up and saw nothing but the whirling filter wheel.

" Nemo!" Bloat called out as he, Deb, Gurgles, and Bubbles surrounded the filter. Peach leaned out from her position on the glass wall to see and Jacques milled his way forward. Nigel, who didn't get the whole story, looked on tensely, watching the filter.

" Nemo, get out of there!" Gill called out sternly. He was met with silence…total silence.

" Nemo?"

The others looked at each other fearfully. Aozora stared at the pipe, half-expecting to see blood leaking out –

" There's nothing to worry about!" Nemo grinned, plopping back into the waters behind them.

" Nemo!" Gill sighed in relief.

" You did it!" Bloat exclaimed and bloated.

" Flo, did you hear, did you hear?" Deb chatted busily with her reflection.

" Alright, gang," Gill looked at the others sternly. " We've less than 48 hours – two days – until Darla comes. We're going to be as filthy as possible. Be dirty, be very dirty. Jacques, no cleaning. Everyone, be very dirty."

Gurgle's teeth chattered and he looked around fearfully but the others were eagerly nodding. Aozora had a rather pained expression on his face but he nodded with them.

" All right," Gill said, his eyes gleaming with the opportunity. " No time to lose. We're gonna make this tank so dirty the dentist will be forced to clean it!"

Bloat burped. Gurgle just about fainted.

""

_Darkness._

_It was an endless night, stars flashing in the murky depths of a dark sea. Voices, voices in his head, speaking, murmuring, shouting, mocking, laughing, crying, circling him, all around him._

" …_if there is one thing we cannot afford to do, it is to risk the life of the Keyblade Master."_

" _If you fail, this is where you'll go…and this is what everything will become…"_

" _You have my thanks…"_

" _Listen Sora. We've got more in common than you think…"_

" _I will not lose to a bunch of losers!"_

" _Boo."_

" _Ahead lies what you seek…you must lose something dear…"_

" _I'll come back, I promise!"_

" _Take care of her."_

" _Donald, Goofy, thank you."_

" _Come on, Sora. I thought you could do better than that."_

" _Kairi!"_

_Voices faded. Then other voices rose up, voices he could not recall._

" _We'll never be far apart from each other, never!"_

" _There is promise in him. You can see it in his eyes."_

" _Wherever you go, never forget the ones you love."_

" _My son, some day you will answer the call of the sea. It is in your blood. Some day you will be faced with an impossible decision…and it will be the sea in your blood that will answer it. I only hope that when you grow up, you will make the choice best fit for not only you, but for everyone else. For we all may be different but we share the same sky, one sky…and one destiny."_

_I know that voice! I've heard it before, I've heard it so many times! If only I could remember…_

" _I was given a poem when I was young. It was written long ago but its words have echoed through the ages. Perhaps, one day, it will have some meaning to you."_

_What poem has been told to me?_

_Walking this road,_

_Without you,_

_To remake forgotten promises_

_And meet you at road's end._

_Faded memories,_

_Reconstructed memories,_

_A dream – a dream of you,_

_In a world without you._

_The dream I see in the world without you._

_Torn dream, like a memory from the far past._

_I'd like to put it together_

_With you…_

_And in the dark of the starry night, he saw, vaguely, someone, with brunet hair and eyes that flashed. Yellow? Bronze? Gold? He could not tell; it was all so hazy._

_I've seen you before…_

" _If all else," another voice spoke, a voice like angels, " keep your memories close to you. Even if you've forgotten everything else, your memories will teach you to do everything again. Though humans have a gift, the gift of forgiveness and forgetfulness, it is memory that could never be forgotten. The loose links of the chain of memories may fall into the dark but you can find them again…put them together and remember what it was you've forgotten."_

_What have I forgotten? Tell me!_

" _To invade one's mind, if to search one's memory only, is the worst one can do to another," the soft voice continued, fading away. " Your mind is your last resort, your last hiding place. If the darkness reaches the mind, you will be lost forever. Protect your mind, find the loose links and rebuild what was lost, and remember, keep your memories besides you. For with memories come promises and you will meet your loved ones at the end of the long road."_

_And then, it clicked in his mind. The voice of angels seemed so vaguely familiar but a link had risen from the darkness and took its place somewhere in the beginning of the chain of memories in his mind._

_The brown-haired man, with the bright eyes, I know who you are. They've called you Ronsend, I've called you -_

" Wake up!"

Sora leaped up and smashed into Dory. " Ow! Dory!"

" Ow, well about time you got up," Dory sniffed, rubbing her chin. " We're almost at the exit; thought you should get up now."

" Huh?" Sora looked around. " Dory, why are we with all these sea turtles? And where are we?"

" Dude, you're on the E.A.C., dude," a green sea turtle swam over to where the two were, with Marlin, Donald, Goofy, and a huddle of baby sea turtles in tow. " Dude, you must've gotten crazy in that jellyfish forest. I'm pretty amazed you survived it, you know. I mean, with all those marks all over you, I'm surprised you even woke up at all!"

" What?" Sora demanded.

" Ah…Donald tried to heal you," Goofy began nervously.

" But some of the burns…didn't go away," Marlin added.

" What do you mean?" he whispered, his blue eyes wide with horror.

" It looks…" Donald looked away as he finished speaking, " like a star. Your back is marked with the imprint of a star…from the jellyfish tentacles. I couldn't get rid of them.

" My neck…my arm…my back…" Sora murmured. " No, this can't be…"

" Well, dude, there are some things in life that can't be changed," the turtle, who happened to be Crush, offered advice. " Be glad you're alive; not many survive the forest of the jellyfish. Move on with life; there's always food at the end of a smelt run."

Silence.

" Well, what do you know!" Crush spotted a swirling vortex that branched out of the East Australian Current. " There's your exit right there! Crush Junior will give you instructions for safely leaving the East Australian Current. Ready?"

" Alright, folks!" little Crush Junior leaped onto his father's shell. " Do you have your exit partner? Good…"

""

" Would you look at that?" Gill said with admiration and glee. " Filthy, absolutely filthy. And it's all thanks to you, kid."

Bloat burped and Gurgle shied away. Then the great bloat fish rubbed against the green-covered pebbles on the floor and snatched at the great green goo that rose up.

" Germs!" Gurgles hollered and rushed past Jacques, who was busy cleaning away the green slime on his little home. Gill gave him a stern eye, reminding him of the whole purpose of having a grimy tank.

" Hey, check this out!" Peach called out, leaning away. " I call it ' slime star '. Neat, huh?"

" Gross!" Nemo agreed with a vigorous nod.

" Bubbles!" Bubbles swung open his coated treasure chest and slimy bubbles began their ascent to the top of the tank. Bubbles tapped at one but was met with an explosion of green bits. " Blegh!"

Nemo hid a giggle, the spotted the dentist striding into the office. " Aozora, hide!"

The killer whale vanished in seconds into the rather disgusting forest of fake kelp.

Dr. Sherman strode straight to the tank and stared at it. Then he stuck a finger within and wiped out green slime from the glass wall. " Crikey! What a state! I better clean the fish tank before Darla gets here!"

He quickly strode off. Aozora reappeared as the other fish watched him leave the dentist office."

" Yes! We're getting out at last!" Bloat ballooned.

Peach gave a muffled cheer.

" Are you ready to see your dad, kid?" Gill asked Nemo, keeping an eye on the Guardian.

The little clownfish nodded eagerly. Gill then led him to the window overlooking the harbor.

" You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he's out there in the harbor, waiting for you right now."

Aozora followed them thoughtfully.

" Wait, Gill…" he looked at the idol fish. " How am I supposed to get out of here?"

""

Naminé watched the harbor, silently, as the sun fell and the moon rose. She knew that Marlin, Dory, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were nearly here, to Sydney. She knew that the Society was not aware of how fast Sora was approaching Nemo. They seemed preoccupied with something else, which would explain why only Domitan appeared to try and make a deal with Dr. Sherman.

She had agreed with members of the Order to get Aozora out of the tank and into the ocean. Once in there, he'd be changed back into his regular human form. Unexplainable magic, honestly. But that was how magic was applied to Aozora.

" Tomorrow, it will have to be tomorrow," she murmured to herself.

Naminé looked at the night sky. If she saw Sora, would he remember her?

""

" It's morning, everyone!" Peach yawned, stretched out her arms, and leaned back so everyone could hear her. " Today's the day. The sun is shining, the tank is clean, and we're getting out of – the tank is clean!"

The last remark, coupled with a gasp, got everyone up and, er, swimming. That is, swimming to the new filter that hummed faintly in its own merry way. It was huge, metallic, and intimidating.

" Boss must have installed it last night while we were sleeping," Gill could only conclude.

" The Aqua Scum 2003 is an all-purpose, self-cleaning, maintenance-free saltwater purifier," Peach read from the open booklet that lay on the counter nearby.

A red laser beam shot out and scanned the tank, from top to bottom. Everyone followed the red light as it passed over their bodies. " Temperature eighty-two degrees. Balance normal."

They stared at each other. This was crazy! Gurgle, the germ-a-phobic, shook his fin at it. " Curse you, Aqua Scum!"

Aozora, who had never slept better until just now, yawned and drifted into the scenario. " Why is the tank….not so….green?"

He yawned, then blinked, then stared. " The tank is clean."

" That's it for the escape plan!" Bloat ballooned in fury. " It's ruined!"

" What are we going to do about-" Nemo began to panic when the door to the dentist's office swung open.

" Darla!" Bubbles shrieked.

" Stay down, kid," Gill ordered Nemo. " You, too, Guardian."

Aozora vanished into the forest. But it was only a little boy and his mother. And Naminé.

" What is she doing here…?" Aozora wondered, until he spotted the plastic bag she held tightly in her hand. " No way…"

" False alarm," Bloat sighed, deflating.

The others sighed in relief. But only for a second. Suddenly, the water currents changed – a fishnet was coming towards him!

" Gill!" Nemo shrieked.

" Shark Bait!" Gill barked back as Dr. Sherman caught Nemo in the neck. " Hold on!"

He leaped into the net with Nemo. " Swim down! C'mon kid, swim down!"

The others looked at each other, then jumped in with him. For several minutes a tussle ensued between the Tank Gang, the Order member, the Keyhole, and the poor, ignorant Australian dentist. Of course, some things would soon change.

Aozora spotted a teenager – no, a nearly grown man, maybe around nineteen, enter the office. His blue-purple hair shrouded the right side of his face. He was wearing a grayish purple jacket over a black shirt and dark jeans; he was a cool, collected person, one you don't mess around with. Except for the fact he seemed rather familiar…

" Zexion?" Aozora muttered. " What is he doing here-"

Naminé suddenly rushed to the only restroom in the dentist's office. Zexion then turned to the door and watched, until someone else walked in. Someone with bright blue hair, an icy gaze, a calm demeanor, and decked out in total black.

" Domitan!" Aozora exclaimed. Then, right under his arms rushed in a little toddler with maddening braces, maddening pigtails, and psychopathic eyes. Really psychopathic eyes; she ran into a table and kept on running to the room they were in, ignoring the fallen table and the shattered lamp while Domitan and Zexion shot each other glares that promised more than death.

Aozora kept watching, mesmerized by this strange meeting between siblings who clearly hated each other. He noted that Naminé was continuously peeking out of the public bathroom, then quickly shutting the door; it was plain Zexion and Naminé didn't want Domitan knowing she was there.

_He was the one who made the deal with the dentist to keep Gill_! Aozora thought. _That's where the others got the idea of Gothic clothes!_

Hushed words flew between the older and younger brothers. They seemed to take care not to have others listen in on their conversation but, he noticed, Zexion was slowly maneuvering Domitan so that his back would be to where Naminé was hiding.

_Clever_, Aozora thought, until he heard a squawk, followed by a succession of squawks, Dr. Sherman shouting, Darla screaming, and an unfamiliar voice crying out, " Nemo!"

_Marlin!_

Aozora whirled around and saw a nightmare spectacle like nothing he had ever seen before.

Nigel, his throat pouch bulging full to bursting, was thrown out of the office by Dr. Sherman, who slammed the window shut and turned to Darla's mad screaming. Gill slapped her on the head madly, while Nemo struggled to breathe on the tray next to the chair the toddler sat on. She screamed at the top of her lungs, attracting the attention of just about everyone in the waiting room. Aozora turned to see Domitan and Zexion so deep in their hushed exchange that they had failed to respond to the screaming.

_Is that Buzz Lightyear I'm seeing?_ Aozora wondered, spotting a huge action figure crammed into a basket of stuffed animals as he turned back to see Gill slap Nemo down the spit sink. Dr. Sherman was getting up, woozy as he was, and spotted Gill dying. " Whoa!"

He hurriedly picked up Gill and gently placed him in the water. Disoriented from the lack of dissolved oxygen, Gill dizzily swam his way back to the Tank Gang. Aozora, hiding in the kelp, swam forward to greet him.

" Is he going to be okay, Gill?" Gurgle asked worriedly.

" Don't worry," Gill gasped. " All drains lead to the ocean."

" I hope so," Aozora whispered as Darla screamed at the spit sink. " Fishy!"

The sink snapped and sprayed water all over her face.

''

"…now what do we do?" everyone turned to Aozora and gave him the 'eye'.

" Well, first we have to get those two blue-heads out of the way," Gill eyed the two men who were still in their heated, albeit quiet, argument. Dr. Sherman and his assistant had tidied up the place and survived Darla's massive fit as they fiddled with her braces. Dr. Sherman promised her a pet turtle. Aozora remarked that he hoped it would be a snapping turtle.

The poor doctor also kept staring out to the harbor, apparently wondering what it was that motivated the pelican to fly in with fish in his mouth.

" Hey, look, the Goth guy's moving out!" Deb exclaimed, rushing to the wall of the tank. " Flo, get out of the way!"

" And the other guy's going with him," Bubbles added.

" I hope they don't fight," Aozora said quietly. " Zexion doesn't stand a chance if he does. I'm surprised they didn't blow up the first time they saw each other."

" They're not going to fight. Zexion's just pretending to be here on the look out for either Sora or Aozora," Naminé remarked, suddenly materializing before them. " Lunch hour. Everyone's gone. Who wants to bail the fish tank?"

The Tank Gang looked at each other. Then they looked at Aozora and Gill. Gurgles, trembling as he was, stuck one fin up.

" I'm staying with the Gang," Gill responded. " Take Aozora and go. We'll bail another way."

" How, Gill?" Bloat asked. Gurgles looked ready to cry. Jacques patted him on the back sympathetically. " _Oui, oui, _we'll find anoza way."

" Oh, Peach read something very interesting about our Aqua Scum filter…" an evil gleam flashed in Gill's eyes.

Naminé pulled out the plastic bag. " Aozora, we have to get going. I don't know how long the lunch hour lasts."

She submerged the bag in the water and Aozora quickly swam into it. Naminé lifted up the bag, tied the top off securely, and hid it against her notebook and her body as she quietly tiptoed her way to the waiting room. Gill and the Tank Gang watched her as she slowly opened the door, peeked out both ways, then quietly shut the door.

" Well, that's it for us," Gill looked at the others. " Nemo's finally gone, and so did Aozora. We're going to trash that Aqua Scum like nothing this dentist's ever seen. And when he bags us, we roll for freedom. Who's with me?"

There were no doubts, no dissenting voices, as everyone – with the exception of Peach – raised their fins and claw.

""

" You've got some weird spell on you," Naminé told Aozora as she hurried to a lonely side of the harbor. She looked around warily, then rushed into the dock between two great sailing ships, gleaming white in the Australian sun. " I'll just fix it…and then you'll be on your way."

" Where to?" he asked wearily. He didn't care where he was going, as long as someone was directing and providing the means for him to get there.

" There's a train station here," she answered, carefully setting her notebook down on the dock and picking up the bag. " I've a train ticket for you. Make sure you board the right train. If you don't, it'll be a while before we try and bail you out. The Order's scrambling; someone's gotten wind of Zexion's allegiance and Kairi's stumbled onto something somewhere out there. Something _big_."

Aozora's heart pounded. What did she discover?

" Okay, I'm going to undo the spell," she said sternly, watching him with dark sapphire eyes. " Don't kill me after I do so."

" Why would I-"

Aozora never finished; Naminé opened the bag and tossed him, flailing pathetically in the air, into the blue waters of the harbor. A flash and two seconds later, a dripping – and very angry – blond teenager scrambled onto the dock wearing only dark blue boxers spotted with white silhouettes of paupu fruits.

One had to admit he had a very nice body. Which was why Naminé was flushing as the poor Guardian stood there, dripping and ready to blow his top.

" You could've warned me about that!" he growled through gritted teeth. Naminé only giggled. Aozora looked down on himself and realized why he felt so wet. His face turned an embarrassed red.

" Luckily," Naminé remarked, yanking out some folded clothes from one of the white boats, " nobody was on that boat for two days and we had some clothes for you."

She tossed him a dark shirt with a long zipper down the front, a short-sleeved white jacket with a red collar, and dark pants that went white like his jacket one-third down. The zipper had a huge handle shaped into a sideways cross made of shining steel; she also handed over some gray and darker gray shoes with red straps on them. For the most part they looked like his original clothes but looked better…much better.

" And Yuna sent these," Naminé remarked, handing over his checkered wristband and his two rings, which were black and white. Aozora snatched at them as he yanked up the pants and nearly fell over." And I found these. Luckily it was me who found them and not someone from the Society, or else we really would've been in trouble."

She handed over a star-shaped charm made of shells and a steel necklace of a crown. Aozora swore. " _Shit!_ I have to give those back to Sora!"

" And this," Naminé gave him a dark oblong device with a screen and a round button. Aozora cursed more violently. He totally forgot the fact that Zexion gave it to him for some very specific reasons.

" Yeah, you might want to check the device while on the train," Naminé said, then looked at him sternly. " And mind that tongue!"

" Yes ma'am!" Aozora saluted her.

" Right," Naminé said, pointing to the east. " Train's that way. You know which train to ride. Get back to Twilight Town; we've some business there you'll need to attend to before going after Sora."

She slapped a paper ticket into his hand. " And if you lose it, you'll be very, very sorry."

" What are you going to do, kick my ass?" Aozora smirked.

" Worse." Naminé grinned. " You know just what I can do."

"….right, point taken. Lesson to self: never mess with a memory twister."

Naminé giggled again, turning even redder. What was with her!

The sky suddenly flashed a shiny blue-white light, sending stars up into the sky. People all around gasped, stared, and pointed. Aozora stared. Shooting stars?

" Sora's successful once again," Naminé observed. " Nemo's good to go. As do you, Guardian. And put that shirt on; the last thing we need is a sick Guardian."

Aozora muttered something thankfully incoherent. Naminé then absentmindedly looked at the watch that she wore on her wrist – where the hell did that come from? – and stared. " You've got fifteen minutes. Run!"

Aozora stared at the ticket, read the time, yanked on the jacket and did just that – run with the ticket, the two necklaces, and the shirt in hand, down the dock and to the train station for the ride back to Twilight Town.

**Chapter 60…**

" _This is not what I wanted! Why? Why!"_

" _He could get Lexeus to help him, like he said the last time we blew up his laboratory."_

" _What do you know of my past?"_


	60. Kobi's Secret

Author's Note: Yay, we're actually getting somewhere with SoM! Thank you for the reviews; I find them very hilarious. Aozora naked! Well, haven't gotten that far…yet…(mayhaps a rating change as the story progresses? Hm…) well, here's Chapter 60, a story about where Riku and some very oddly familiar people came from… 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 60: Kobi's Secret**

He tore through the hall of Hollow Bastion, ignoring Sally's questioning calls, ignoring Pooh's helloes, ignoring Tarzan's shouts, as he gripped the old tome tightly in his hand and recklessly, and purposely, lost himself in the halls of the old castle.

Now he knew the truth, the horrible truth about himself. How stupid was he? Why did he accept Maleficient's offer, why did he fall to Ansem, whose shadow still lived in the nether reaches of his heart? Why was he such an easy pray of the Darkness?

" Just look at me!" he raged. " Now all I can see is darkness. The light blinds me. This is not what I wanted! Why? Why!"

Riku stormed into a room, locked the door behind him, and chucked the book in his hand. He was glad to hear glass shatter; the book must've struck a mirror.

" That's right," he growled. " No mirror will mirror my image. Silver hair, blindfold, eyes like demons of the dark…"

His darkness became active, indicating that there was a bed for him to sit on. Riku did just that; he sat on the bed and covered his face with his hands. He tried for a few minutes to calm the pounding in his chest, then began to cry.

How long had it been, a year and a few months? Why was he still blind? Did his journey through Castle Oblivion ruin his vision?

The road to dawn took him to the doors of Kingdom Hearts. His eyes, used to the darkness, could not stand the whiteness and King Mickey had given him a black cloth to shield his eyes. He had worn it ever since…now he knew what had happened to his eyes.

" _DAMNIT!" _Riku screamed at the ceiling. Darkness pulsed at his fingertips; power pulsed in his scarred palm. How nice it would be, to pull down Hollow Bastion on his cursed body and end his miserable existence forever…

_Take care of Kairi._

He still had to find Sora. And once he did, he still had to go home. The three of them, Sora, Kairi, and him, they still had to go home.

" I can't give up now," he murmured, laying back on the bed and stretching his arms out, relaxing. " Sora won't give up. I know he won't give up. So I can't give up either. I'm still his standard; can't lose my image now…"

He drifted into sleep, his face touched with a peaceful smile. A tear rolled down his cheek and wetted the bedcovers underneath.

''

_He stared out into the darkening twilight through the towering glass window, watching the sun setting behind the distant mountains. It was beautiful, as stars came out of the sky of colors to shine upon the bustling city that surrounded the castle he stood in. But where was he?_

" _What is this place?" Riku wondered, looking around. Then he blinked. He could _see_. He touched his face; his blindfold was gone. He spotted a long mirror on the wall a little way down. He ran to it and stared at himself. His eyes were aqua blue, though darker, more brooding. Then, as he watched, his eyes transformed to a pale white, with black pupils and flecks of the aqua blue framing the hot white within._

" _My eyes…" he murmured, reaching out and touching the mirror._

_His hand went through the mirror._

" _This must be a dream," Riku realized. " And I'm aware of it. But what is this place?"_

_He turned back to the window, looking up at the pointed arch that ended its meters-long run up the wall. It all seemed familiar. He looked up and down the hallway, staring in awe at its marbled flooring and intricately carved doorframes and ceiling. Clearly someone had the money and the means to make a castle out of this place – _

_It hit him._

" _This is Hollow Bastion!" But it was so beautiful, so white, so…lively. Not metallic, not mechanic, not the haunted, lonely place where he had resided for some time as Maleficient's pupil._

_He stared at the tall, white amphorae that displayed crisp purple flowers. They lined up the wall facing the great row of windows. Hollow Bastion _definitely_ did not have that domestic touch the last time he was there with his vision intact._

" _I wonder who lives here…" Riku looked around. Ten seconds later, his answers came in peals of laughter as two youngsters, both barely three, rushed into the long hallway from a perpendicular one. Giggling madly, they clambered up the ledge between the wall and the actual glass window and hid behind a statue of what looked oddly like a Behemoth. The laughing was quickly silenced, followed by the pitter-patter of feet rushing down the hallway they had just appeared from._

" _Kobi? Riku? Children!" A scowling, middle-aged woman strode into the hall. " Come out now! You're already in big trouble, you two. Don't make it worse than you already made it!"_

_Riku jolted. He DID know who Kobi was. They were here, in Hollow Bastion, many years ago. But why? And how?_

" _Children!" the woman was wearing a white apron over a plain brown dress with blue bordering. Her umber hair was flecked with gray and held in a tight, severe bun. Her green eyes sought out the two silver-haired children; finding no signs of them, she gave a disgruntled humph and strode down the hallway, eventually disappearing around a corner. She had not seen Riku._

" _What the…" he watched as the two children cautiously peeped out from behind the Behemoth statue. Then they high-fived each other._

" _Yes! Score!" _

_The one who spoke had green eyes and, strangely enough, resembled Ansem. He was wearing a green shirt and black shorts._

" _Poor Nana!" the other child laughed. He had Riku's blue eyes; he was wearing a yellow shirt and dark blue shorts. " Three times today!"_

" _Did you see the look on his face?" the green-eyed child, probably Kobi, scrambled to a spot on the ledge and sat watching the corner the woman they called Nana had vanished around._

" _Oh yeah!" the other child grinned, staring out at the city below them. _That must've been me_, Riku thought. " We should do it again!"_

" _Vixen's gonna tell Father, though," Kobi sighed._

" _Then we'll just have to get back at him," the young Riku grinned._

Sounds like me_, Riku thought. _When I was young.

_Then a little girl, around their age, appeared from the hallway the two children and Nana had come out of. She was a fair child, with light blonde hair and dark sapphire eyes. She was wearing a dress the color of very pale peaches._

" _What a cute girl," Riku murmured aloud. Who was she?_

" _Oh, hey Naminé," Kobi waved nervously, while the young Riku jumped and whirled around. " What are you, ah, doing here?"_

" _Nana wants you," Naminé answered. " She says she'll tell on your father if you don't go to her."_

_Young Riku and Kobi looked at each other. Young Riku shrugged and Kobi very abruptly changed the subject. " Where's Kairi?"_

_Riku stared. _Where's Kairi?_ Kairi was here, too? Riku, Kobi, the memory shifter Naminé, the Society member Vixen, and Kairi were all here in Hollow Bastion that long ago? What was going on?_

" _You forgot, didn't you?" Naminé looked at them with a hopeless sigh. " She's gone to Disney to stay with some relatives for a five years."_

_Young Riku and Kobi looked at each other. " We forgot."_

" _You two are a riot," Naminé sighed and shook her head. " Well, I should tell you, I'm also leaving tomorrow morning."_

" _What? To where?" Kobi demanded. Riku's young self stared out at the twilight sky._

" _To Celt Circle," Naminé replied, then said with all the importance of a toddler, " Daddy says I can learn magic there. That's why I'm going. Daddy said I got magic in me and all I need to do is learn how to use it."_

" _No fair," Kobi said crossly. " I wanna learn magic, too."_

_Naminé shrugged. Then the young Riku spoke, " We didn't even tell Kairi good bye."_

" _Don't worry," the blonde girl said. " I told her for you two. Oh, and are you guys coming or not? If it's not Nana, its Kobi's father."_

" _Come on," Kobi jumped off the ledge. " I want Nana yelling at me, not Father."_

" _Or Vixen," the young Riku added, following his lead. " He could get Lexeus to help him, like he said the last time we blew up his laboratory."_

_Lexeus? Another Society member here in Hollow Bastion?_

" _And I exploded Vixen's laboratory," Riku murmured, watching the three children leave. " That rocks."_

_He approached the window where the two children sat and watched the skies. As the night grew longer and the stars shone stronger, he saw something blazing across the sky. Something a lot like a shooting star._

" _Is this the night the World Barriers fell?" Riku asked no one in particular, watching the trail the shooting star left behind, the star stuff sparkling in the night._

" _It depends."_

_Riku whitened, then whirled around. There, before him, stood the man he'd least want to see in the world, least of all in his dreams._

" _Ansem…"_

" _Why so surprised, Riku?" Ansem laughed. " Have you forgotten the shadow that resides in your heart? That, I admit, surprises me. I did not think you'd forget me."_

" _Actually, I thought I got rid of you," Riku snapped back. " Turns out I didn't, if you're popping up in my dreams. What do you want?"_

" _To laugh at the memory that came out of your dream," the silver-haired man grinned, his eyes ablaze. " So much have you seen in such a short time. Your memory surprises you, does it not?"'_

" _What's your point?" Riku demanded. He didn't like the smug look the man had._

" _As the darkness grows in the heart, the mind, the earth, the sea, the very skies, so do memories awaken," Ansem grinned manically. " It is only a matter of when and what. When will they awaken and what will they reveal?"_

_Riku glared at him. " Is that it?"_

" _Excuse me?"_

" _Is that all you're going to tell me? I've heard plenty of that crap but I didn't expect it to come from you."_

" _It depends," Ansem countered. " Will the memories of your days in the darkness overpower your search for the light or will the memories of your past-" he gestured to the halls of Hollow Bastion "-answer questions you never even thought of?"_

" _What do you know of my past?" Riku snapped back._

_Ansem's eyes blazed. The faintest of smiles flashed the stern face. " I know what you don't know."_

_He turned away and Riku felt the heavy gloom in his voice. Strange, Ansem was never like this before. The Ansem he knew always fought to force him into his service. But now…he sounded sad._

" _I don't regret the things I do," Ansem spoke, staring out the window into the night of the city at the feet of Hollow Bastion. " Except maybe a few. But that is too late, isn't it? Once you enter the darkness, there's no going back…never to the past you once lived in."_

_He turned to Riku. " It must be strange, hearing these words come from me."_

" _Yeah, apparently," Riku remarked sarcastically._

" _It is just that…" Ansem looked out the window again. " You remind me…of something I regretted doing. That is why I chose you. You may wield the darkness within you with the light of your heart but something else lies within your soul. That is why I am forever your shadow, that is why I am here now, even though you have banished me from your heart.."_

" _Uh…sure," Riku noted, realizing that this Ansem was rather…passive._

" _I still desire your strength, your power, but I will not fight you here…not in the halls of your former home…that would bring upon an avalanche of memories too powerful for you or I to handle. The chains wind around your heart; any tighter and it will burst. And where would I be?"_

" _Gone from me forever," Riku muttered, shaken by his words._

" _But so would you," Ansem grinned again. " Memories are a powerful thing, a powerful weapon. Without memories, you are nothing, a mere shell. With memories, you can be the most powerful being on earth. But memories can take hold of you, wrap you in its chains, and hold you captive, until you fall for the false images they send you. Or…they can destroy you."_

" _That's what Naminé said, I think."_

" _It was good that she went to Celt Circle," Ansem spoke, more to himself than the teenager in whose heart he inhabited. " She has learned much there…and served both the dark and the light. A fair trade. Kairi, she proved far more useful than I thought. Through her…"_

_The silver-haired man looked at Riku. "…I have found both you and Sora."_

" _You used her as a tool? Used her to find us?" Riku demanded. How dare he kick around Kairi that way!_

" _The race of Angels are closely tied to those who wield the Keyblades and those who can, but may not, wield the Keyblades," Ansem's eyes blazed in a fury of fire. " She is powerful in her own right; it is difficult to destroy her. You, I sent to a world far away but someone intercepted and sent you another way. The same…with someone I should have never sent away."_

_Ansem turned and began to walk down the hall. " Never do things you regret. Or your heart will become too weak to resist the forces of light and the forces of darkness. I chose the darkness before it tore me apart, therefore saving myself. As for you…don't weaken your heart or the Twilight will savage your heart and soul, shred it into pieces. And that, I'd hate to have it happen to you. Where would I be once you are destroyed by the opposing forces of the wolf and the fox?"_

_He faded as he kept on walking. Riku stared after him, his mouth agape with astonishment. One, his home was Hollow Bastion. Two, he knew Kobi. Three, he knew Vixen and Lexeus. Four, he knew Kairi and Naminé. Five, what was Ansem smoking? For crying out loud, the man's completely lost his mind!_

_But what did Hollow Bastion hold over him? Why had he refused to fight Riku in these halls? And what did he do that he regrets to this day?_

" _Wolf and fox?" Riku echoed. " And why does he always think about himself? 'Where will I be once you are destroyed?' Tell that to my ass, Ansem. You hear me, crazy man! Tell that to my ass!"_

_Flashes of light from the corner of his eye told him to look to the windows._

_A meteor shower blazed through the sky, fearsome and beautiful all at once. Light blazed as they arced their way across the sky._

" _The world barriers had fallen," Riku murmured._

_And everything faded away…_

" _Read the book. Kobi had read through it before, when he was young. Lorien had rediscovered it, brought it back to the world. Now it is up to you to read its contents."_

_Memories…the secrets of memories…_

''

Riku sat up, breathing hard. The air in the room had cooled; how long had he been sleeping?

" Too long," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. His gloved hands met nothing but skin.

Riku blinked. He then looked to his right. There, on the bedcovers, lay the blindfold. It had fallen off while he was sleeping.

" Can – can I see?" Riku wondered, looking up and taking in the room. It was night, all dark…but he could see, he could see into the night. He could see the three bookshelves opposite of the four-poster bed, the dust-covered black walnut desk, and a dresser. Shards of a mirror lay scattered all over it; the oval mirror that hung over it had shattered and the book Lorien handed him was lying nearby. It lay open, the pages face down on the dark green carpeting.

" Maybe I shouldn't have broken the glass…" Riku murmured, walking over and picking up the book. He kept looking around, half-expecting to see light and shy away from it.

" Maybe I can only see in the night," he thought, realizing that in this darkness he could see everything as perfectly as he did years back in the day. He carefully lifted the book up and turned it over so the pages within faced his white eyes.

" What the…" Riku stared.

There it was, everything from his dream, all written in shining dark ink by a neat hand:

Kobi and Riku have done it again! It took five million munny to rebuild Vixen's laboratory and no matter how many times Nana, Vixen, and I warned them, they always found their way inside and…well, they basically blew up the laboratory again! How many times have I told my second cousin that Riku's gone out of control and needs to be disciplined? If Daron keeps spoiling his son, we'll have two nightmares on our hands! Of course, that means I'm being a hypocrite, too, and a lousy example for Kobi. I should teach him discipline but Nana, though he drives her insane, keeps telling me that he's too young to start maturing. Maturing! I'm quite amazed he hasn't shown any effects of his mother's death, poor Reina. Oh how I miss her soft touch and her gentle laughs. Only if the plague had not reached her when it had! Here I am, saddled with a whole world to rule and an unmanageable son who will someday be my heir! What am I to do?

On a better note, both Kairi and Naminé have left. Not that I want those girls to leave; they're darlings, compared to Kobi and Riku, those little mischief makers! I'm quite glad the world barriers hadn't fluctuated; the king's invitation is far too important for Kairi to miss answering to. And Naminé, she's got the makings of something special. I hope Tesdel teaches her well; I have great hope in her talents.

Meteor storms again in the skies; I hope the people have heeded my word and paid no attention to them. Why are they so common, so constant now? Will something come from this? What does this mean? Are the storms an omen of darker times?

I suspect Kobi's been reading my other journal; I should hide it, but where?

Riku stared at the page. This was a joke, right? Like, someone must've forged Ansem's writing and wrote his page to confuse the hell out of people, right?

But not, it cannot be denied. The page said it all.

_The book Tarzan carried was the one that Ansem's son was to read. And he did…both times. A long time ago…and today. Kobi…he's Ansem's son._

The teenager with silver hair…he was the son of a fallen king…the heir of a fallen world. This…was crazy.

_And not only that, Kairi and Naminé lived here, too. The four of us lived in Hollow Bastion…wait, I've heard of Old Citadel but…_

Riku flipped through a few pages, then found his answer.

_Hollow Bastion was Old Citadel. This was my home once…so long ago…_

Riku continued to stare. This was so…wrong, so crazily wrong.

" How has it…come to this?" he whispered, falling to his knees.

''

Hours passed before Riku stirred. His legs were cramping up badly; he was forced to stand anyways. Shaking, he picked up the book and closed it, caressing its leather-bound cover. He now knew half of the truth. They had come from Hollow Bastion. It was now only a matter of where Sora came from.

" I wonder what Tarzan, Pooh, and Sally are doing," he wondered aloud. " They're probably worrying to death about me."

He smirked, then looked out of the window. The sun was rising; the skies were turning light and the surviving stars were fading away. He would now have to go back to his realm of darkness and rely on his dark powers and his sense of smell and touch to find his way now.

" I wonder whose room this was…" he murmured, knowing that the bed felt rather familiar…

Etched on one of the posts was a name. _His_ name.

_This was my room._

His heart caught in his throat. Riku stared at the etching, while the sun rose. His blindfold in hand, he continued to stare, at the crude carving that symbolized his name.

_This was my room. I slept here, I dressed here, I'd sit here and wonder…_

Shaking his head, Riku tied the blindfold around his face, picked up the book, took one last look into the room, and quietly closed the door behind him. He knew where the main hall was; he strode for there down the dark halls purposely, never looking back.

He would never come back.

""

Tossing the little black lamp in his hand, Pete Coulter looked up at the palace of Agrabah. It reminded him of the glory of another time, another era. But that was a bygone era; he was no longer part of the memories.

_Things aren't the way they were before_, he thought. _They never were_.

He knew where Aladdin and Princess Jasmine had gone and he knew it was not safe to stand in front of the palace, juggling a black lamp in his hands and wearing extremely outlandish clothing. Add that to his massive bulk and you've got a purple sheep in a sea of white.

" Maybe next time, suckers," Pete growled under his breath and strode off.

His dealings with the Heartless were not like how Ansem dealt with them. He was already one of them and he needed to exert almost no control. They already seemed to know who led them and who did not. The same with the Dusk, the Nobodies; the Advocate oftentimes pushes them around but Pete has no need to. The Darkness favors him tremendously.

Except maybe that Axel.

Pete dare not crush the lamp in his hand from anger. The lamp was very valuable; it held something dear to their cause.

" Jafar, it's time to wake up," Pete grinned. " Time to meet the sunshine, get moving, and kick some street rat butt."

" Not yet."

Peter twitched. " Shaddup, Axel. Leave me alone, already, will ya?"

The fire-haired man smirked. " You are part of the Darkness, therefore I will NOT leave you alone. We need to talk, plain and simple."

" Look, if you wanna make a deal with me and my abilities, you're gonna hafta pay," Pete spat back; Axel looked upon him with contempt. " And don't give your elders that 'eye'!"

Axel grinned. " Relax, Pete, I respect my elders."

" I'm sure you do," Pete snapped back scathingly. " After all that you pulled off at Castle Oblivion-"

" It was all planned," Axel replied smoothly and calmly. " Hey, it keeps with my personality. And it is plain true. If I had the chance, I'd roast Vexen over fire."

" Vexen, eh? I thought his name was Vixen."

" Oh no, we call him that to mess with him," Axel grinned. " In fact, as I recall, everyone called him that."

" Keeps true with what I hear. You need to respect your elders!"

" Oh I respect a few…"

" Now, what is it that you want with me? Clearly its something else."

" Don't release Jafar yet. We're waiting for the right moment to strike."

" Oh really?" Pete said, tossing the black lamp in his hand. " And what if I don't do as you say?"

" When _he_ gets out of prison, he'll have to deal with you first," Axel grinned maliciously. " You know he has a thing for blood, any blood."

" What if _he_ doesn't get out of Limbo," Pete snapped back. " Then what?"

" I deal with you. Orders from the top ones."

" Humph. You and those blasted three."

" Of course, it's either we deal with you, _he_ deals with you, or you listen to us and we let you deal with a certain _king_…"

Axel watched Pete's face, noting the mixture of emotions running through him. He knew that this was the bait, the irresistible bait. Pete would have changed if he refused it.

" Very well."

Axel grinned. " But before you go anywhere, I want you to answer some of my questions."

" And what if I don't?"

Axel grinned even more darkly. " Every being in this Universe knows of your deeds, your betrayal, all that you've done. You are regarded as a fugitive and an enemy. They may not know how you look like, after what our own dear Advocate pulled off, but if I happen to announce that ol' Pete Coulter was walking in Agrabah, everyone and everything will turn against you. And, I've heard, the great Genie is in the palace as I speak and the street rat and princess of heart are headed back here."

Pete twitched.

" So, Pete, what will it be? Answer a few questions, or face the wrath of all these people?"

He gestured to the masses around them. It was worse for Pete; they were in the middle of the busiest place in Agrabah – the bazaar.

" Damn you."

" Now you can tell me I don't respect my elders. But tell me, wasn't it told that Ronsend would have three kids – one of Darkness, one of Twilight, and one of Light?"

" Well, maybe he doesn't know it but I do. What kind of question is that?"

" Answer! Now…isn't Marucia Ronsend's son?"

Pete bit his lip. " Where'd you hear that?"

" Oh I have my sources. And their resemblance is rather…impeccable. Explanation?"

Pete sighed. Axel has clearly lost his mind. " Ronsend was…somewhat reckless. He had always wanted to play 'hero'. That included traveling. And on his travels, he…made some big mistakes. That's where Marucia came from."

" Ah…"

" Anything else?"

" If Marucia's one of us, a.k.a. the Darkness, then that means there are two others out there, one of Twilight and one of Light."

" They're dead, as I recall." Pete didn't like where Axel was going with his questioning and analysis.

" Or are they?"

" What are you talking about?"

Axel began to pace. " Records show that Kurozora, one of Ronsend's sons with Alara, came to Celt Circle. There are few of us in the Society who knows of Aozora's memories. He can recall living on Celt Circle. Yet, officially, nobody's survived the destruction of Celt Circle. I think we can conclude that his father…is our own Advocate."

" Makes sense," Pete was forced to admit. Axel clearly knew what he was talking about and he had very solid proof to back himself up. " And you think he's the Twilight son because he uses the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper, am I right?"

" He shares the same powers as Riku," Axel stated. " They both can master the dark and the light. But while Riku sinks further into the powers of the darkness, Aozora rises to the powers of the light."

" Riku will not fall to Darkness," Pete said. " He uses his powers for the purpose of the enemy."

" What do you think? He hates Ansem and Ansem, to him, is the embodiment of darkness. Of course he won't sink to our level! But then…we are left with only one question: who is the last son of our own dear Ronsend? Who is born of the Light from a father who reeks of Darkness?"

Axel was looking at Pete very pointedly, willing him to come to a conclusion. A very unpleasant conclusion.

" You're crazy."

Axel grinned. " You're only the second to come to that conclusion."

" Riku was the original Keyblade Master."

" Yet that proves nothing. Remember, we studied the heart. A strong heart is not the only thing the Keyblade responds to. The Keyblade repels the Darkness, abhors it. It embraces the Light."

" And there are only two Keyblade Masters as of now…"

Axel grinned even more maliciously, crossing his arms and giving him a rather leering look.

" Bingo."

Chapter 61… 

" _Aozora."_

" _You'd lose your right to your Keyblades to join the darkness?"_

_Those were Sora's eyes._


	61. The Secrets of Memories

Author's Note: Fear not, readers! Finally the truth will come, the truth that we know but the core protagonists and antagonists don't know. There's plenty of hinting going on concerning what happened before and what will happen after but you all are going to have to wait a while to see for yourself, har har har…Well, here's the next chapter; enjoy! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 61: The Secrets of Memories**

" Aozora."

Kairi stared. Impossible. But probable. The resemblance was there. He was a pale child with golden hair and flashing eyes. Aozora was pale, too, with the same colored hair but his eyes were pure bronze, not hazel. But Kairi knew deep in her heart that this was Aozora.

" His official name was Kurozora," Kairi murmured, watching the two children spar with each other. " Yet he answered to 'Aros'. But where did he find his name?"

Synthesis. He only remembered bits and parts of his name, and put them together. Kurozora. Aros. Aozora…

_He was the son of Ronsend and Alara. His father was a Keyblade Master!_

And he had a twin brother, a strangely familiar twin brother.

Kairi stared at the more boisterous of the two, watching them as they sparred with intensity in the garden. Then, they faded away.

Kairi continued to stare. The Oracle was right; he had not found Aozora among the dreams, because Kairi had met him. It was a meeting that made her shiver. There was something about Aozora that she couldn't quite place her finger upon.

_There was something in his gaze, something behind the harsh, glaring bronze._

She shook her head, felt her bangs brush against her face. Stop thinking about him! Get back to business! Clearly there were more memories here, more memories that she could observe, unlock, and decipher.

The secrets within these memories beckoned to her. And she was out to find the truth.

That came a few seconds later, when another memory materialized, this time of the woman Alara and an old man. Maybe her father?

"…something about the younger of the two."

The old man was talking about one of the twins. Who was younger?

" They show the same potential," Alara said softly, wringing her hands. " They are the same."

" Not quite," the old man shook his head. He was balding, had a few wrinkles, but looked remarkably young for someone who was apparently old. Even stranger was the fact that he wore a long black trenchcoat. It was not every day that you saw a grandfather wearing a teenager's Gothic trenchcoat.

" Yes, I know about the thing considering Darkness, Twilight, and Light," Alara sighed. " But other than that, I can see no difference between their potentials."

" Your younger son, there is something strange about him; that much I can say," the old man said. " Perhaps he will inherit a Keyblade and become a Wielder, possibly a Keyblade Master."

" But what about Aros?" the mother questioned.

" Perhaps. He shows another sort of power, too," the old man remarked. " But, I must admit, it is the younger child I'm more interested in. Shirozora, you say?"

" That is his name," Alara nodded.

" No wonder you don't use Aros' real name." The old man chuckled. " But Alara, I advise you: keep an eye on Shirozora. No telling what may happen next…"

The two faded away.

Okay, so maybe they weren't related to each other. But they seemed to be intimate about certain things – like Shirozora. The more aggressive, the more active one was the younger of the twins. Aozora was older.

She couldn't help it. The more she tried, the more she couldn't push away the image of him from her mind. He had such a sad, lonely look; she knew he had suffered so much and had lived with more than she had ever thought of. There were things done that she'd dare not imagine, including the destruction of Ancient Greece and the opening of Kingdom Hearts.

" _Do you think I wanted to do that? Do you really think I wanted to murder, to kill in the name of darkness and evil? Do you think I did everything on a whim, open Kingdom Hearts for the hell of it? A thousand years may pass but what I've done will still haunt me, maybe forever. I was a member of the Society, and I was there when the Society became evil, when it corrupted and began to use us to destroy and cause chaos. I had no choice but to remain in the Society, until I was told to leave and find Sora. King Mickey told me to open Kingdom Hearts; do you think I really wanted to open Kingdom Hearts? By the gods, I would've rather died than open those damn doors but what would you do, if the king told you to open those doors? What would you do if you were faced with Sora's damn obstinacy while trying to keep him safe, at risk of chasing him off and making yourself go bring him back? Kairi, I've suffered enough, _enough_. I lost my childhood long before any of you did, twelve years ago, when I lost my family to an explosion nobody really cared to explain. I've been branded by the Society for trying to hold on to what they used to stand for before corruption took them. I lost my friends for five long years, and we've only just met again. I don't know when I'll ever see them again. I've been wandering the Universe for two to three years looking for the owners of two Keyblades burning in my pockets. I've been fighting Heartless and Nobodies wherever I go, and I've been told countless times what I must do, all the time, to the point it sickens me. Kairi, I've suffered enough and I don't need to hear more from you, especially _you_!"_

She regretted blasting him for doing things he could not control. She regretted not understanding his dilemma. And she regretted the fact that she alone knew of his family, of his father, mother, and younger twin brother.

"…give it up, Ronsend! You know you can't hide from me!"

That was King Mickey's voice! But strange – it didn't really sound like him. His voice sounded more…mature.

" Shut up, you meddlesome fool! I oughta kill you right now!"

" It's not easy killing me, Ronsend! Just as its not easy escaping the wrath of the light you've betrayed!"

Kairi hurriedly made her way to where the voices were shouting. They were coming from behind the house beyond the garden. As she passed, she spotted, in one of the windows, the child Shirozora looking out into the sky.

Was he aware of what was going on?

Kairi stumbled through some bushes but got away with just one scratch. She had found her way into a clearing, a clearing that opened up to what looked like a private beach and a rock outcropping. Nearly everything in front of her was in color, including the full moon that cast its light upon the writhing waters of the ocean.

In the middle of the clearing were two figures. They were both tall, lithe, muscular, and obviously male. One she immediately recognized as Ronsend; he was wearing the same trenchcoat as the old man did in the other memory, and he was wielding two Keyblades. One was exactly like Sora's, with its silver body and golden handle. The other one was the Kingdom Key, too, but looked mighty strange; its body was crystalline and its handle gave off colors similar to the colors of the aurora she'd sometimes see in the night sky overlooking Destiny Islands.

The other person was less recognizable. By the moonlight, she made out shiny straight black hair, dark, serious eyes, a pale complexion, and a small cut on his left cheek. He wore a long, tight dark coat, calf-high boots, and dark tight clothing underneath. He looked rather handsome, handsome and noble.

But what stunned her was his weapon. The Golden Keyblade.

King Mickey was a human!

" You'd lose the right to your Keyblades to join the darkness?" That was definitely King Mickey's voice coming from the dark-haired stranger, though more mature.

" The Light gave me nothing, including the Keyblades," Ronsend snapped back, circling warily. " No Paradise. The Keyblades may be used to create havoc but they…refuse to listen to me."

" You have lost the right to use the Keyblades!" the stranger thundered. " Surrender them!"

" Never!"

The two men clashed. Before Kairi's stunned eyes, they fought madly, stabbing, swiping, pushing, punching, kicking, ducking, somersaulting, every move possible in order to get in as many hits as possible while not getting hurt as well. They were both incredibly skilled, incredibly talented.

And so incredibly doomed.

" _Animalis transceti!_"

There was a blast of violent light; Kairi immediately blocked it with her arms but heard the piercing cry that went with it.

King Mickey's.

Kairi turned in horror back to the battle scene, watching a nightmare unfold in the fall of dominoes.

This was how King Mickey became a mouse! Ronsend had cried out a powerful spell and forcibly transformed the handsome man into the mouse king that she knew.

" Traitor!" Now she knew his voice. Apparently the loss of height determined the depth of his voice. " You really are a traitor!"

" Depends on how you see it!" Ronsend snapped back, giving his Kingdom Keys an expert swirl. Already the skies were darkening, storming over. The moon and the stars vanished and a stiff wind began to blow.

" The world's Heart, you've destabilized it!" King Mickey shouted in outrage.

" Hm…not bad," Ronsend grinned. " These Keyblades really do destroy."

" You…are a _traitor_!" King Mickey pointed his Keyblade at Ronsend. " Kingdom Keys, begone from an undeserving man! His heart is gone to the Darkness; release your hold and join the endless sleep until the time comes to reawaken!"

His voice thundered through the wind as another blast of light forced Ronsend to his knees. He stared at his hands; his weapons were gone.

" You!" Ronsend cried out in anguish. " What more can you do to destroy my life?"

" I…never did anything to you," King Mickey looked up at him in contempt. " You destroyed your own life. Restless for years, angry because _I_ closed Kingdom Hearts; is this how you accomplish your task, fulfill the destiny granted to you by the weapons that have now abandoned you? Destroy this world? Destroy your family!"

" Shut up, you bastard! You stupid king, I oughta kill you right now!" Ronsend screamed at him, rising to his feet.

" With what? What else has the Society taught you?" There was contempt and disgust in King Mickey's voice.

" Oh no…" Ronsend smiled. " I've learned a few tricks on my own…like _this_!"

With that, a ball of black and purple fire bloomed in his right hand. He pulled his arm back, then threw the hot fire at King Mickey.

Kairi stared. Everything had suddenly gone into slow motion. She saw the black flame pelted at King Mickey, watched his slow reaction to it, realized just how fast Ronsend had thrown it. To make things worse, King Mickey somersaulted over it – being a mouse gave him a height advantage in a weird sort of sense – and the fireball sailed past him…towards Shirozora.

" Oh no!" Kairi screamed, knowing fully well that the child could not hear her.

The young child stared at the black flames with an expression of horror and astonishment. Both King Mickey and Ronsend were trying to warn him but the fireball, Kairi knew, was moving much too quickly for their warnings to reach the toddler in time.

Sudden flashes. A scream. Blood.

But whose?

" Alara!" Ronsend's cry tore through the violent air. " No, Alara! Alara! ALARA!"

" By the gods," King Mickey whispered, backing away quickly.

" No…"

Kairi suddenly realized what it was that had just transpired. At the last minute, Alara materialized out of nowhere and took the fireball; Aros – Aozora – had appeared a second later to shove his younger brother out of the way. Now they were both staring at the body before them, the golden hair streaming in the dark grass, the red stain that spread its inky fingers across the pale dress, the unseeing eyes that stared back at the man she loved, the man who killed her.

" What have I done? This wasn't supposed to happen! This never should've happened!"

Ronsend was trembling, staring at the grisly scenario before him in horror, with shock, with terrible sadness. That quickly gave way to anger.

" You!" Ronsend turned on King Mickey.

" Me?"

" You were supposed to take that fireball! You're the one who should be there, not Alara!" Ronsend screamed at him. " You should've DIED!"

King Mickey stared at him for a few moments, taking in the powerful, trembling form that was a Keyblade Master, Aozora's father. " It was your fault, Ronsend. None but yours; you gave in to the Darkness, this is what you have become. This is what you've done! To me, to Alara, to your children, to your home world! You have destroyed what you never had the right to do, lost all that you have never loved and you're blaming me for all this? Ronsend, who are you?"

" I was waiting for that!" Ronsend snarled back. He was no longer human; he was a beast, a beast on the hunt for a kill. Two fireballs materialized. " I knew being the Keyblade Master would never be easy, especially because the Golden Keyblade chose _you_. So what did I do? I took a few liberties; picked up some special powers. I'm not a Keyblade Master, you fucker; I'm the _Advocate_!"

As soon as he said that, the wind roared through the night and the seas boiled over. The clouds gave way to violent thunder and the earth began to shake.

" This world is about to meet its doom," the Advocate thundered, " and you're going down with it!"

" Wait, the -" King Mickey yelled out.

" Daddy!"

Everything, everyone froze. Even Kairi stopped breathing.

Shirozora stared at the fallen man. " Is Momma gonna be alright?"

The anguish, the pain on Ronsend's face drew tears to her eyes. " She's sleeping…just sleeping…"

Ronsend turned away…and faded into the air.

" Dad! Dad, where are you?" Aros screamed out.

" Daddy!"

" By the gods, we have to get out of here!"

And screams, screams in the distance, drowned by the roll of thunder, the thunder of the waves, and the destruction of the foundations of Deep Tranquility.

Death, death everywhere…

" Shirozora! Aros, come with me!" King Mickey called out, as a lanky figure and a stumpy being came hurrying into view: Goofy and Donald.

" Gary, get the ship ready, NOW!" King Mickey ordered.

Gary?

" A-hyuk! C'mon, Donald! Best be hurrying!" Donald and Goofy rushed off, with Kairi staring after them. Did King Mickey just call Goofy 'Gary'?

" Aros, Shirozora, come with me quickly!" the king ordered the two toddlers. Aros instantly obeyed, but Shirozora lagged.

" What about Momma?" he asked, with all due innocence. He could not understand the red stain on her, nor the reason why she kept sleeping in such a grotesque way.

" She's…gonna wake up in a few minutes and come with us, Shirozora," Aros thought up a quick answer.

_Wow_, Kairi thought._ Aozora was really wise and responsible from a really young age. Must suck being older by a few minutes._

" But I want to stay with Momma," Shirozora whispered, his blue eyes weeping. " I told her I promised to stay with her, no matter what."

_Promises…_

" I don't want to break it."

_Broken promises…_

" Mom wouldn't want you to stay here, Shirozora," Aros said rather wisely. " She'd have wanted us to leave, together. Remember the promise?"

His twin brother nodded. " I know…but I can't leave her! I promised!"

With that, he dashed off, to the lifeless, bloodied body that lay abandoned and uncared for in a world gone mad. Somehow, Shirozora managed to dodge the crevices and the splitting earth in his reckless race to his mother.

" Shirozora! Come back!" both Kairi and King Mickey cried out at the same time but only King Mickey's voice would be heard. And not heeded. Kairi ran to the far end of the memory sequence, watching as Shirozora grabbed his mother's arm and tried to pull her along. " Momma, please get up, please! We have to go! You have to get up! Momma!"

Kairi began to cry. She couldn't help it; it hurt so much watching the little child call out futilely to the mother that would never answer back. Aozora's brother.

_What must he have felt, knowing that their mother would never get up? What must have been going through his mind, watching his younger twin brother try and get their dead mother to come back to life?_

How strange it was, that Shirozora was only a few minutes younger, yet the age gap seem vast. Aros was clearly very mature; Shirozora was simply acting his age. The difference was there and yet…

_Promises. He would keep to his promises to the very end. Like Sora…_

Then the child looked up, looked at her, past her, into the heavens that only he could see. Kairi stared into his tear-stained face, the tanned skin, the uncontrollable umber hair. His face…she couldn't quite put her finger to it…

_His eyes_.

They were clear, crystal blue, shimmering with childish tears, gleaming with childish fears. And yet, Kairi knew that she could identify those eyes anywhere and everywhere.

_Those were Sora's eyes_.

How could his eyes appear in the eyes of a young child like this? Where was the connection, the correlation?

That came a few minutes later, when the land between Shirozora and Aros blew apart, leaving behind a massive gap that no one could cross. Lava bubbled from beneath, rising quickly as the world's heart destabilized.

" Shirozora!"

Aros' wail was drowned by the roar of the forces of nature. Kairi never saw again a glimpse of Aros or King Mickey or Donald or Goofy; all she saw was Shirozora, tugging at her wrist and the bracelet embracing it. Then, out of the blue, the Dream Heart loomed into view.

" Dream Heart!" Kairi was quite glad to see someone she knew. " What's going on here?"

He glided over to where Shirozora was and gently grasped him. " Child, we must go! Your brother has already left; your promise has already been fulfilled. It is time to go."

" No!" Shirozora yelled, beating at the ghostly knight. " I promised her! I told her I'd stay with her to the very end!"

Clearly he was on friendly terms with the Dream Heart. Why else would one not freak out upon seeing this Dusk imposter?

" An impossibility!" the Dream Heart began to pull him away. " Let her go."

" Never! Shirozora yelled back and kept a firm grip on the bracelet around her wrist. " Never! Never, never, never, never…"

The bracelet snapped off her wrist and it fell limply. The body was dragged a few feet but now lay limp near the border of grass and sand. Shirozora continued to scream and reach for her as the Dream Heart held on to him tightly and glided briskly away, over the tumultuous sea, into the storming skies.

" Momma…"

His arm dropped, hanging over the Dream Heart's arm as the great white knight ferried the small child away into the sky. He was crying. Somehow, he knew that he'd never see her again.

But that odd spectacle was not what caused Kairi to basically freak out; it was the bracelet, the bracelet's medallion, the large silver medallion of a crown.

_Sora's crown necklace_.

And then it all came to her in a rush. Suddenly, she understood.

_Shirozora was Sora. He and Aozora were twin brothers. And their parents…were lost long ago. One to do the darkness, one to death. And King Mickey…was human._

Kairi shook her head slowly and fell to her knees.

" No…"

Impossible! But yes, it made sense, it all made sense! But no…it made no sense, either. King Mickey was human? Goofy's name was Gary? Ronsend, the evil man who turned King Mickey into a mouse and killed his wife, was the father of them both, the two people the Order fretted over like crazy? Impossible!

_Is it, now?_

Kairi slowly turned around. This was a new voice, a worn voice, tired yet still powerful and strong. It was a voice of comfort and certain hope, and she knew that voice, heard it long ago, in another time.

" Tesled?"

_Ah, so you remember my name, do you now? Yes, that was the name I passed on to a generation of inhabitants of Old Citadel._

" I came from where?" Kairi demanded. By now, she had gotten so used to odd happenings, talking to thin air really was nothing.

_Hollow Bastion, Old Citadel, they are both the same. The realm of King Ansem, before his fall from grace. Home of a few members of the Elite that we now fight. We were all once friends, but the treachery of one of our Keyblade Masters has turned the Universe upside down. And now…only his son can fix that._

" Sora…"

_What else do you know, Kairi Princess of Heart?_

Tesled, the old man who lived in a world lost in her memories, who was her teacher in the old days. Before she came to Destiny Island and met the two people who changed her life.

" What do I know? I know that Ronsend and Alara had a family but it was breaking apart. Ronsend wanted adventure when it was too late…to go abroad. Somehow his heart turned dark…and I don't know what made King Mickey human or something but he was human! But somehow he knew and came and fought Ronsend. Then everything backfired, Ronsend lost his weapons, Alara died, and the whole world blew up! And in the process, Sora and Aozora got split, one going with King Mickey, the other with the Dream Heart! There, tell me what I'm missing, Teslad!"

_Missing? You've missed nearly nothing. Gaps here and there, to be explained in due time, but you've nailed it. But Aozora never left with King Mickey. Somehow he got lost and Mickey, Donald, and Gary barely escaped the destruction alive. Then – _

" Who's Gary?"

_Goofy, of course. Everyone on Disney was once human. Ronsend's spell…turned them into animals. It was Mickey Disney, Donald Alba, and Gary Remue. After the spell, they gave up on their last names. Of course, I still remember but…what else do you want to ask?_

" Sora…Aozora, Sora, Aozora, how – wha – I don't get it!" Kairi stumbled over her words. " They're related? As in brothers!"

_Don't they look alike?_

" Well…yeah, kinda, sorta, not really, I don't know," Kairi scratched her head. " I mean…well, I don't know how to explain this. They're like…literal compositions of their parents. I mean, Sora looks like Ronsend, but with Alara's eyes. And Aozora looks more like Alara but with Ronsend's eyes but Ronsend's eyes just flash. Why are Aozora's so – so, bronze?"

_One of the mysteries of life, I'm afraid. Even I don't' have an answer to everything. His eyes turned bronze after Deep Tranquility was destroyed._

"…whatever you say, Tesled," Kairi sighed, then sat in the sand. It felt warm, like the sun was out just a few moments earlier. " I…I just don't get it. How are they…how are they so alike yet so different? Sora's…like a little kid, like someone his age, someone who's _supposed_ to be his age. But Aozora…he's so mature. It kind of scares me."

_I wonder why._

Kairi blinked. That was not Tesled's voice.

_Well duh, I'm part of your conscience. Your _sub_conscious for that matter._

Kairi winced. Great, two voices now, is it? She must be going schizophrenic.

_You still need to find the last of Ansem's Other Reports. _This was Tesled speaking now._ Not only that, there is one more memory you must find, one that was preserved especially for you. Find it…and your journey is nearly at an end._

" And then?"

_Find the Door of In Between and seal it. This will lock the fate of the worlds. No more would come, no more would go. Celt Circle is already lost; it is this world we hope to bring back. Seal the Door of In Between; by then Deep Tranquility would have already returned. Seal it…and I will show you the way to Traverse Town._

" Will I see Sora?" Kairi asked hopefully.

_Sora, eh?_

" Shut up!" It was hard to distinguish between Tesled speaking and her own voice mocking her. To make things worse, both were rather enlightening, and in that sort of sense, she really didn't like what her own voice was leading her into…

_Perhaps, perhaps not._ Tesled sounded doubtful. _His is a shadowy path, with twists and turns that most cannot see. But I can. Will I tell you? No, that would be too harsh, too unfair. No one deserves to learn of anyone's fate but their own. In fact, mostly everyone does not deserve to know how their road will take them to the merciful end. How would you like to live every day knowing that someday you'll get on a fishing ship, sail out to sea, and drown in a hurricane on the return home? Believe me, it is the most torturous thing. Better to learn – if possible – along the way than know all along._

" Oh," Kairi replied in a small voice. " Then will I…uh, see Riku?"

_Riku? Why are you asking about Riku? Just say his name and get it over with!_

" Shut up!" Kairi snapped out loud again and with more force.

_Ah yes, Deep Tranquility as a tendency to warp minds as well as memories. _She could picture the old man smiling, at least with understanding._ Ignore the voice at your own risk. A gift and a curse to strengthen the voice that had been silenced is what makes this world both great and terrible. Murders were rare here; the subconscious often fights the impulse to kill. In your case…well, I wouldn't ask. That would be to be privy to what goes through your mind and your mind is the last sanctuary. It is prohibited by the ancient laws of the Universe to invade one's memories and mind. We had some trouble with that…but it all has been undone. _

" Listen to your subconscious," Kairi said slowly.

_Remember what Sally told you? Briefly, yes, but you should've heeded her warning: hearts would change as well. Don't you remember? Of course you don't, but I do. You didn't acknowledge her warning…I wonder how Sora would feel about it if I told him everything. Yes, Kairi, _everything

Kairi grimaced and turned a blushing red at the same time. What was wrong with her?

_You didn't heed Sally's warning; I doubt you even heard it. But I heard it. I hear everything. I see everything. I know everything that goes through your mind. I know you're losing your hold on the memories you hold of Sora. How long has it been? Over a year, to the very least? And somehow, you thought it was time to build a new ship and sail out to a new sea. Or did you?_

" Tesled, how do you shut up your subconscious?" Kairi asked desperately.

_That is for you to control. Only you can rule your own mind. Memories, you can forget. Your mind, you can twist it into a gnarled old tree or nurture it into a living evergreen. Your heart…well, your heart and soul are a different story altogether. United, with the others, hopefully will bring an end to the looming Darkness. I take my leave, Princess of Heart. Seven hearts, Kairi, seven hearts. Maleficient thought she understood; she misunderstood, simply speaking. Seven hearts, remember that._

Kairi bowed her head.

_Two more things. One, call me Eldest. Two, you will see _him_. That I am certain of. See, in this world, memories and minds warp and twist. Your voice is quite annoying, I might add. I feel sorry for you._

Kairi dropped her jaw. " What!"

_Yeah well, I told him everything. Not that I meant to._

" You…voice!" Kairi yelled. " What in heck did you tell him?"

_Good, you remember not to swear._ Her voice seemed quite amused with her. _Well, to tell you the truth, I did let on a bit about Sally's warning that you totally botched up on. Not only that, I did mention the time you met Aozora. _

Kairi turned a very dark shade of crimson.

_See that? Sora's gonna have a righteous fit if he returns and finds out. To think that the girl he promised to return to has feelings for his twin brother!_

" Argh – wait, _if_? What in heck is that supposed to mean!"

_Shit…_

_**Chapter 62…**_

" _Some tea?"_

" _Ah! You!"_

" _You have forgotten all that had transpired since you last closed Kingdom Hearts."_

Authors Second Note: If you have any questions, ask in your reviews and I will attempt to answer them in the next chapter with the next author's note. Cheerio!


	62. Tale As Old As Time

Author's Note: Happiness! News of the moment: Square Enix as announced that Utada Hikaru will be singing the song "Passion" for Kingdom Hearts 2. CELEBRATE! Time to answer some questions… 

Cammy-world: where in the world did you get that idea? It goes like this: Mr. Eldest has been working for the Society for some time now so he ought to know of that they plan to do…meaning that the others can prevent things from happening. Cheer up, we've got a long way to do.

Aoki-chan: please tell me you don't mean you actually made a bet with people! as for the number of chapters left, I'll say this: the official last chapter is an even number. And depending on how the story ends, yes I will write a sequel _and_ a prequel.

Lena-jade: honestly I thought I was one of the first to think that Sora and BHK were twins but I guess that idea, and idea-haters, spread around. Glad to see that it actually works out with my story, though. Cheers

Tina: unstuck from your seat, eh? Well I hear you're off to Costa Rica so have fun! Yes, Chapter 61 was rather enlightening, hence one of my favorite chapters.

Cutekitty: I hope your emails are functioning correctly now. And what's with you and Cammy and Aozora being naked? I mean…oh well, can't suggest anything now, can I? How long will this story go on? Read the response to Aoki-chan!

Tangledways: here's the update!

XD Thank you so much people! But now the bad news: next weekend I'll be off to Korea (again) and I've been forbidden to bring my precious laptop, which has all my chapters on it. So saying, I will be kind and update until we return to Sora's story, so expect plenty of updates the next couple of days. That would mean…three more chapters. Meaning this is the first of the three…har har har…

I will be gone for a month, w00t w00t, so bear with me here and enjoy what you've got! Thank you and I'll stop ranting now.

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 62: Tale as Old as Time**

" It's so quiet…I don't like this."

Sora stopped in the middle of the dirt road and crossed his arms, biting his lip and staring up at the sky.

Donald and Goofy had to agree. The forest was just too quiet, the mountains were too ominous, the clouds seem frozen, and there was no wind. It was as though the world had died. Or someone cast Stopga.

" Well, we've got to keep moving," Donald huffed, pointing at the looming castle before them. " Something tells me we should check it out."

" A-hyuk, let's go!" Goofy grinned and began windmilling his way towards the castle gates as he usually did.

Sora hung back a bit. " Something's definitely wrong here…"

Donald tapped the ground with his staff. " Well, we're not going to find out unless we actually get to the source of the problem."

" And what would that be?"

" I'd say the castle, right there!" Donald pointed at the only building in view.

Sora thought for a moment. " I guess we can try there."

He ran after Goofy, who had gone so far ahead he couldn't see the knight. And that could be a problem. Maybe not this time, though. He spotted the knight pushing a massive iron gate open.

" Gwarsh, its like…these people don't care who comes in and who comes out," Goofy huffed, pushing it more.

" Here, let me help," Donald pressed his shoulder against the gate and shoved forward with all his might. Goofy put his back into it – literally – and shoved at the same time.

Sora stood there for a few seconds, then slipped in through the space between the gates. " Guys, you don't need to open it all the way. You two can fit through here, can't you?"

Donald glared at him for a few minutes. " Shut up, Sora."

" Loser!" Sora grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

Seconds later, Sora made a mad dash for his life, as Donald cast off a succession of Fire spells on him. " Hey! You're not supposed to attack the Keyblade Master!"

_So…he has returned._

He smiled, watching the trio try and play tag with magic spells on the narrow stone walkway that connected the castle with the rest of the world.

_Does he remember me? Or am I simply another…Nobody?_

Axel had made it rather painful for him, after destroying his hologram back at Castle Oblivion. Worked well in messing with Sora's mind but still it made him mad.

_Once I deal with the Beast, we'll see how Sora will fare against this new challenge._

The Unknown turned around and left the balcony.

''

" Gwarsh, it's quiet in here!" Goofy poked his head into the main hall. " Gwarsh! Look at the staircase!"

" Wow." Sora had never seen anything like this before.

Red carpeting gilt with gold spread out to a huge main hall, with huge marble staircases winding up to the east and west wings of the great castle. A bronze chandelier hung from a chain on the gilt ceiling; candle holders lined the walls, along with tall lamps. Doors of rich wood were scattered along the walls and before them, on the second story, was a mass of great windowpanes, giving them a view of a rose garden in the distance.

It was a magnificent sight. One that would take your breath away.

" Amazing," Donald gapped in awe as the trio slowly inched their way in.

" Hello?" Sora called out. " Anybody home?"

They heard muffled cries but were they of welcome? And where did they come from?

" Hello?" Sora repeated. " Anybody here?"

The muffled yelling was much louder now, but nobody was appearing.

" Huyuk, ah ha!" Goofy was busy pinpointing the source of the muffled voices. " Sora, Donald, they're coming from in here!"

He gestured at a door to the direct left of the double doors of the castle.

" Open it."

Goofy did just that and peeked in. " Well, whaddya know? It's a talking clock!"

" Cogsworth, actually," a nobly refined voice corrected immediately. " The name's Cogsworth. And who are you?"

" Have you come to save us?" a little child's voice demanded.

" Now, now Chip dear, calm down." That must be the child's mother.

" Sora, Donald, lookee what I found here!" Goofy called out, pointing madly.

" It's rude to point, please don't do that," Cogsworth reprimanded.

" Der…sorry?"

Sora and Donald joined Goofy. " A talking clock?"

" Cogsworth!"

" Hi, I'm Chip!" a chipped teacup jumped up and down excitedly.

" Chip, dear, that's not how you act around strangers," a teapot with a gild handle and purple points said in a motherly tone. " Hello, I'm Mrs. Pott. Some tea?"

" Ah…no thanks, I've no time," Sora laughed back nervously. He was talking to a _teapot!_

" I'm Babette," a black and gray feather duster bowed and flashed a grin.

" And Lumiere, master of the household," the golden candle holder bowed gracefully.

" No you're not!" Cogsworth snapped back. " I am!"

" Oh shush," Lumiere brushed him off. " How may we help you three?"

" Can you tell us where we are?" Sora asked.

" And why are you guys in this here closet?" Goofy added.

The four looked at each other. " Well…we're hiding from our master," Cogsworth replied nervously. " He's thrown another fit over the great rose."

" I'm sorry?"

" This is Fabled Countryside," Lumiere remarked. " This castle in particular is the castle of our master."

" Lumiere, I've a feeling we should send these three on their way," Cogsworth pulled at what was apparently a sharp moustache. " We've answered their questions; we've no permission to allow these three to enter. Remember the last time that happened?"

" Ah…well, she's still here, so perhaps he's had a change of heart," Mrs. Pott stated.

" A change of heart? After that dreadful man started talking about the rose, he's locked Belle in her room day and night!" Babette exclaimed indignantly. " You know, I have to get in her room; imagine the dust collecting on the poor dresser-"

" Belle?" Sora demanded. " Belle's here?"

" Well, yes." All four looked up at Sora. " You know her?"

" A-hyuk, yup!" Goofy grinned. " We saved her and some other princesses a year ago from an evil witch-"

" Ugh, that dreadful woman!" Mrs. Pott exclaimed. " Threw our master into a fit! Then he left the castle the next day. Didn't come back for two months!"

" Who's the master here?" Donald demanded.

" Beast."

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora. " Good point. That makes sense…"

" So this is Beast's home!" Goofy stated. " Nice one, too."

" Where's Belle?" Sora suddenly remembered what Babette said about some 'dreadful man'.

" She's in her room, fifth door of the third hall to the left of the staircase," Lumiere informed. " You know what, I'll take you along."

" Oh you're not going anywhere!" Cogsworth snapped. " If the master catches you, you're done for!"

" All the better to stick with these three, then," Lumiere winked. " Come along, I'll show the way."

''

' And here we are," Lumiere bowed before white double doors.

Finding no answer, he looked behind him to the three stragglers. Donald and Goofy were lumbering along steadily but slowly; Sora was literally dying, crawling his way to Lumiere and the doors. " Oh come now, the castle isn't that big!"

" Well it is to me!" Sora shot back.

" And we haven't been to Disney in a long time," Goofy nodded emphatically.

From behind the double doors, they heard some noise. " Sora?"

" Madam Belle, I have brought three visitors," Lumiere informed with a knock and a sharp rap on the door.

The double doors creaked open.

" Belle!" Sora exclaimed.

The brunette woman stepped out into the hall. She was wearing a blue and white dress, nothing like the golden gown she had worn the last time they saw her. " Sora! Donald! Goofy! Oh am I glad to see you three!"

She picked up and hugged Donald, causing him to squawk from indignation and embarrassment.

" But what are you three doing here?" she asked.

" Well, this world got in the way so we decided to stop by and see what it was like," Sora shrugged. " What's going on here? Why's Beast keeping you prisoner?"

" My question exactly," Donald grumped, still a prisoner of Belle's hug.

" Oh gosh, I don't know, really," Belle sighed. Then she looked at Lumiere sharply. " Lumiere, where are the others? Are they still hiding?"

" Indeed."

" Tell them they can come out now. Sora, Donald, Goofy? Come with me. I think you guys need to talk to Beast."

" Uh…Belle?" Lumiere looked very worried. " You know he's not in the mood. He won't like you interrupting him."

" West wing, right?"

Lumiere sighed. " Yes, yes, yes. I'll get the others. If that nasty man comes around again, we're giving him a welcome party he won't forget."

" You should be careful." Sora had a strange sensation about this 'nasty man'. " He might be powerful and if he is, he can really hurt you."

" Do not worry yourself, Monsieur," Lumiere replied, hopping away. " We are not as dumb as you think. Take care not to get lost and don't go near any of the suit of armors. Once in a while, one has the itch to slash at whatever gets too close."

" Great, thanks for the information," Donald huffed.

" Come on, we have to go talk some sense into Beast," Belle said, striding off down yet another hallway. " Hurry, I'll tell you the whole story while we get to the West Wing."

" Oh man…" Sora groaned and ran after the woman, Donald and Goofy following. " So, what exactly did happen, Belle?"

" Some man came here a few weeks ago," Belle said hurriedly. " He wouldn't show his face; he was dressed in all black and didn't look too friendly. But the Beast let him in anyways, and the two went up to the West Wing. After a while, we all heard a commotion. The Beast was yelling something like, " Who'd trust a bunch of traitors like you!" or something like that. Then the Beast came rushing down, grabbed me by the arm and put me under house arrest! I haven't seen him since but I know who he is and what he's like – he's probably in the West Wing, hovering over the great rose."

" What is this great rose you guys keep talking about?" Sora demanded.

" Yeah, we keep hearing about some rose or something like that," Donald agreed emphatically. " What's the big deal about this rose?"

" A witch cast a curse on the Beast long ago," Belle began yet another story as they hurried down some stairs and entered yet another huge hall, lined on both sides with suits of armor. " He was once a prince without heart; the witch punished him by turning into something hideous and gave him a great rose. She told him that if he does not find true love by the time all the rose petals fall, he will be a beast forever and die miserably."

" Gosh, that's horrible," Goofy quipped, covering his mouth with his hand in shock.

" The Beast locked you in your room for a reason, then," Sora thought aloud. " I mean, first he calls this weird man a 'traitor', then he locks you in your room. You think he's protecting you from something?"

" I'm a Princess of Heart," Belle shot back. " I can hold on my own quite well. Not only that, I belong to the Order. That's a double-blow. I don't know what Beast got into his head…"

" Well, we're about to find out," Sora declared, noting an ominous set of stairs crawling up, then turning left and rising higher into a dark place."

" You have to be careful." Belle carefully walked up the stairs. " I've been up here before and Beast didn't like it. He threw a fit the last time I came here and I ran away. I didn't get far, though; wolves attacked me."

" And then what happened?" Goofy asked in hushed tones.

" Beast came and wiped them out. It took me forever nursing him back to health. He behaves like such a kid sometimes I wonder how it is that he can live here in the castle alone with only furniture to help him about."

They reached the top of the last flight of stairs, a long dark hall into the deep abyss of night and fear. Donald looked scared.

" We have to go there?" he squalled.

" yes," Belle replied, picking up a lit candle holder. " Come on, you three really need to talk to him about that weird man."

Sora stared at the candle holder as they entered the darkness. Why did he have the strange feeling that Belle was holding Lumiere?

The candle holder winked at him.

" Lovely," the Keyblade Master muttered. " Just plain lovely."

However, they walked into a room that did not match what Belle had described earlier. It was a cozy room, with velvet armchairs, a lit fireplace, thick carpeting, and several bookshelves.

" No, this is not the room," Belle murmured, looking around and spotting another doorway. " Beast must've added this not too long ago; looks too new for me."

" I wonder why…" Sora murmured, his head sideways as he read the titles of the books on the shelves.

_Power of the Hearts…_

_The Winged Dragon and the Fire Phoenix…_

_The Legacy of Angels…_

_Hearts Reborn…_

_Final Distance…_

_The Garden of Everything…_

" Those are weird books for sure!" Goofy commented, staring at another set of books on another bookcase.

Donald was busy peering at the fire. " I don't like this one bit…"

" Wherever the rose is, Beast ought to be," Belle commented, carefully sticking her head into the adjacent room. " Sora!"

" What!" The Keyblade Master whirled around.

" The rose," Belle replied. " Come on."

The adjacent room was a larger, roomier, but emptier version of the other room. The large windows opened to a balcony and the curtains were streaming in the cold night wind. Sora shivered; the curtains were shredded.

" The rose!" Donald exclaimed, pointing to an antique, lacquered table in the center of the room.

" Oh wow," Sora breathed. He couldn't believe just how beautiful it was.

Protected by a flawless glass case, the rose hovered all on its own. It seemed to sway slowly to a wind; it glowed reddish-pink and gave off soft rose sparks. It was a rose glistening with life. But at the feet of its evergreen stem were four crumpled petals. As they watched, another petal slowly detached itself from the rose and softly fell on top of the other petals.

" Its…gwarsh, so beautiful." Goofy gaped at it.

Sora kept staring at it. Somehow…somehow it reminded him…of someone…

_She was staring out at a gray sea, brushing shoulder-length red hair behind her ear. She looked so sad, as though something terrible had happened…_

…someone named Kairi.

" The rose…" Sora slowly approached the table. " There's something the rose -"

With a great roar, something huge, full of muscle, and raging with anger rushed into the room and shoved Sora aside, throwing him against the wall. Donald and Goofy rushed to help him but the something threw them back.

Beast kept his hands protectively on the glass case and growled at Sora. " How dare you touch the rose!"

Sora stared at him as he slowly got up to his feet, wincing in pain. " Beast, it's me, Sora!"

" What do I care?" Beast snarled back. " You tried to touch the rose!"

" And you've got a problem with that?"

" Of course he does," Belle remarked, holding up the candleholder. Unfortunately she was not the only one to say that.

" Ah! You!" Sora backed off half a step from the shadowy Unknown as it approached the center of the room. It had materialized out of nowhere.

" Interesting how your heart is so ignorant," the Unknown smirked. Sora stared. The voice…he knew the voice! " The Keyblade Master has finally run into a wall. He continues life not knowing everything that had taken place."

" What are you talking about?" Sora demanded.

The Unknown was smirking. " Have you forgotten me?"

He pulled down his hood and Sora could not help but cringe. " You oughta change your hair; I thought I've seen ugly but apparently I haven't!"

" Looks are not what count," the Unknown snapped. He could easily pass off as a very ugly, masculine woman; he had long blond hair to support that statement. " It is up here-" he tapped his head" – and here-" he briefly touched center of his chest" – that count. Fortunately for me, I have my head. Unfortunately for you, you have your heart. And the heart lies. You have forgotten all that had transpired since you last closed Kingdom Hearts."

" No I haven't!" Sora snapped back. " Listen you ugly son of a-"

" You…" Beast growled, stepping forward and protecting the rose at the same time. " Why are you here? I told you I don't want anything to do with you!"

" This teenager threatens the power of the rose," the ugly men commented. " If you kill him…the rose will be protected and you may get what you wish. But if you do nothing, his mere presence will kill the rose."

Beast slowly looked at Sora. Everyone could hear him growling under his breath.

" Oh shit," Sora backed away. " This looks bad, this looks very bad…"

The Unknown began to laugh. " Let us see what you can do now, Keyblade Master. Oh I shall see, oh yes we shall see…"

He faded away.

Everyone stared at where the Unknown had vanished. Then Beast sighed. " I'm sick of charades."

" What!" Donald screamed at him.

" Yeah, I'm sorry for fooling all four of you…and the household included," the Beast sighed, acknowledging Lumiere in the process. " However, Vexen's threat was quite real and they are known for carrying out whatever they threatened to do. It was either pretend to really hate you, Sora, or I give up all hope of returning back to normal."

" Vexen?" Strange, his mind spoke of another name, one that was similar but definitely not Vexen. But the resemblance was there; Sora just knew it was there.

" Yes, his name is Vexen," Beast nodded. " He is a member of the Society, a very powerful member. You know what the Society is."

" Yes…I do," Sora said slowly. He knew quite well what the Society was.

" They've been quite busy messing around with the worlds here," Beast continued," or so Vexen told me. He's been trying to turn me against you when you come here. He threatened to crush this rose…and that, I cannot allow to happen."

" What does the rose do, exactly?" Sora asked quietly.

" It…controls the curse of this castle," Beast answered quietly, eyeing Belle as he spoke. " If the rose dies before I lift the curse, then we are all doomed to live the rest of life as we are now. That includes Lumiere."

" Monsieur," the candleholder nodded. Belle nearly dropped him in surprise.

" If only the spell can be broken…" The Beast bowed his head, sighing. The curse did not break when we returned to the castle of Fabled Countryside. I still don't know what we must do…to break the curse that holds this castle…"

" Who cast the spell?" Donald asked curiously.

" Apparently an angel witch. Her spell was not meant for evil; I was a selfish brat in the younger days and this is my just reward."

" Oh…" Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other.

Then they heard sounds in the distance, somewhere down the hall.

" Sounds like Cogsworth!" Lumiere exclaimed.

" Help!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. " This does not sound good."

Belle set Lumiere on another table, then rushed out of the room. She returned within seconds, looking very pale. " Sora, you're going to have to fight your way out of this castle."

" What? Why?" Sora demanded.

" We're being invaded!" Cogsworth rushed in, followed presently by Mrs. Pott, Chip, Babette, and what looked like a footrest but acted like a dog. " Angry villagers outside the castle gates! And strange black creatures somehow found their way inside. They haven't attacked us yet but Master, I think they are dangerous."

" What are they?" Lumiere demanded.

" Heartless."

Sora looked at Belle and Beast. " Looks like this world's invaded, too. C'mon, guys. We've some Heartless to fight."

" Wait," Belle said. " Listen, Sora, you can't stay here long. An emergency's come up in Traverse Town and you have to get there immediately. Something about Hollow Bastion."

" What!"

" Wait, how'd you contact them?" Beast asked, puzzled. " I did lock you up in your room."

" Your magic mirror is quite useful, Beast," Belle smiled. " I managed to reach Friar Tuck and he's told me enough. He's got news from some traitors within the Society about Hollow Bastion; they're waiting for you at Traverse Town. He seems pretty urgent about this; I think you're going to have to let us deal with the villagers."

" The Heartless?" Goofy reminded them.

" Like I said, don't think we can't do anything," Belle smirked at them, in a very uncharacteristic fashion. " We aren't part of the Order for nothing, guys. If we can't fight, we still have powers. And if not powers, then we are full of wisdom and are the strongest of hearts. Of course, except Sora's and King Mickey's. After all, aren't they the ones wielding the Keyblades?"

" Have you…uh…seen King Mickey recently?" Goofy asked hopefully.

" Not recently but yes I have seen him," the brunette woman nodded. " You neededn't keep a look out for him anymore. He is quite safe, more than capable of handling the Darkness on his own, and he is the leader of the Order."

" Thank goodness," Donald sighed in relief. " Wait-wha!"

" Go," Beast rumbled. " We will deal with the villagers. Heartless, you can eliminate some on the way out; you can't avoid what's attracted to you. However, I will deal with the rest of the Heartless threat. Mostly everyone else here can't be affected by the Heartless but Belle is not only in great danger; she can't leave this castle without protection. And I alone cannot protect her. Her status as both a Princess of Heart and a member of the Order makes her doubly dangerous and doubly a target."

" Alright then," Sora agreed, albeit reluctantly. He didn't like leaving a world with an unsealed Keyhole and Heartless running amok all over it. " Ready for a mad dash to the gummi ship?"

" Der…how are we supposed to reach the gummi ship if there's people all over the gates?" Goofy asked, his arm raised at the same time.

"…" Sora thought for a moment. But Donald had the answer.

" Jump the wall, that's what," Donald grumbled.

" Yeah!" Sora picked up the idea. " Let's High Jump it! Better yet, let's Super Glide over it!"

He then turned to Belle, Beast, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Pott, Chip, Babette, and the strange furniture dog. " You sure about this?"

Both Belle and Beast nodded." Alright then…good luck."

The three made a mad dash out of the room and ran through the room adjacent to it. They were halfway down the hall of the West Wing when a row of Shadows popped up, their yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Sora's temper bubbled; how he hated them! Not only that; they were in the way.

" Charge!" he screamed, his Keyblade materializing into his hands with a sparkle of white light.

''

Gasping and stumbling, they rushed their way through the dark forest, stumbling over roots and shying at every branch that moved in their direction.

" The gummi ship!" Sora yelled. " Let's go!"

Donald slammed at a button on the yellow ship's side and a side door opened. They hastily climbed in, Goofy yanking his foot in before the door closed. Donald rushed to the controls and shoved forward a lever, then pressed several buttons. The engines roared to life.

" Gwarsh, I hope they're okay," Goofy commented, peering through the glass in the direction of Beast's Castle. " I mean…we didn't get rid of the Heartless for them."

" And the villagers," Sora nodded. He didn't like the look of the hostile crowd, in particular a man dressed in red and who had a very cocky attitude. He didn't like that man at all. " And I didn't' even seal the Keyhole!"

" We don't have a choice," Donald replied, pushing another lever. " Hang on!"

He pushed that same lever all the way and the ship jolted. Then it slowly began to rise up in the air. Its engines sputtered but kept going.

" We're running out of power," Goofy commented.

" That's why we're going home first!" Donald growled back, fussing over with the controls. The ship rocked badly while still rising and rammed into the evergreen trees around them.

" Damn! Donald, what are you doing?" Sora yelled, trying to hang on.

" The ship's so busted, it can't handle the crap!" Donald screamed back, pulling back and pushing forward levers. He also kept turning on and off switches.

" You did it again!" Goofy gasped. " You swore!"

" Goofy, do you really think we have time for-" Sora began to yell at him.

" Gaaahhhh!" Donald screamed as the gummi ship shot forward, running over evergreen trees in the process.

Sora and Goofy didn't have anything to hold on to. The warning came a bit too late.

Donald turned around just in time to see two bodies hurtling at him at maybe thirty miles per hour." Yaaaahhhh-"

"_Autopilot. Course set for…Disney_," an automated voice spoke calmly from speakers located on a smoking control board. The steering wheel lay a little distance away, snapped off by three bodies piled onto the control board.

""

_If only for a moment, he saw him. A little child, no older than three, staring into a pool of water as silver and still as glass. All around them were tall evergreen trees and soft grass. The soil was dark; there were two white butterflies fluttering about. The sky was colorless._

_The toddler had golden blond hair, rising madly to one side. He was growing bangs; the toddler was a pale child, with eyes that were predominantly blue but streaked with bits of brown and green. He was wearing a black shirt and long pale pants. No shoes; the child was barefooted._

" _Who – who are you?" Sora asked in astonishment._

_The little child looked up, his eyes lonesome._

" _When are you coming home, Shirozora?"_

"_I'm not Shirozora!" Sora exclaimed in surprise. " I'm Sora."_

" _Are you sure?" _

_Sora had no answer. He did not know._

Chapter 63… 

" _Give your seat to the poor woman and find another yourself."_

" _You know where he's gone."_

" _This is where you come in as the Guardian."_


	63. Stray

Author's Note: Okay, so I was wrong, come to think of it. I WAS right when I said there were three chapters left but I was WRONG in counting the chapters. I suck at math, okay? I may be in Calculus but my brain goes in endless circles when it comes to math. In any case, THIS is the first of three updates. One chapter will go up on Thursday and another on either Friday or Saturday, given when I'm departing to LAX. 

Tangledways: That's after you get through the first of three updates this week, right? I'll be gone one agonizing month to recollect me thoughts – and check out the fashions for creating characters :D – but when I come back, I'll update soon as possible, k?

Cammy-world: unfortunately, and this is quite inevitable, someone _will_ die. The question is…who?

Lena-jade: punctuation is a long story; I have really dumb fingers that always press '"' twice when it's only needed once; grammar is a different story – these mistakes always evade me, grrr! pulls out torch Who's the other Keyblade wielder, you say? Well, you'll just have to find out, eh? And about that couple thing…thinks for a few minutes" gosh darn, I wanna spoil it so bad! But I'll give you this: wait and see.

Har har har, on with the story!

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 63: Stray**

" Last train for Twilight Town leaving in three minutes. All boarders must have their tickets out and ready."

Aozora looked up as the automated voice boomed across the Australian Train Station. Sighing, he tucked the seashell charm and the crown medallion necklace in his pocket. His hand reached in and pulled out the necklace again. He stared at it for a few moments, then replaced it in his pocket. He was sure he had seen the necklace some time ago, and not just around Sora's neck.

He heard giggles behind him and turned around from his seat on a cold wooden bench. Three teenage girls, apparently returning from school, were walking to another part of the train station; they were staring at him and blushing at the same time. That and giggling.

That was when Aozora realized he wasn't wearing his shirt. Shit! And he didn't have time to run to a restroom and change; the train was on its way and he was quite sure Naminé would kill him if he missed it. Of course that's if another member of the Order doesn't kill him first. Or a Society member for that matter.

" The train is now approaching the station. Please have your ticket out and ready for inspection once the train arrives. Please stand behind the yellow line until the train comes to a complete stop and wait for the doors to open. Present your ticket to the inspectors and once you are cleared, proceed inside. No smoking and drinking allowed in the train at all times. Thank you."

Aozora stood up, bundling up his shirt and patting his pockets to make sure he had everything. That was when he remembered he was missing his trench coat. Crap!

His fingers closed around a folded piece of paper. Surprised, he pulled it out and unfolded it. There, in a small, neat handwriting, was a sentence: Your trench coat is with Ashita and Yuri at the Clocktower since that somehow materialized there instead of your whole being.

He scratched his head. How weird…

There was a rumbling sound as the train lurched into view. It was painted with the colors of the sunset, in deep oranges and reds. It was built to look like a steam locomotive but it was obvious the train was powered by something other than coal.

" Home to Twilight Town," he sighed as he pulled out his ticket and waited with several other people behind the yellow line. Most were dressed in suits and formal clothing; many were glaring at him. Was it his casual dress? His missing shirt? Or his crazy hair?

" Your ticket, please? Alright, it will take eight to ten hours to reach Twilight Town. Down the aisle. Thank you. Next…"

Aozora shuffled forward and handed the smiling inspector his ticket.

" My, my, what an interesting passenger today," she smiled. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties and could be doing a better-paying job than inspecting tickets. " Usually its business people coming and going at this late hour. Middle-aged, well-dressed-" here she eyed the part of his body that a shirt was supposed to go on "-, and this is a first-class train, too."

" Oh…" Aozora mumbled, feeling his face turn red.

" Well, you're welcome to this train; your ticket says so," she kept smiling. Aozora had the insane urge to knock out her perfect white teeth. " Right down the aisle. It'll take eight to ten hours to reach Twilight Town so get comfortable. Next…"

Aozora nervously proceeded down the train, noting the velvet flooring and the velvet chairs. The whole of the train was crimson, gilt with gold tassels and the steel of the train's body. The velvet reminded him of someone's hair…

Shaking his head, he spotted a vacant seat and walked towards it, only to be knocked down by a rather rotund woman rushing to take the seat herself.

" Young man, respect your elders!" she snapped at him as she sat down. Her skin was wrinkled and powdered to a pale peach; her graying auburn hair was tucked under a dark hat. " Teenagers these days, they never respect the needs of old people like me…"

Sighing, Aozora picked himself up and headed for another seat. A tall, thin gentleman with a black suit, a huge blond moustache, and spectacles cut in front of him immediately and took the seat himself. " Need to rest my bones…oh, what a hard day…"

The bronze-eyed teenager eyed the man with contempt. Aozora knew quite well that man wanted sympathy from the teenager in order to snatch his seat.

It took five tries but Aozora finally found a seat. He happened to sprint down a whole aisle in the process of claiming it, causing practically everybody else to glare at him.

" That's their problem," he muttered under his breath, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He felt so out of place in this rich setting but had to make do with it; it was either this or he faces the wrath of the Order for disobeying its orders.

The train was, by then, lurching forward slowly and gently picking up speed. People still searched for seats and Aozora felt nothing but anger as he glared others away. He heard murmurs from other people, listened to their criticism of his attitude towards elders.

_Who do they think they are?_ Aozora thought with rising fury. _They think they rule the world because they make money and plenty of money at that. They think that they are privileged to do everything as they please because of their age. They have no idea what some of us teenagers are burdened with, they have no freaking idea what we are doing for them!_

" I'm a tired old soul," an even larger woman stood next to his seat, willing him to move with her sharp green eyes. " I pay taxes so teenagers like you can get an education. Therefore, please get up and find another seat. We taxpayers must work long hours to pay for kids like you."

" Woman, find another seat yourself," Aozora snapped back, deciding that they would have to kill him in order to move him. " I'm not budging and I won't be budging anytime soon."

" Young man, be kind to your elders!" the large woman responded with growing indignation. " We pay for kids like you; get up and let us rest ourselves!"

" You won't be paying any taxes if it weren't for teenagers like me." Aozora glared at the woman. " We save your asses; shut up, let us rest, and go find another seat."

" Watch your tongue!"

" I'm warning you…" his vision became clouded with rage.

" That is no way to speak to your elders!" that same man who took his seat second time around yelled. " Give your seat to the poor woman and find another yourself."

" Just let me be!" Aozora shouted and the Starlight materialized in his hand. The whole of the train car gasped. " I use this weapon to kill enemies you don't ever see in your busy little lives. You have any idea how hard it is to live life always on the hunt to eliminate evil just so that you can all go home with money in your pockets and purses? I deserve to have a rest; so let me be or you'll face my wrath!"

The Starlight vanished in a flash of light. Aozora glared up at the woman, who was staring at him with fear, as though he had somehow turned into a basilisk ready to strike her.

She fled. The train car became silent, as Aozora sat back and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. What had he done?

''

… _he and Sora were standing on the shores of a never-ending sea. They were both looking to the sunset, to the beautiful colors of the sky._

" _He's not who he used to be," Sora was saying, watching the waves as they inched up his toes._

" _I know. I wish I knew why, though," he replied, knowing but not knowing who they were talking about._

" _She's so worried…I never saw her like this, ever," Sora sighed. " At least she smiled when I promised to be with her for as long as I lived."_

" _She needs to smile. We can't make her laugh anymore," Aozora agreed sadly, bending down and touching the swirling sea as the tide came crawling in. " I wonder why they were yelling last night…"_

" _You heard them, too?" Sora asked. " I think they're going to split. Like what happened to Ashita's parents. His mom took him somewhere far away and his dad…well, he's always at the bar now."_

" _Where he goes, too," Aozora added. " I've seen him going there at least once a week. Maybe people who go to the bar come home messed up and that's why families split."_

" _I hope we don't split," Sora said, looking at him. " I don't know where I'd be without you."_

" _Me, too," Aozora agreed._

" _Promise me we'll stick together." Sora stuck out his right hand. " Let's swear never to separate, never to forget each other."_

_Aozora grinned at he took the hand. They shook. " I swear. We'll stick together, closer than brothers…"_

"…_even if they split and take us along separate roads," Sora finished. " C'mon, I wanna swim before she yells at us to come home."_

_He ran into the waves and Aozora made to follow. But quite suddenly, the whole scenario changed. The whole of the sky was suddenly on fire and he heard maniac laughter._

"…_this is who I am!"_

_And a man with dark hair and glowing yellow eyes appeared where Sora was standing. " Remember me? I hope you do, because we'll see each other soon. Oh yes, we'll be seeing each other soon, very soon…"_

" _What did you do to Sora!" Aozora yelled, striding forward. " Where did he go?"_

" _Why do you ask? You know where he's gone," the man laughed. He was wearing black clothes under a near-black cloak. " I didn't touch him!"_

" _Oh yes you did, you appeared when he disappeared!" Aozora screamed at him. " Where did he go, you sonofabitch? Where did my-"_

The train jolted and Aozora sat up, breathing hard. He looked around wildly, only to see that most of the people were sleeping. Some were even drooling.

Disgusted, Aozora turned to look out the window on his left, watching as they passed by stars and distant worlds.

And then he remembered the device Zexion gave him.

Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the dark, strange piece of machine.

" I wonder what's in it…" Aozora pushed the great button under the screen.

To his astonishment, an image came up on the round screen above the button. It was Zexion, and he looked very worried. Add very nervous to that.

" I hope you can see this message before you move on and go after Sora," Zexion said slowly, staring into the screen with his serious face. " It all begins with Sora and it all ends with Sora. First off, we've got four major leaders of the Darkness. You know the first two leaders: Ronsend and Ansem. The other two are our master and that rogue general Peg-Leg Pete Coulter. Ansem, as we all know, control the Heartless. Ronsend – you know him as the Advocate – has a sort of authority over the Dusk, the Nobodies. Our master – I hear he goes by the name of Crimson – leads the Society. Pete, though, can control both the Heartless and the Nobodies. That makes him very dangerous; he's a threat to all sides. In the Gathering, though, Ansem's agent Maleficient, Crimson's representative Marucia, and the Advocate are going to figure out how to get him to their side. The only thing is, I think Axel and Domitan have a different plan. They're up to no good, I tell you, but I dunno what they plan to do. It's like they work for a different agent.

' Listen, Aozora. Crimson, Ronsend, Ansem, they're planning something. They're planning something _big_. Right now, Riku's been getting rid of those allied with the Heartless. Sora beat them before; Riku's beat them again. But they're not going to stop coming back. Halloweentown has been officially blown out of existence but Oogie Boogie is still alive. We're reports of Christmastown appearing but I'm not sure. Our opposite, the Order, has a lock on Hades. Captain Hook's been banished from Neverland by Riku but he's still out there somewhere. Ursula? In her case, I really think she's dead. Now, Pete's been going about looking for Jafar. And, get this, Marucia's been helping him. I don't know how it is that those two are working together on something; it's obvious that there's some deal between them. All I know is that they're searching for Jafar's black lamp; Iago's no help since he went down with Agrabah. I'm not sure of the worlds of New Universe. Of them, Hades and Prince John are the only ones working for 'us'. All others have been eliminated. Well, maybe except Prospector but the Society's lost contact with him ever since Sora went and sealed the Keyhole there.

' I'm telling you the list of all capable of dealing damage to you guys, Aozora, because they're part of this 'something big'. They're planning a coordinated attack all over the Universe. That includes some other worlds, like Spira. If you thought my Chaos-Prototype was bad, you haven't discovered Vegnagun. Yeah, I admit, I did create Vegnagun. I also created the time portal that sent that machine back in Spira's time to those great wars that annihilated Zanarkand. What I also do know is that somehow, something disastrous happened sometime in the past, too. I don't know if it was some echo of my time portal but I do know that Time took something precious from King Mickey. I don't know what that has to do with what I'm supposed to be telling you right now, so I might as well keep talking."

Aozora had to chuckle at this part. He knew Zexion quite well. The guy was lazy, sure, but he had a way with machines. He also had a way of manipulating how others saw him. Not only that, he had a way of digressing from the original topic.

" Crimson, Ronsend, and Ansem are coordinating a large-scale attack on you guys. The problem is that they need a trigger to start the chain reaction. I've already sent a message through Eldest warning about the chain reaction – hopefully the Order gets it in time – but only you can stop the trigger. This is where you come in as the Guardian."

Aozora stared at the image of Zexion. There was a definition for guardian: to guard someone. And everyone happened to know that he was to guard Sora. And if his role as Sora's guardian was to finally come into play, then that means that the trigger would have to be Sora…

_If all goes well, King Mickey Disney will be the only standing Keyblade Master!_

" Aozora," and here Zexion looked around carefully before staring sternly into the screen, " they're trying to kill Sora. If they kill Sora, white feathers would fall from the sky. Many believe it has something to do with his connection to the sky, hence 'sky-child'. And white feathers would be the perfect way to signal an all-out attack on the whole Universe. Aozora, you have to stop them from getting to Sora at all costs!

' As far as I know, Marucia's been given the task of stopping him in his tracks forever…and knowing Marucia, he would succeed. He's pretty ruthless and still holds a steel grip over the Elite. Axel, Domitan, Roxanne, they try but Marucia's got permission to terminate them if they get in the way. You know how well he fights. And the Advocate might lend a hand in this, which would be much worse. I've seen him fighting before and believe me, you've never seen anything like it. Well, you wouldn't want to see anything like it.

' Once you see this message, get yourself out of In Between as soon as possible. You still have to Oblivion; hand it over to Riku once you find him. It would be a good idea to ask him if he's heard from Sora. Riku's headed for the New Universe; Sora's headed for the Old Universe; they're bound to cross paths. Eldest might be able to ask King Mickey to help you; I know you're not used to fighting using only one weapon and King Mickey may lend a hand. All I know is that once you hand over the Oblivion, get yourself out of Twilight Town – yes, Kingdom Hearts has been located in Twilight Town – and go after Sora. If Sora's headed for the Old Universe, its best to start your search there.

' I have faith that you will do well, Aozora. I'll help you the best I can, at the cost of my life. I've made the wrong choice in joining the Society but I'm more than willing to make amends for it. If all else, I will try and stall Axel and Domitan; they, more than anyone, are out for blood and they want yours more than anybody else's, save Sora. Sora is reserved for Marucia and Ronsend, however; put your focus there and I'll deal with Axel and Domitan the best I can.

' Oh, and one last thing: I was talking with Lorien a bit and, um…seems like the three of you have gone through a lot together. But not in a bad way. And she, um…well, she told me she misses you a lot…and she kept telling me she wished you never died. I just never had the heart to tell her you were still alive. Either that or I was just being really lazy. You know me. See you later."

Zexion gave a very suspicious wink and the screen turned black and blank.

Aozora stared at the screen, then fell back into his seat. He held up the device before him and stared at it, realizing what Zexion had just done.

" He's given me a crap load of problems," the blond teenager murmured. " The next time I see him, I'm gonna give him the infamous knockout."

That refers to Aozora's deadly boxing skills. One fist and you're out for a week. Or so the victims have said.

The Advocate's name was Ronsend. How strange. That name sounded oddly familiar, like he's heard of it before, and not as the name of the Advocate.

Crimson…wasn't there a story about a man in a world called Walt Phoenix named Crimson? Aozora was sure of it. Later, he might have to look into it.

Ansem. Well, shit, that man's come back again. When's he ever gonna die? Do the Heartless bestow the gift of immortality? No wonder he accepted the darkness.

Pete…Peg-leg Pete Coulter…he was a fugitive, a rogue, and evil all mashed into one hunk of black, stinking flesh. But to have control over the Heartless _and_ the Dusk, well that's saying something.

" But they're out to kill Sora," Aozora murmured. " They're going to _kill him_…."

His voice trembled and streaks of red crossed his mind. He made his right hand into a fist and slammed it on his chair. An uncontrollable rage was fighting his rational mind.

" I'm the Guardian, I'm not going to let them even _touch_ him, let alone see him. If they touch him, they're going to regret they ever did…"

The door into the train car slammed open, startling everyone, including Aozora. He peeked over his chair and paled. Well, he was already pale; he simply turned paper white.

Three guards marched into the train car. They were decked in bulletproof armor and visors that shielded half their faces. They were carrying large black guns and they didn't exactly have a smile on their faces.

What made Aozora even paler than paper was the fact that it was the woman whom he had yelled at earlier who was leading them, down the aisle and towards him.

" That's him, alright!" she barked, pointing at him. " He's harassed me, tried to steal my money, and brandished a weapon while the train was on track for Twilight Town! He's a criminal, a criminal and a thief! He's a danger to our society!"

" Yes, ma'am, we'll take care of it, ma'am, you may return to your seat," one of the guards said. Huffing, the large lady marched off and Aozora watched, with apprehension, as the three guards strode toward his seat.

" Oh crap," he swore. If only he had given up his seat to that woman! Then he wouldn't be dealing with yet another delay!

_Can't you people understand? I have to get to Sora or else he'll die and we'll all die, too – hey, wait a second…who said I was a thief!_

" Sir, you are under arrest for wielding an illegal weapon on a train during these hours. You are also under arrest for assault and attempted thievery. Please stand up. Do not attempt to struggle."

Aozora glared at them but his heart was beating furiously.

" Its okay, fellows, he's with me."

The blond teenager jumped in his seat. What the? Who was that? Hadn't he heard the voice before?

" Oh, sorry, sir. We must've been directed to the wrong person. Apologies."

The three guards strode off stiffly, to the astonishment of Aozora and everybody else in the train car besides the owner of the voice.

Then Aozora saw who it was.

" Well, Aozora, what's up?"

Poor Aozora could only stare.

" Your Majesty?"

King Mickey smiled.

" Yup, that's me!"

""

" Let's not talk about it here, Dom. There's people around us."

Domitan snarled at him. " That doesn't matter."

Zexion looked around nervously, eyeing the teenagers who had stopped playing whatever they were playing with that great orange ball to stare at them. Not surprisingly, the two of them stood out. Domitan may look like a Goth and Zexion may look like a 'cool dude', but their hair did look rather conspicuous. Domitan's hair was bright, metallic blue, while Zexion's was more on the purplish side.

Now, sure people could assume that they dyed their hair but who can explain their eyebrows?

" This is _not_ a good time to be talking about anything, brother," Zexion muttered.

" I don't give a shit where the hell we are!" Domitan snapped back. " And don't call me _brother_. We're not brothers anymore!"

" Alright, fine, so we're no longer part of a family," Zexion held up his hands, trying to calm his older brother down. " But come on, can't we go somewhere else? Some of our faculties do tend to stick out."

He pointed at the bangs shrouding his right eye.

" _That_ doesn't concern me!" Domitan began to pace around Zexion, a wolf closing in on its prey. " What concerns _me_ is about how Aozora, Kobi, and Lorien escaped. They were missing after that machina raged through half of the Gathering."

" I was not their keeper," Zexion countered, keeping his cool. " Roland and Sofis were."

" That's not the point." Domitan stopped pacing and stared at his brother with a narrowed, piercing gaze. " Where were you after the rampage?"

" Cleaning up the mess."

Domitan began to pace again. " You lie!"

" I do not!" Zexion shot back hotly, feeling heat inching up his face.

" You were closest to Aozora during his months with us, Zexion," Domitan continued to accuse. " Nobody's blind to that! And everyone knows what your _heart_ is like, weak, pathetic, easily bended. You failed to hold up the standards, the oaths of the Society! You allowed Aozora and his two childhood friends to escape! You are a traitor!"

Zexion stood quietly, keeping his gaze on his brother steadily. Domitan was always good at piecing the improbable together to come up with the most logical conclusions.

" You have nothing to say? I thought so."

Domitan flicked his right arm and his blue-tinged whip came alive. The teenagers and others surrounding them gasped and stepped back quickly.

" What are you going to do?" Zexion asked quietly. Hope was ebbing away…

" I've been given leave to do whatever I want with the person who's turned traitor," Domitan said with growing maliciousness. " Oh I won't kill you outright-" here he eyed the apprehensive crowd " - since it's not in my nature to let people off easily. After all, these people will be dealing with us very soon, so why not let them see what we can do?"

" You can't do that around these people!" Zexion shouted. " What if you kill someone?"

Domitan's arm flicked out and Zexion flinched. There was a long bleeding line on his right cheek.

" We stopped caring long ago. And yet you held on to benevolence. How weak you are. The heart must lack compassion to be strong. That was the failing of Riku. He lost his compassion too late; it was lodged in his heart before he succumbed to the powers of the darkness. And look at you. What a disgrace. The kindness and love in your heart stayed throughout and look at what you've become!"

" Better than you, to the very least," Zexion growled back. " I'd rather not stain myself with blood from the ones I've killed. I don't revel in blood like you do, you mindless monster!"

" Rather not stain yourself? You're just too lazy. I mean, how long did it take for you to get personally involved in conducting Riku through Castle Oblivion? You're lazy and you sure don't enjoy mingling in with people who actually work to get where they want. I should eliminate you and just get it over with. You're no brother of mine; you don't even belong in the Society. You're a traitor, lazy, and weak. You don't even belong in this pathetic system of life. You deserve to be eliminated. Permanently."

" Stealing your best friend's lines?" Zexion smirked, though his heart pounded with insane fear. Should he blend in with these Australian teenagers and lose himself amongst them? But that would only incite Domitan slaughter everyone in their vicinity, in hopes of killing him as well as others. More blood would be spilt. It would be better if only his stained the asphalt. " Gee, how lazy are _you_? Even I can come up with better lines than that!"

" Shut up!" Domitan shouted and lashed out again. The frightened spectators gasped – and some screamed – as blood sprayed on the basketball court and Zexion stumbled away, gripping his upper left arm tightly. Domitan grinned. " Such a defenseless fool. Your only playthings were machina. You don't even have a weapon to fight with. Weak. Weak!"

Domitan lashed again and Zexion fell on the ground. He rolled to the side, avoiding a scorcher from Domitan's whip. Blood smeared on the court in the process.

" Stand up and fight!" Domitan sneered and grinned at the same time. " I'd like to see my victims with life in them before I kill them."

" You want to see life?" Zexion whispered, breathing hard. His eyes were wracked with pain but his face was still emotionless. Sweat rolled down his pale face. " Look around you. That is life. Australia is life. The people who are watching us now, they are life. The grass fringing the court? Life. The birds in the sky? That is life. Machina are false, they are only imitations of life. I tinker with machines, because the Society has washed its hands of life long ago. You want life? I'll give you life!"

Zexion slowly rose to his feet, his purple-blue eyes glaring into Domitan's shocked blue gaze. The younger of the siblings began to glow a crackling green.

Somewhere in the mesmerized crowd, someone shouted, " You go, dude!"

Domitan threw a death glare at the crowd, then dodged the line of black power that came flying at his face.

" I've…been practicing, too."

A radiating black line wrapped around his wrist; its long end trailed on the asphalt. Blood continued to drip from his left arm and his side; he seemed to cry tears of blood. Domitan knew that his brother was weak and it would only take a few blows, a few minutes to deliver the deathblow.

Zexion lashed out again, catching Domitan unawares. The blue-haired man jerked back, ignoring the warm flow of blood down his arm from his left shoulder. Not a lot of people can leave a mark on him. Then again, not many are lucky enough to catch him off-guard.

Zexion will have to pay.

Gritting his teeth, Domitan lashed out quickly. He knew how to use a whip; he jerked with his wrist, causing the whip to slap, wrap, and twist its way around Zexion's waist, scorching through his clothes and leaving behind wounds weeping blood. But Zexion's own whip slapped him in the face and Domitan grimaced at the explosion of pain.

" Bastard," Zexion hissed, toppling to the ground.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Naminé pushing her way through the fearful crowd of Australian inhabitants. Then everything began to fade…

_Stay awake, Zexion! You have to protect her and the Australians here!_

But the pain was numbing his mind, was clouding his perception of the world around him, as he descended into endless night…

Domitan grinned, watching as his brother sank into the sea of unconsciousness.

" Sweet dreams…traitor." Domitan raised his whip for the final blow.

_Bam!_

" Hey, leave him alone, you jerk!" someone shouted from the crowd. Domitan caught a glimpse of an orange ball rolling away.

" Yeah, that's right! Leave him alone. Go pick on someone your own size!" A plastic cup smacked him on the forehead.

To Domitan's horror, the horde of Australians surrounding the two of them converged on him, chucking everything they had at him, including those damn hard orange balls.

In the process, Zexion vanished. It was pure luck that Domitan did not see Naminé. Not just luck; it was called: power of the people.

_**Chapter 64…**_

" _You must close Kingdom Hearts…and halt the flow of darkness!"_

" _But those dreams are gone."_

_Was that Sora?_


	64. Trail of Twilight

Author's Note: Oh lookie, lookie, it's Chapter 64 already! Hee, hee, hee, you people don't know what you're in for! XD If you thought this stuff was getting good, you're all in for a big surprise! I luv being evil-don't kill me! Cammy-world: Hey, it's Thursday now but dunno how long ffn takes to update. Yes, Aussies rock and adults suck! XD But please, don't' kill him! I need to save Aozora for later chapters! 

ShebytheDogDemoness: Hoo, a new face! You didn't read all 63 chapters, did you? And yes, basketballs and rioting crowds do rock…as long as you're not at the other end of those flying orange balls. Thanks for the compliment, though!

Lena-jade: yes, grammar and punctuation are evil! They are truly evil things but I'd only fiddle with the punctuation as sometimes messed up grammar can really show style. And I can't spoil the story; there's other people reading! XP but if you want a hint…read Chapter 65 when it comes out XD!

Kingdom Alchemist: Glad to know people still review the first chapter XD that means this fanfiction's still kicking and screaming, and there's nothing an author likes better than knowing people still give his or her story a chance by reviewing the very first chapter! XP but compliments are welcome. Here's 900 munny for that.

Yes, but please, don't kill me! I know it'll be a month before you people REALLY start hitting all the good stuff (hint hint) and I know some people here will have my head by the time we get neck-deep in awesome crap so please, spare me some and enjoy!

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 64: Trail of Twilight**

" Lucky the warp hole didn't lead us wrong. That's Traverse Town right there!"

Riku only scowled and marched to the end of the gummi ship. Sally, Tarzan, and Pooh watched him stride off. They could only sigh.

Riku had been acting strangely ever since he had returned to them from wherever-in-hell he vanished to deep in Hollow Bastion. He had returned looking grim and carrying a worn leather-bound book.

" Well, now I know Ansem did have a son," he had simply stated, handing Sally the book, " and his name is Kobi."

He didn't see the shocked look on Sally's face. He instead strode out of Hollow Bastion. That was probably the last time he had talked. After that, he let Tarzan and Pooh take control of their gummi ship again and ignored just about everyone. He tended to his own business, left the people the hell alone, and remained rather ignorant of the wild ride through the warp hole. Tarzan's reflexes were quite useful in dodging Leviathans and shooting meteors; he was so god, Riku couldn't even tell if they had gone through a warp hole or not.

" Traverse Town…" Tarzan mused. " It's been a while."

" Yes it has," Sally agreed. " Dock there. We might as well refuel and head for Twilight Town. Cid's cousin's expecting us and we don't want to be late."

" Why?"

" Pooh, people don't like it if no one keeps to their word. I told him we'd be there in two days, so we've a day to get there. And you wouldn't want to mess with Cid; this guy's a real 'meanie'."

" Wait a second…" Riku strode into the scenario. " Cid's cousin's name is Cid?"

Sally nodded.

" She nodded, Riku," Tarzan informed him.

" Thanks."

Sally strode to the controls and stared through the glass at the large flashing sign that alerted all travelers of Traverse Town. " We're almost there…I wonder who we'll see there, given how most worlds are destroyed and their inhabitants taking up space in this world."

" We won't be seeing some," Riku spoke yet again. " Deep Jungle, Agrabah – actually, screw Agrabah, and Wonderland aren't back yet. And is Halloweentown really destroyed? As in gone forever?"

The poor woman nodded slowly and sadly. " Yes…it no longer exists but in our hearts and memories."

" Typical thing to say," Riku grumbled. Tarzan threw Riku a dirty look but luckily for him, the blindfolded teenager didn't see him. " It's been a while since the last time I came to Traverse Town…I wonder what will happen from there…"

" We'll never find out until we meet with the others," Sally replied. " They would tell us what's going on, I'm sure. We might need to go to Twilight Town, I'm guessing…"

" Why?" Pooh asked from his seat in the little gunner room.

" Where?" Riku and Tarzan asked at the same time.

" Twilight Town, it is the industrial world of this Universe," Sally explained with her infinite patience. " It is one of our 'bases'; it functions in the same way Traverse Town does; we just have different people manning the controls."

" Interesting…" Riku muttered. He felt a tingle up his spine; there was something about that world that bothered him deeply.

" We're docking, just to let you know," Tarzan alerted, bringing Riku out his reverie.

" Well, Tarzan, I must say that your English has improved immensely."

" Thanks."

Riku had to smile at that; he could hear the pride in Tarzan's voice. " I must agree. Your English is getting much better."

Tarzan looked at Riku with surprise. So did Sally. Riku rarely said anything so nice; so far he had been a bitter, angry ass but something has obviously changed about him…

" Is it Ansem's diary, part of his Other Report that's bothering you?" she asked softly, cradling the two tomes in her arms.

Riku's smile was bitter but it was still there. " I got such a kick out of that book; I exploded Vixen's laboratory-"

" His true name is Vexen," Sally interrupted. " Problem is most people enjoy calling him Vixen just to make him angry. His looks are not appealing and his mannerism bothers some; it is natural for us to tease him. The name Vixen implies the odd clash of feminine and masculine in his appearance; sadly, the name stuck."

" Oh."

Tarzan blinked; he had no idea what was going on.

" Hey, look, they're waving at us!" Pooh exclaimed, waddling into the main deck. " I've never seen anyone so happy to see us…"

" Why not?" Sally asked. " We've saved the people, if not their homes. Homes are permanent, in one place, easily destroyed. But nothing is gone, nothing is erased unless the people are gone. We have saved the people; we have saved the world."

Riku listened and bowed his head. Saved the people? There was a heavy note in that, something that tugged at his heart. What about Destiny Islands?

He felt the gummi ship bump to a stop, as Tarzan shut down the engines and Sally opened the door. There was a hiss and a breeze of fresh night air blew in.

" Welcome back, kiddo," Cid said.

""

" Luckily the Heartless have been ignoring us for some time," Leon said calmly once they all settled in the Green Room of the hotel. " This gives us time to group and prepare our defenses."

" All communication lines are open," Aerith added with a smile. " And passage to and fro from many worlds are safer than in the past month; we should be expecting some people soon…"

She looked at Leon intensely, apparently referring to something.

" We've sent the books on to my cousin, Cid Number Two," Cid continued, champing on his bit of stick. " He's in hiding now but he's still in a better position to look through everything. His daughter, niece, and their friend are all excellent warriors."

" But I'm still worried about Hollow Bastion," Cloud mused, his arm around Aerith's shoulders. He looked very thoughtful.

" We can't think about that now," Sally said, looking at Riku. " It's Kingdom Hearts I'm more worried about."

" Kingdom Hearts?" Kobi demanded, sitting up on the bed in the room. " I thought we haven't found it yet!"

" We've found its coordinates," Leon confirmed.

" Finally!" Yuffie exclaimed emphatically. " I mean, I dunno why it's so hard for us to seal those doors, and it's so important that we do so-"

" Once Riku closes the doors, that part of the problem will be all over," Sally said calmly, though worry was blooming in her eyes. " As long as Kairi does her job, we'll have two less things to worry about. It's Sora and our dear Guardian Aozora I'm more worried about."

" We can't do anything about it," Cid input gruffly. " We have no idea where they are now; Sora's gone by gummi ship and Aozora's gone by train. He _should_ be due back in Twilight Town soon but how soon and when and where we have no idea."

" All we can do is hope everybody else gets their jobs done," Lorien muttered darkly as she leaned back in her chair. " If everybody does as they should do, then Sora will be free to open the Door of Light."

" Its only the Society that truly stands in our way," Cloud said softly. " The Heartless and Dusk simply attack; they are attracted to hearts, souls, and the Keyblades. But the Society…well, we all know what _they_ are like."

" They will stop at nothing to keep Sora away from Hollow Bastion," Kobi said quietly, slowly. Riku knew why. " We've seen a host of Heartless there, like nothing you've ever seen before."

" Then we'll have to stop it," Riku concluded quickly. " If Ansem unleashes that force, we're in for serious trouble."

" Not yet," Kobi shook his head. Lorien nodded, then continued for him. " We know how the Society works. They need a trigger, something that will mark the time to strike. Then…they will unleash _everything_. For a while now, the Society had been gathering forces, strength. The Elite failed to stop Sora and Riku at Castle Oblivion and this failure cost them some. That includes funding; Vexen and Zexion can't use virtual technology anymore. That would make things more difficult, I daresay."

" Virtual technology?" Riku demanded, puzzled.

" Castle Oblivion doesn't exist." Kobi had to smirk at this. " It was meant to bend the both of you under the will of the Society. Of course, everything backfired. Castle Oblivion served as a training ground for you, Riku; as for Sora, I think it was a trigger for his memories."

" Memories?"

" Sora's memories are important to us, Riku," Sally decided to explain a bit. " We're trying to identify some enemies and Sora may hold the key to that. If Kairi breaks through, we may also find out what makes Sora so special to everyone. And lastly, we may find out what the trigger is."

" We already do."

Everyone turned to Lorien. Kobi looked up at her with apprehension but did not stop her.

" Before Zexion interrupted the Gathering with his Chaos, we overheard Marucia, Maleficient, and the Advocate talking about some things. Namely, killing Sora."

" No!"

Riku was up and looking very furious. " They would have to get through me first!"

Lorien looked at him coldly. " There is nothing you can do, unless you accomplish your task. You must close Kingdom Hearts…and halt the flow of darkness! Weaken the forces of the Heartless, Riku. Once Kairi closes the door of In Between – and weaken the Dusk that the Advocate controls – we can move in on Hollow Bastion and take out Crimson, Ansem, and the Advocate. Without them, the Darkness will be easily eradicated."

" It won't be that easy," Sally sighed, as Tarzan and Pooh entered the Green Room with confused looks on their faces. " The task may seem daunting, but it's even harder than that. We must move now, or else Kingdom Hearts will move back to Hollow Bastion. Once it does, the door will be lost to us and Ansem will manipulate it to bring out more Heartless."

" Then lets move," Tarzan suggested, slamming his spear on the ground.

Riku twitched. For a moment, his face showed a weariness he had hidden for so long. But it was gone again, replaced by a black light few had seen.

" Now!"

Riku stormed out of the room. Everyone watched him go. Kobi sighed, then got up. " Get the gummi ship ready. I need to talk to him."

''

Riku leaned against the railing outside the hotel, feeling the night air swirl around him. Were things getting more complicated? More dangerous? Or was it that they were running out of time? Why did they want Sora so badly?

" Life's hard, but try being the son of the enemy," Kobi said quietly, watching his closest friend from the far ages struggle with himself. " Once you find that out, you never look at the world the same way again."

He turned to the blindfolded teenager. " But you…you can only see the darkness. You've changed."

" The long years always change you." Riku stood up and stretched out his arms. " You…are not the carefree little kid I knew back then."

" I gave up on pranks long ago. Though exploding Vexen's laboratory was the greatest moment, what came after…I can't believe my father did that."

" Meddle with the darkness and it will overtake you. If you don't have a light to hold on to, you will be taken."

Kobi sighed and leaned against his staff. " You had Sora and Kairi. What did my father have? Ever since Mom died…what was I to him? What was his light, if not me?"

" I don't know."

Sally, Tarzan, and Pooh quietly filed out of the hotel. Lorien opened the door for them, then kept it open, watching the two teenagers converse.

" If there is one thing I've learned, it's that in times like these, you need a light, something you believe in," Riku said slowly. " I still have Sora, Kairi, Destiny Islands. I don't know what else is out here, but when I was in darkness, it was memories of them that saved me."

Kobi bowed his head. " I don't have much. I used to dream of Hollow Bastion the way it was – Old Citadel. I used to dream of all of us, me, you, Kairi, Naminé, Orion, and Yuri. But those dreams are gone. All I have left…are my friends from Celt Circle, Lorien and Aozora."

" Aozora? The Guardian…"

Lorien watched them. This was such an odd conversation but strangely enlightening. Riku was the one who walked the road of the night; he would know how to counter all the evil.

" Riku, we should go," Sally called out.

" In a minute." Riku turned to Kobi. " You will lose your light, Kobi; I can feel it. But once the darkness moves out of Hollow Bastion, you should go back. I know you will find another light there, another hope."

Kobi looked up in shock. " How do you know?"

Riku smirked. " I don't need to see to know. My darkness can see for me; it sees what most others don't see. Long ago her heart was lost; it is better to give up now than suffer later."

The poor teenager turned pink. Riku was grinning now, as he turned to follow the others. " I'm no fortune teller, but it's a little something I picked up from Sally."

Sally gestured to herself, her mouth forming the question: me?

" I'll see the two of you later. Tell the others I said goodbye."

The four of them left the Second District. Lorien looked quizzically at a gaping Kobi. " Kobi?"

The silver-haired teenager shook his head. " Later…I'm-I'm going to the Third District. Later."

The crimson-haired girl sighed. " Things just keep getting weirder."

""

It was night. Riku knew he could see in the darkness and he loved it.

" Keep the lights off," he told a startled Pooh, as he switched off the light switch the bear had just turned on. Then Riku pulled off his blindfold.

" Hey Riku, I've-" Tarzan turned in his seat and stared at the white eyes which were watching the Universe intensely. " Uh…Riku?"

The silver-haired teenager smiled. " You have a problem?"

The jungle warrior shook his head. " No, I'm just saying that the radar's picked up a…fast gummi ship. Really fast."

" How fast?" Sally demanded, striding to the front.

" Right there!" Tarzan pointed at a speeding silver dot in the distance, dodging meteors and Heartless ships.

" What do I do with it?" Pooh called out.

Riku stared at it. " It looks dangerous…"

" No! Don't shoot it!" Sally shouted, starting everyone. " I've never seen a gummi ship move so fast before…not since thirteen years ago…"

" What are you talking about?" Riku demanded, as a sleek silver ship came soaring into view.

" There's only one silver gummi ship in existence," Sally informed, watching the silver dart. " King Mickey's gummi ship."

" King Mickey's in that gummi ship?"

" No, Tarzan. He is not." Sally watched thoughtfully. " I've seen him; he has not been to Disney. But who's piloting that ship? And why would Chip and Dale let someone else use his gummi ship? What do you think, Riku? Riku?"

He didn't hear her; he was busy watching the gummi ship as it closed in on them. It was beautiful, streamlined and shining. He could see the great engines that powered it and the weapons well hidden under the sleek wings. Who wouldn't be intimidated by it?

" Wait a minute…" His eyes narrowed in on the strip of glass and the three inhabitants at the controls.

The gummi ship flashed by swiftly but he caught a glimpse of a teenager manning the ship. A brunet dressed in black.

He rushed into Pooh's little room and peered out the glass window. The gummi ship was flying towards Traverse Town.

" Riku?" Sally called out as he strode back into the room. " We've detected a warp hole. It will take us directly to Twilight Town. You want to risk it?"

" Why not?" Riku responded as he wrapped the blindfold around his eyes and tightened the knot. " The faster the better. Fire away!"

As the gummi ship quickly approached an ominous swirl of violent colors, Riku could not shake the image of the black-clad teenager from his mind.

Was that Sora?

""

" Who are we expecting again?" Rikku asked lazily, flipping through a small thin book with a brown and yellow cover.

" Sally and Riku," Cid replied, waving yet another customer good bye and good day. " Along with an ape man and a teddy bear. Don't do anything funny to that book, Rikku, or Merlin will have your head."

" Relax, Pops, nothing's gonna happen to this book," the young woman smiled.

" Don't take her word for it," Paine said coolly, striding into Cid's tiny store.

" Be nice, Paine!" Yuna laughed, following her.

" I am."

Cid shook his head, as he turned around and began dumping stuff. He cleared two shelves of rare books before he yelled, " Rikku, where's those two books Cid sent us!"

" Didn't I give them back to you?"

" Well, they're not here right now, are they?" Cid glared at his daughter.

" They're right there," Paine said calmly, pointing at the two ancient books on the countertop.

Cid scratched his bald top. " Oh."

Yuna smiled, shaking her head. She knew how hectic life had just become for her uncle, ever since the Heartless went and attacked their store. They had moved to a much smaller place, in a much safer neighborhood, but the customers were overwhelming them.

" Oh, hey Yuri!" Rikku waved from her seat on a green couch for sale as the brunette girl walked into the store, carrying a bag.

" Hey, Rikku," the teenager smiled. " Hey Yuna, Paine, Cid, how's life?"

" Not bad."

" Great!"

" Bite my ass."

" Dad!"

Cid shrugged, then began to pick up the books he had tossed. " Great, now I have to dock off more for these books."

" That's what you get when you keep tossing them on the floor," Paine replied, adjusting some items on display. " Or, should I say, chuck them?"

Cid only grumbled as Yuri disappeared into the store in search of things to purchase.

The door opened again.

" Hey, person! Welcome to our store!" Rikku shouted out her usual greeting.

" Thanks."

" Sally?" Rikku sat up abruptly, dropping the book in the process.

" Rikku!" Cid barked. " The book!"

Rikku quickly picked up the book, then spotted the three following her. " Uh…and you are?"

The one with a rather bent back stared at her for a bit. " Um…I'm Tarzan."

" Pooh," the little yellow bear with a red shirt and a lost look on his face raised his arm.

" Good, you two are here," Cid was wiping his hands with a rather dirty towel as he strode towards them. " Pooh, Tarzan, we can get you guys home. Yup, Deep Jungle's returned, Tarzan. Pooh, we've found the book. Rikku, if one page in that book's bent, I swear…"

" Relax, Pops, its all good," Rikku grinned as she handed over the book.

" And stop calling me Pops!"

Sally smiled as Yuna and Paine approached them. Yuna cast a glance at the shadowy teenager. " Riku."

The blindfolded teenager looked up. " Huh?"

" I'm Yuna. This is Rikku, that's her father and my uncle Cid, and this is Paine."

" Hey."

" Cid? Wait a minute…"

" Yeah, there's a whole ton of us named Cid, kiddo. That's why I'm here and he's there."

Riku looked totally lost.

" Paine, get Tarzan on the train to Deep Jungle. Rikku, take the book and get Pooh home. Yuna, we're gonna have to talk about Kingdom Hearts."

Rikku made a face. " Why did I give you the book in the first place? You were just gonna give it back!"

Cid waved his hand at her. " Get going!"

" I get to see my friends again?" Pooh asked hopefully.

" Jane…" Tarzan mused. He then looked to Riku. " I guess this is goodbye."

" No, not goodbye," Pooh countered. " Later. We'll meet again later. We'll meet again soon. See you again!"

Riku smiled. " You're right, Pooh. I'm gonna miss you guys but I know we'll meet again."

Tarzan nodded. " Yes, we will see each other again soon. But still, bye Riku."

" Bye Tarzan, bye Pooh, thanks for helping me out," Riku said.

" That's what friends are for," Pooh replied. " At least that's what Christopher Robin told me."

Paine, Rikku, Tarzan, and Pooh left to the back of the store. Cid then turned to Sally, Yuna, and Riku. " He ain't here yet so I suggest you two get yourselves comfortable."

" Who's not here yet?"

" Aozora," Yuna and Sally answered at the same moment.

" What does he have to do with Kingdom Hearts?" Riku demanded with a scowl. He didn't like this Aozora kid at all. " Besides opening Kingdom Hearts."

" He used the Oblivion," Sally offered a point. " And you need that Keyblade in order to close Kingdom Hearts."

" But he's taking a while to get here," Yuna commented with a thoughtful look on her face. " But then again, trouble appears wherever he goes. I wonder what could possibly happen on the train…"

" My question is, did he meet Sora? 'Cuz both of them were on the same damn world but it sure as hell doesn't sound like they're back together again. What the hell happened between them, anyways?" Cid grumbled, champing on a stick and looking remarkably like his cousin at that moment in time. Except for the fact that he was bald.

" I hear they fought over some mission back at Sherwood Forest," Yuna offered. " Sora wanted to do something rather crazy but Aozora wouldn't let him. They had some huge argument and ever since then…then Axel struck…and pretty much everything backfired."

" Axel…" Riku growled

" Say, do you guys want to take a tour of Twilight Town?" Yuna brightened up. " I can take you through all the safe streets of the place; we've heard of a spy for the Society living in the seedy side so I'd rather we stay away from there."

" A spy, eh…" Riku mused. " Um…I think I'll just…look around myself for a bit. Sally, why don't you go on this little 'tour' of hers?"

" Why not?" Sally smiled. " It would be nice to stretch – and restitch – one's limbs in a safe haven for once."

" No world is safe but this place is safer than most," Cid warned. " One of our new recruits, Ashita, is getting better at fighting the damn Heartless and Nobodies. With his help, at least half of this world's safe enough for people to live in peace."

" I'll take you to the train station first, Sally," Yuna grinned, heading for the exit. " No way is a tour of Twilight Town ever complete without checking out the famous train station first."

" Lead the way, Lady Yuna."

They left. Cid then looked at Riku. " Eyes of the storm, eh? It'll be a while before you can unmask yourself. But enjoy what remains of this twilit world. I take your darkness sees for you."

" In most cases, yes," Riku replied staunchly. " I must say, you look incredibly like Cid back at Traverse Town right now."

" Sigh…that's what they always say," the bald man said, touching the top of his head. " I guess its 'cuz we have the same habit of chewing on anything made of wood."

Riku smiled and months of worry began to fade from his face. " I guess I'll see you around."

" Be careful," the man warned. " Don't stay too far and don't go near the castle! There's always been a bit of trouble around that castle and I don't want anyone wandering into it without others helping them out!"

" Relax, nothing's gonna happen to me," Riku waved him off. Fathers!

He headed for the door, then heard a disturbance. Whirling around, his darkness spread, forming the image of an imminent collision with another person.

" Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" he heard a girl gasp in surprise as he slowly got back onto his feet. " I didn't mean to…I didn't see you...honestly, I didn't try to, um, bump into you…that…way."

Riku waved his hand, signaling he was all right. " No, no, I'm fine. It's okay. Are you okay?"

" Well, um…yes."

The darkness still watched for him; the person he had run into was still sitting on the floor, amidst an array of scattered merchandise. She was a teenager, around the same age as he was.

" Here, let me help you…" he held out his hand. She grasped it and he pulled her up.

For the fleetest of seconds, a strange sensation ran up his right arm, a swift warmth. _That scar on my right palm must be acting up again_, he thought, as she released her hold and brushed off her pants.

She had a bag and was beginning to stuff the items that the collision scattered back into it.

" Here." he scooped up what remained on the floor and placed them in her bag.

" Thank you," she said gratefully. " I'm really sorry about what happened."

" Hey, its okay," Riku assured her that nothing was wrong. " Um…what's your name?"

" I'm Yuri," she said, shifting the bag on her left shoulder. " You're Riku, right? I overheard you guys talking. Seems to be serious business."

" You could say that," Riku said slowly. The name echoed in his mind. Didn't Kobi mention that name before?

" I dunno what else Aozora's gotten himself into but I hope he's okay," she muttered, turning for the door. Then she grinned. " See you around, Riku!"

" Uh…yeah, later," he mumbled back, giving a half-wave as she left the store.

At the other end of the store, he heard chuckling. " What!"

" Nothing…" Cid coughed back, then exploded into peals of laughter.

Riku groaned; he could already guess why the man was laughing. To solidify Cid's point, he was acutely aware that his cheeks were burning. What color they were, he didn't need to know. He already knew.

" Shut up!" Riku snapped and stormed out of the store, Cid's laughter echoing in his ears.

As soon as he had gone, Cid silenced himself. Dark clouds were gathering; that much he saw as Riku opened the door. And they weren't smoke from the factories; they were storm clouds.

It had not rained in Twilight Town for years, as it had never stopped raining in the Thunder Plains back home at Spira. It still had not stopped raining there.

Something was at work here, something dark. Had the Guardian returned?

Chapter 65… 

" Tell me what the rain knows…_"_

" _You are their light, whether you like it or not."_

" _I just don't know if I love him…"_


	65. Tears of Ages

Author's Note: Ha, the last chapter before I'm off to Korea, w00t w00t! What can I say, I'm happy 'cuz everything's cheap and I get a chance to nab something Japanese while I'm there XD! But since I'm forbidden to bring my laptop…T.T

Lena-jade: Whoo, I feel like a fool. I don't recall using 'cya' cuz if I did, I wouldn't be seeing a squiggly red line underneath it but other then that…I'm gonna look over the chapter, see what I've marked and try and fix it. And it was one of those 'inspirations in a million' that got me thinking about Riku bombing 'Vixen's' laboratory when he was little. Oh what an evil wittle boy!

Aoki-chan: Wow, you're right, Deep Dive IS coming up! Congratulations and you win 900 munny…too bad you have to wait a whole month before it actually takes place XD. Yup, Riku likes Yuri. (A/N: it's only the beginning…)

Kingdom Alchemist: Looks like our hero is 900 munny richer, XD. Sorry about that. (if asterisks actually worked I'd beat his ass for you) Here's another 900 munny, anyways, and yes, this will be the ONLY week you'll see me update so fast. Here's the last update for August…

Damn the stupid way Word formatting appears on ffn! Well, here's the next chapter.

And one final note: Tell Me What the Rain Knows – Sakamoto Maaya

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 65: Tears of Ages**

" Well? Explain yourself, Voice! What do you mean by _if_?"

Kairi was met with silence. Heavy silence.

" Why me…" She buried her face in her arms and sat hunched over in the warm sands.

First Tesled confused the hell out of her with his talk of destinies and twins that look alike but don't have to look alike, then her own subconscious mocked her, playing with her feelings and emotions.

" I _don't_ like Aozora," she told herself fiercely. " It's Sora I've been waiting for…Sora and Riku…oh, when will I ever see you two again?"

Her eyes began to water. She dashed away the tears, then stood up and brushed off the sand. Sighing, she turned to the gray sea, now peaceful and free of the disaster she had witnessed minutes ago.

" But still…his eyes…" Those haunted bronze eyes burned themselves into the back of her mind and never left her. " I wonder what he's doing right now…"

She left out another sigh, then her feet began to take her back to that cottage home. Two more pages of Ansem's Other Report…then what? Home? Can she go home? The storms had wiped out Destiny Islands; home no longer existed.

" But Destiny Islands wasn't my home." That much she knew. " It was Hollow Bastion-"

Suddenly the image of two silver-headed toddlers appeared in her mind, a lost page from the book of memories. Riku? But who was the other kid?

" Ansem had a child." The words, the memories, they began tumbling out of the darkness in her mind, from her lips, into the listless world. " His name…was Kobi. And there were others. Orion. Yuri. Naminé. There were six of us…at Hollow Bastion – Old Citadel. That was our home. I knew Riku…from who knows when…"

Destiny Islands was never her home. Nor was it Riku's. Or Sora's. Sora came from Deep Tranquility, a world destroyed by his father, a world that tore two brothers apart and cast them into nether reaches of the Universe, where they grew up not knowing who they were.

" Incredible…"

A glowing warmth began to spread, not from within her, but around her. The world was still cloaked in drab paints but a soft, warm wind began to stir. She could smell the sea and the garden. And somewhere, lost in the home and its garden of love, was a soft voice, singing.

"_Tell me what the rain knows_

_O are these the Tears of Ages_

_That wash away the Wolf's Way_

_And leave not a trace of the day?"_

" The Wolf's Song," Kairi breathed. She knew that song. It was a song from the old stories of a land where wolves roamed. A song of a time of darkness and how a white wolf, a female, stepped forward to unite all the animals against the darkness that threatened to swamp not only the lives of the animals but also the lives of their hated enemy, Man.

But there was one thing off about the story.

" It's not a part of this world…" Kairi murmured, as the voice continued to sing.

"_Tell me what the rain knows_

_O is this the flood of fortune_

_That pours itself upon me?_

_O see how I drown in this sea_

_Hark, hear the howl that eats the moon alive_

_Your fur is on fire_

_The smoke turns the whole sky raven black_

_And the world upon your back will crack_

_Where will you go_

_Now you've no home?_

_Let the rain wash away your last days…"_

" Hello? Is anybody there?" Kairi called out softly, inching her way towards the source of the beautiful, haunting voice. She was quite sure it wasn't a memory.

There, sitting on a bench carved from a rough-hewn boulder, was Alara. Kairi knew her anywhere and everywhere. Her golden blonde hair tousled with the wind that was not there; her skin was vibrant, unearthly, and she wore a white dress with gold trim. She wore golden bracelets and was barefooted. Her finely sculpt face was pale, with rosy cheeks and lips the color of cherry blossoms. Her eyes were the beautiful blue that Sora shared with her. But they were weeping, crystal tears rolling down her unmarred cheeks.

" Um…hello?"

The unearthly woman was humming the song again.

" Oh…" Maybe this _was_ a memory.

" The grace of Angels are almost gone from the face of this Universe," Alara suddenly spoke. She looked at her, her blue eyes stunning her. " Our blood is nearly lost. So few carry the golden grace of our kind."

" I'm sorry?" So this wasn't a dream?

" I'm not a memory, Kairi. I am real. I am Alara, daughter of the last Lord of the Angels."

Kairi stared. She had even forgotten to breathe.

" Oh for Haven's sake, girl, stop staring! You look less like an Angel that way."

Now Kairi was floored. " I'm sorry?"

Alara only smiled. " The race of Angels is a very ancient race. We are a race graced with beauty, intellect, strength, and power. We were the first in this Universe and we were the ones who gave grace to the Universe. Through us, the rest of the Universe rose. We gave the Universe music, the arts, craftsmanship, government, architecture, even language. But over time, the ones we taught grew angry with our blessings and sough to kill us all. There are so few left, and all are so very young…I say 'we', Kairi, for you are one of the last full-blooded Angels left. There are few others left who carry the blood but not like you."

Kairi blinked.

" You have a power in you, Kairi," Alara said softly, standing up and brushing her white dress free of debris. " It's a special power, much like the strength of your heart and soul. There are some of us gifted with a grace or power. One has the power to manipulate memories; one gifted with a voice of colors and is talented with the sword. You…have the pure powers of light, like I did long ago…"

Kairi finally found her voice, and regretted that it sounded like she squeaked out the question, " I thought you died."

" I did."

" Then how…?"

" My powers are like yours but with only one difference: I was born to be the Angel, a herald, voice, and embodiment of the true Light. The true Light's epitome is locked in Limbo; I was chosen to represent her and was gifted with all her powers. I was born from the far ages, Kairi; by the grace of the Angels I look young. We are an immortal race but that era is coming to an end. When Sora…when he opens the Door of Light, the gift of immortality will be gone. And I will cease to exist."

" Oh…" Then how old was she?

" You, Kairi, are truly young in our race. For you were born fifteen years ago and you are fifteen now. Very young by our standards but of the few who are left, they all age as fast as the human race does. Our reign is coming to an end…and when the Old Order ends and the New Order begins, our time will be over. Our grace will be lost, and our blood will become lost among the humans. Why are you so sad?"

" Because that's such a cruel fate!" Tears welled up in her eyes. " That is so evil…for a culture and a race to be lost forever…why?"

" Fate spoke and Time determined. For good things must come to an end at some point, Kairi. It is called Death. That is the great gift, and curse, of the human race. Humans, when they weary of life, will die. But some wish to live long. Why do some join the Darkness? Because they believe they can gain immortality. That is their Paradise. But it is foolish; who would want to live so long?"

" A lot of us wish…that we could live forever," Kairi admitted.

" Childish dreams. When you have lived as long as I have, when you have seen death, destruction, suffering, endless sorrow, you will weary of life. If you…were to see your life torn apart…you will wish for all things to come to an end…"

She was weeping. Kairi could feel nothing but pity; this ageless woman had died trying to defend her family, but her death was useless. The family was still torn apart. One had fallen to Darkness, the other had risen to Light, and their children were torn apart, scattered.

" I'm – I'm sorry…" Kairi looked down, grasping her hands together and not sure of what else to say. She felt out of place at the moment.

" Your kindness and empathy is what makes you great," Alara smiled through her tears. " That is part of your great power. You…hold the hearts of my children because of that. You are their light, whether you like it or not."

There was a sparkle in her eyes. Kairi realized that she and Sora were similar in many ways. That included their eyes. But Aozora looked like her, too…

They really are twins. And she really is their mother. They're part Angel… 

" Kairi, there is another power sleeping in you. A power to fight and heal. You once promised to Sora that you would fight. So far your heart has been fighting. Now it is time for another part of you to fight. It is a strange power; very few, like me, are gifted with its strength and healing. Yes, you can heal and you can destroy. But these powers…only work for the good of things. You can only use powers to destroy in order to defend the Light; you can never abuse the powers."

" Power in me?" Kairi gestured to herself.

Alara lifted her right hand and clasped it with her own. " Search deep within you, Kairi. There is a power sleeping, pulsing, waiting for release. Find it."

Kairi hesitated for a moment, not wanting to look like an idiot. But Alara nodded, smiling to her, assuring her, and Kairi closed her eyes. She searched deep in her mind, sifting through past memories, deep darkness, searching as Alara had told her…

She came across an unexpected bump. A lump of night, pulsing in unison with her heart. She tapped on it and was astonished when it unleashed a powerful warmth that ran down her spine and through her limbs, bringing instant relief from any prior stress.

" What-"

" That is the power," Alara told her. " But you have only tapped it. Break the seal of Time…so that its light will come pouring from your very being."

She turned Kairi's hand so its palm faced the gray heavens. Kairi obeyed her command and began to break though the seal of night. But it was hard, harder than searching for memories from the deep. She grimaced as she forced apart years and layers of darkness, feeling something hot and alive pulsing with more power with each layer she tore apart.

Then, finally, she pricked a hole in the last layer and a tiny beam of light shone in her heart and soul. Then the whole lump ruptured and Kairi gasped as white hot light spilled forth and swamped her senses, pouring through her fingers and falling through her legs to her feet. It was a churning sensation, burning and freezing at the same time.

" Look at your hand, Kairi," Alara instructed, her voice now having a silver edge. " Concentrate. Push all that white power into the palm of your hand. With practice, this will be so easy you barely need to think about it. But this is your first and it will be hard. Focus."

Kairi, tired as she was, willed herself to force the white light into her hand. It was like pushing water; the light kept weeping through her mental hands. But she fought with the strange strength and was finally rewarded with a shocker.

Glowing, hovering above the palm of her right hand, were three white crystals. They spun on individual, invisible axes, glowing in that hot white light that had exploded from the strange dark lump. It was as though the white light had liquefied into something solid.

" That is only the beginning," Alara smiled. " Touch them."

A tentative finger touched the largest spinning crystal and Kairi immediately pulled her hand back; power had rippled through her finger, a powerful warmth.

" Right now it has the strength to heal," Alara spoke. " But when you direct your anger, they will become powers of destruction. The light within you will annihilate the Heartless and destroy the Nobodies. These two forces are methodically wiping out the Universe and it is up to people like you to stop them. Your friend Riku is closing on a source of Heartless; you are nearing a source of Nobodies. Close the doors to them both…and if all goes well, Sora will find the Door of Light."

Kairi continued to stare at the glowing crystals. Another crystal gathered light and floated up to join its sisters. She stared at them, watching them glow in the pure light that came from within her.

" You can will them away, you know," Alara informed her.

The crystals vanished, as did the reassuring light. Again the world was gray.

" This was such a beautiful world," Alara smiled sadly, looking to the cottage. " It was a beautiful life. I thought I had discovered my Paradise. But deep in my heart…I knew Ronsend was not happy. He loved the children…but he wanted to leave, wander among the stars. That wanderlust he instilled in Sora. Ronsend had always favored Sora…because he was the one who resembled him most in spirit. Aozora was more of a pacifist, more emotional. He was more like the Angels of old. We do not take kindly to war but when we fight, we fight. And we are more sensitive to others. It is a gift and a curse, being an Angel. You can feel for others at a level most others never knew existed. That was why Sora was able to carry your heart with him. And that is why you feel sympathy for Aozora."

She sighed and looked to the heavens. " I wish I knew why…Aozora suffered more than Sora did. I wish neither of them had to live this way. If…if Ronsend had not fallen from grace…sometimes I wonder what life would be like now…for all of us."

" Would I have ever seen either of them?" Kairi whispered.

At this, the Angel smiled. " Perhaps not. But maybe that is why life became this way. You were to meet the both of them, as Riku was to forge a road that Sora began for him. The same with Ansem's son; Aozora began a path for him as well. Perhaps…they were meant to suffer this way…for the sake of others…"

Alara began to drift towards the cottage and Kairi felt obliged to follow her.

" The song I was singing…was a tale of a white wolf who possessed a gift. Few others had that same gift, including a predecessor from a faraway land. Those two, and one or two others shared the gift at the same high level; most others could only see so far…The white wolf suffered as no other should have, but she had forged a link between Man and Animal. One could not exist without the other. Man is brutal but He is a link in the chain of Life. The darkness in the world could not understand that and tried to destroy Man. She had seen what Man could do and used the wolf's black brother against her. But the white wolf revealed the truth, a truth only one who had the gift at her level could. Even with all the destruction Man left behind, there was still hope growing in the ice that covered their world."

" It is a story…told by the Angels," Kairi whispered, finally understanding i.

" Yes, and an allegory," Alara nodded as she followed a small pebble trail towards the back of the cottage. " It talks about dark times…and the hope that could be found in all the evil of the Universe. There will be much suffering, though. The white wolf…knew she had the power to cast the evil aside, so that she could live in peace…and raise a family of her own, enjoy Paradise that Nature offered her. But she knew better. The power she had now, the power to control all, should never be unleashed. And so she fought with the evil, until they fell to their deaths. Hers was a great sacrifice…and she gave them all hope, hope that some day Man and Animal will live in harmony and Paradise will be found."

" Death?" Kairi paled.

" Let us hope that will never come to pass," Alara remarked with a bit of cheer. She then stopped and turned to two earthenware jars sitting next to the wall of the home. " Eldest…placed the last to pages of the Report of this world in the jars. They will guide you to the door of In Between. Seal it with the Moonbeam that Aozora gave you…and you will find your way back to the Real Universe. What your path will be from there…only Eldest knows…"

Kairi turned to the Angel, only to watch her fade away. " Hearts change with time, Kairi. Do not fear the change. Embrace it with courage. Follow your heart and it will guide you…when all other hope dies away. When time comes, Kairi, your heart will give you hope. Never forget that. Farewell…"

Alara faded away, leaving Kairi standing there in astonishment at her words. Did she knew, did she understand her emotions, her feelings, and how lost she felt right now? Did Alara know…

" I don't like him…" Kairi whispered helplessly, dropping to her knees near the two jars. " He's only Sora's brother…and I don't like him. I don't!"

Her hand reached out and grasped the rim of one of the jars for support, as tears began to fall again, tears of loss and confusion.

" I just don't know if I love him…"

She began to cry.

""

" Where did that girl get herself to?" Oracle Kenaii fumed, storming around while Iago, Selphie, and Merlin went off in search of the redheaded girl. He seemed to have forgotten that the last place Kairi had gone to was the seashore.

But Tidus didn't forget. He saw and he remembered, including where Kairi had gone off to.

" I'll go find her," he said. " I think I might know where she had gone."

" Be careful!" the specter barked at him as the young man jogged off for the sea. " There are hidden hazards around here…"

Tidus ignored the ghost's warning, as he headed for the seashore. " Hidden hazards, bite my ass…"

It was a beautiful beach Tidus came upon. Gray it was but still he could see the beauty in the long, clean pale sand and the gently rolling waves that lapped the shore. Vegetation grew several feet away from the waves, giving a lush essence to the whole setting.

A pair of footprints meandered in the sand and depressions marked where the owner of the feet sat, before wandering off again.

" Gotcha…" Tidus muttered following the footprints as it meandered along the beach to his right, becoming lost in what seemed to be a hidden garden.

" Oh wow…" Tidus gasped as he stepped into another world entirely. It was a tidy cottage, lost among the garden of herbs and flowers surrounding it. A pebble path led through this beautiful garden to the house and Tidus was quite sure that this was where Kairi had disappeared to.

" Kairi?" Tidus called out, then quickly fell silent. He was sure he heard something.

" T-Tidus?" her wavering voice called back. Tidus was startled; was she crying? Over what?

" Kairi, where are you?" he called out.

" B-behind the h-house…" her voice faded.

" Kairi!" Tidus ran to the cottage, then around it. He screeched to a stop, spotting Kairi leaning against two earthenware jars, staring at two parchment papers on the ground near a pebble path. Around them were greenery, a lot of greenery. Someone had taken the time to plant a huge garden in front and a forest in back.

" Tidus?" Kairi turned her head, seeing her friend. Her eyes were red from crying. " Thank goodness you're here…"

" Kairi, what's wrong?" Tidus asked worriedly. " What happened?"

She shook her head, looking back at the parchment papers. " I…discovered memories."

" Memories?"

" Do you remember…the blond guy back at Celt Circle?"

" It's kinda hard to forget him in the first place, just to let you know."

" Well…" Kairi looked up at him. " What if I told you Sora had a brother and that was him?"

Tidus blinked at her. Five seconds later, what she just said registered in his mind. " What!"

Kairi had a bitter smile on her face. " This…was Sora's home. I just found out…not too long ago…"

" _This_ was Sora's _home_!" Tidus stepped back and stared at the house. " No way!"

" Not only that," she whispered," but King Mickey was a human, a man, before a terrible spell turned him into a mouse. Sora's father destroyed this world…and tore Sora and Aozora apart. Time passed and the wounds healed; they forgot about each other."

She looked up at her friend. " The heart forgives, forgets, and heals. In our case, that was a bad thing."

" Sora's dad did all this?" Tidus referred to the razed buildings they had first seen on the way into the heart of Deep Tranquility.

" And he killed his wife, their mother. That he didn't try to do; he tried to kill King Mickey instead. But he killed Alara. And it destroyed him. He left…and King Mickey had to deal with both Sora and Aozora. Somehow, all three of them were separated…and Sora found his way to Destiny Islands."

" By Spira…" Tidus shook his head, leaning down and picking up the two parchment papers.

" The only thing was…Dream Heart knew all along," Kairi said bitterly, slowly getting up to her feet. " He took Sora away, before the world was destroyed. And…a teacher of mine from long ago, he knew everything, too."

" Why wouldn't they say anything about it?" Tidus demanded. " Imagine all the trouble they could've saved for us!"

" They wanted us to find for ourselves, I think," Kairi said, slowly making her way around the house back to the front. " Perhaps to find out more for ourselves than they could ever explain to us. After all, there are some things…that I've learned, too…"

For the fleetest instance, Tidus saw something white hot glow in the palm of her hand.

" We should take those two pieces of paper back to the others," Kairi decided, walking much faster now. The glow was gone. " They should be told of this, too."

''

Oracle Kenaii walked a few feet away, bowing his head. Merlin hemmed and hawed and basically said nothing. Selphie was gaping, Iago was…knocked out.

" You're mad!" the red parrot screeched as he jumped back up to his feet and hopped his way over to Kairi. " You're barking mad! Aladdin's brains may be fried by the sun but you…you are crazy!"

" That's all I know and that's all I can say…" Kairi began helplessly, unsure of how to calm down the raging ball of red feathers.

" You're telling me…that this blond dude…is Sora's _brother_?" Selphie asked. " Do they even look alike?"

" Yes…"

Merlin saw a pink tinge on Kairi's cheeks but said nothing of it. " This…explains everything, eh, Oracle Kenaii?"

" Explains?" the specter turned on them. " That's all you can say? It all fits! Everything makes sense now! No wonder they've been after Sora! If he dies, then the darkness will reign supreme and where will I be? In the damn pit hole of Hades! We have to get out of here _now_!"

" Sora can't die!" Kairi shrieked out. " He can't!"

He promised to come back! And he never breaks his promises… 

" He will die if we don't get to the Real Universe in time," Oracle Kenaii grumbled back. " You've unlocked Deep Tranquility, Kairi, but the road to the door of In Between is only a little farther. Hercules went a bit overboard with his description of that – remind me to never have him explain anything to anyone ever again – but its not that hard. As long as you have the key and we have the time, we can seal the Door of In Between and open the door back to our home: Real Universe."

" Real Universe…" Selphie whispered.

" Yuna…"

" Aladdin…old buddies…"

" My tea! …what?"

The others looked at each other. " Oracle, did Merlin's mother _really_ drop him on his head?"

The ghost grinned. " Want me to show you the mark?"

""

Page One – There were two brothers. They were Seiryu Dragon and Phoenix. They were noble twins, from a family of long-lived, handsome race of humans. They were the heirs to the Throne of Light but they lost that heritage when Darkness first came. Two great entities, Halocanis and Shadowrenis, had been deadlocked in war for a long time but finally their fight boiled over into terrible war. And the Heartless came.

From out of nowhere came three Keyblades. Dragon found himself wielding two; Phoenix held one. Together they discovered the power of the Keyblades and began to wipe out the Heartless. Then they began to learn of the hearts of the worlds and how the Keyblades could seal them. And so they went and sealed the worlds. On their travels they met an old man, only known as Tesled. He became their guide and mentor, leading them towards a Door of Light which would rid the Universe of the Darkness of Shadowrenis. But along the way Dragon was killed. By the grace of Halocanis he returned and together, the twins opened the Door of Light. And years passed full of peace, until worlds began to destabilize and break apart. The balance of light and dark had gone haywire. Tesled told them they had to go back…and seal the Doors. Another time would come, he said, when the Door of Light will be opened forever.

Page Two – Ronsend is the last of the line of Dragon. That means he could trigger the falling of feathers, meaning Shadowrenis could finally be released from his prison and reign as the King of Darkness. But if a secret comes into light by the loss of blood, then the Queen of Light, Halocanis, would finally return as well. She and her two voices, the Crystal Force and the Angel, will begin the last war against Shadowrenis her brother and his forces.

Mickey Disney is the last of the line of Phoenix. But his grandfather had been overthrown and a man named Crimson had taken Walt Phoenix. As I write, he is still searching to close Kingdom Hearts, so that he will seal his claim to his throne.

One throne still eludes all – the Throne of Light. Whose child will take that throne – Ronsend's or Mickey's?

I will wait and see. Will the feathers fall and begin the last war? Or will the Universe topple into never-ending Darkness? Or will we all be spared of this horrible fate? I hope…that war and Darkness will never come, so that the future generations will live in peace and harmony…and the Old Order will live for at least a hundred more years.

The candle is dimming. Time flies. But still, I must write of these enemies. Heartless is one but they are not alone. Write I must…

Chapter 66… 

"_Try living here for ten-plus years and you'll get bored."_

" _We think we should lend them…the _silver_ one."_

" _He gave this world that name…to erase the bloody past of Walt Phoenix."_


	66. Walt Phoenix

Author's Note: Guess what? That's what! I'm BACK! Hello all you silly fans and your so-called 'king'! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries! Pity, really, I watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail five times at the same condo for a week…totally worth it, though. If you haven't seen the movie, WATCH IT! Well, anyways, I'm back from Korea, hooray…and now I shall begin a lovely spate of random updates up until September 6 or 9 because then comes high school, damn it. Now, I've got several things to say: 1) I have nothing to say to the readers/reviewers because I'm so busy catching up on everything now that I'm back in the U.S., 2) check my profile BEFORE you review or better yet, before you read and then say something about it in the review, and 3) I started a new story; please check it out. It's a Kingdom Hearts fanfic; yes, I'm going nuts, messing with several Kingdom Hearts projects at once but that's me. Well anyhoo, I might as well shut up and let you people read the profile and this…rather sad chapter. Damn, I spoiled it all! XD Don't kill me! 

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 66: Walt Phoenix**

" Has Jiminy finished cataloging his reports?" Queen Minnie Disney asked as Lady Daisy Rhea approached with a tray of tea and light snacks. The queen's lady-in-waiting and best friend placed the tray carefully on the marble desk the queen sat behind and busied herself with dispersing the piping hot amber liquid into respective cups.

" He is nearly done, Minnie," Daisy remarked. In private quarters they threw aside all formal titles. Best friends are on equal footing. Period. " Are you alright?"

" Hm…yes, yes, I'm fine," the mouse queen smiled to her duck friend. " Just…thinking is all…I guess."

Daisy looked thoughtful for a second. " I'll go see what Chip and Dale are up to; last time, they nearly blew up half of the castle! Oh well, better dealing with me than with Donald' he'd roast them over a fire, I know that for certain…"

Minnie smiled as Daisy left the room. Then she sighed and pulled out a drawer. She reached in, felt a folded piece of paper, and pulled it. Unfolding it, she stared at the delicate handwriting, the dark ink staining the yellowed paper.

_Dearest, it pains me to say that I still won't be coming home anytime soon. Manage the castle well; the time will come when all will be over and I will return home. I have faith that you will be strong for our people and for those of us who have gone through what most have not. Love – Mickey._

" Oh, when will you come home…" she whispered, sipping from the cooling tea. Then she got up and walked to the vast windows on the northwest side of the castle. They were expansive panes, from floor to ceiling, and gave her a stunning view of the world that surrounded the gleaming white walls of Disney Castle – Disney itself.

The rolling hills were still green and the far mountains were still blue and capped with powdery snow. Disney had yet to be touched; Heartless appeared so rarely they seemed non-existent in their world.

" I wonder…"

She saw a shooting star streak across the sunny skies. But it didn't burn out; as her eyes followed its trail, it seemed to be…turning.

" A gummi ship!" she realized. Headed for Disney Castle. Could it be?

Then, as the gummi ship neared the eastern gardens, she saw the battered body, the sputtering engines, and fading shield that protected it from atmosphere. No…she's seen that gummi ship before…

Minnie strode to her desk and pressed a white button next to a brass speaker. " Chip, Dale! This is Minnie speaking!"

" Your Majesty?"

" We've got a gummi ship headed this way-" _CRASH! _" – never mind, its landed. Go attend to the gummi ship immediately."

She pressed a red button next to the white one. " Daisy! Quickly, a gummi ship's landed in the eastern gardens!"

" What? Not the gardens!" she heard her exclaim from the other end of the speaker line. " I spent half a year redecorating the gardens!"

" Daisy, that shouldn't be your first concern. The gummi ship that's just landed here, it came from the mechanic's gummi garage. It's one of our own!"

She heard a sharp gasp, then a muttering. It sounded awfully like: I'm gonna roast Donald for this; he knows better than to crash a ship into castle grounds!

" I'll see you in a few minutes. See if anybody _is_ in there," Minnie instructed, then strode for the doors. She stopped, thought for a second, then ran back and took a handful of small lemon cookies.

As she recalled, Donald and Gary both had an affinity for these springtime delicacies.

''

"…ugh…" Sora moaned, rolling off something hard and made of metal. " Goofy…I'm gonna melt your shield…"

" Huyuk…"

" Aw man…" Donald shook his head from side to side, trying to clear his mind. " What happened?"

" Like I'd know," Sora grumbled, as a headache blossomed in his mind. " Ow…"

Smoke filled the air; snipped cords gave off crackling noises and something seemed to be burning.

" Did Daisy burn something again…" Goofy slobbered; he was on the floor sprawled all over it like a throw rug.

" Daisy…Daisy!" Donald was suddenly up and screaming. " The autopilot mapped for…Disney!"

" What!" Sora and Goofy shouted and jumped up at the same time. Unfortunately the three were all too close to each other. The result? A head banging.

" Ow…" Sora staggered against the control panel, which crumpled under his mass. " Oh shit, I broke the control panel."

" The whole gummi ship's broken…" Donald grumbled, then stared at the window. " Sora, turn around."

" Why?" the Keyblade Master growled back but did as told. " What the – trees?"

" Donald," Goofy approached the two. " Ain't that…the eastern gardens?"

" We landed in the eastern gardens?" Something a lot like horror rushed through the poor duck's face. " Daisy's gonna kill me!"

The duck started screaming and running all over the place. Sora and Goofy watched him, unsure of whether or not to knock him upside the head and shut him up.

" Donald?"

Sora blinked. That was a girl's voice!

" Daisy?" Donald screeched to a stop, astonishment written all over his face.

" Donald, are you acting like a little child again? 'Cuz not only was that years ago, the queen's here, too."

" Waaahhhh!" Donald and Goofy were falling over each other trying to get to the rather bent and battered hatchway out of the gummi ship.

" Here…" Sora sighed and pushed against the door.

Nothing happened.

" Damn, the crash must've jammed the door. " Sora grumbled. " Well, here goes nothing!"

He pulled back, then shoved his shoulder into the door with all his might.

_Bam!_

Sora fell feet out of the gummi ship onto cool green grass. Donald and Goofy followed him and, lucky for them, landed on Sora. Sora, however, wasn't lucky at all.

" Geroff!" Sora yelled through a mouthful of grass.

The hem of a rose-colored dress entering his field of vision immediately shut him up. Surprised, Sora looked up…into the eyes of a mouse.

" You must be Sora," she said, with a gracious smile. " I've heard so much about you from Mickey. Welcome to Disney Castle. My name is Minnie Disney."

Donald and Goofy had quite squabbling with each other and Sora, poor child, could only stare at her, his mouth agape with utter shock.

" Kids these days," Daisy sighed, burying her head in her hands.

'''

" This is the realm of King Mickey Disney," Queen Minnie gestured to the view beyond the great glass windows. Sora kept staring; he couldn't quite believe that he was standing in the home of the King himself! Donald and Goofy had gone to change and freshen themselves up and two little chipmunks named Chip and Dale had their poor gummi ship towed. Sora had a feeling the faithful little thing was being scrapped. " We haven't felt the wrath of the Heartless for a while…but your arrival will certainly stir things up a bit. No matter; life has become much too dull here on Disney."

" Can anything ever become dull at Disney?" Sora asked. So far everything about Disney had been amazing him, including scattered suits of armors, talking statues, and moving paintings.

" Try living here for ten-plus years and you'll get bored," Daisy sniffed, walking in. " Minnie, Chip and Dale want to talk to you."

" Oh alright," Minnie said and walked to the very lovely marble desk that Sora couldn't help stop admiring, though papers were scattered all over it rather unceremoniously. Minnie pressed a button and said, " Chip, Dale, Minnie here."

" Your Majesty!" one of the voices squeaked out. " The gummi ship's scrapped; we can't even dissemble it!"

" And we don't think we can build another gummi ship in time!" another voice added.

" Aren't there any in the gummi garage?" Minnie asked worriedly, looking at Sora and Daisy. " I was so sure we had more."

" We do but they're not good enough," the first voice, the more dominant one, stated. " And it'll take a while to make major improvements on any of them. The gummi block shortage isn't helping us."

" We think we should lend them…the _silver_ one," the other voice input quickly.

Sora heard someone being smacked in the background. " Dale, no way! That's the King's gummi ship!"

" But the King would understand, wouldn't he?"

" But the King's gummi ship?"

" Well, he's not here right now, is he-" _Smack!_

" The Queen's on the line! You buffoon, why'd you say something like that?"

" I dunno."

Sora stared. The expression on his face must've been comical, for the queen started to laugh.

" What else can we do?"

" I dunno, what about the train?"

" Nah, too slow. Besides, we want the Keyblade Master to travel _in style_."

" That's why I suggested the silver ship."

That was followed by another smack.

" Alright, you two," Daisy marched up and thundered into the speaker, " stop fooling around and come up with a solution, quick! The message says we have to get these guys to Traverse Town as soon as possible, so get cooking!"

Sora's stomach, in the most ceremonious way, grumbled.

" Which reminds me, we need to feed you three," Daisy added, looking at the embarrassed teenager. " Chip, Dale, try and figure out something-"

" Give them the silver gummi ship."

" Your Majesty?" Chip, Dale, and Daisy gasped.

Queen Minnie nodded to Daisy. " Mickey will understand. Harsh memories will always follow the gummi ship but we have no choice do we? Get the silver gummi ship ready. This trio _will_ fly out _in style_."

" Yes, Majesty!" Chip and Dale hollered.

" Daisy, get the cook on and tell her to get lunch ready," Queen Minnie instructed, heading for the door. " Sora, come with me. We'll go find Donald and Goofy, and then you can tell me the whole story."

" The _whole_ story?" Sora nearly fell over from the shock of having to tell the queen everything. " Every single detail?"

" Well, if you want," Queen Minnie grinned. " Of course I could order you around but – hey, now isn't _that_ a good idea, eh?"

Sora really did fall over. This queen certainly knew how to abuse her powers.

''

"…so Belle and Beast refused your help," Queen Minnie mused as she drank from her glass of water. " Well, I wouldn't say they were foolhardy; they certainly knew what they were doing."

" Well I don't think so," Donald grumbled, glaring at his near-empty plate. He eyed Goofy, who was busy stuffing himself full of the lemon cookies Minnie mentioned earlier in the day.

" Belle's also not an ordinary Princess of Heart," Daisy commented. " Like Kairi, she's more powerful than others. Her power, however, is of a different sort. Her mere presence can cause Heartless…to go psycho, basically. More power to her but its also very dangerous; the Heartless can still strike her, in particular the ones that managed to resist the strength of her Light."

" That would explain some," Donald muttered.

" Mmf," was all Sora said; he was downing his fourth plate and didn't look like he was going to slow down any time soon.

" Minnie, has Pluto come back?" Goofy asked, wiping his mouth. He then reached for the crystal pitcher of water across the rectangular marble table; Sora took time from eating to hand it to him.

" Yes, and he's been bringing messages from Mickey ever since then," Minnie replied.

" Wait, I have a question," Sora blurted out, then quickly wiped his mouth. Donald opened his mouth to give Sora another blasting, this time for rude table manners, but Daisy, who was sitting across from him, stomped on his foot. " Why doesn't Goofy address you as 'Your Majesty'? And if he's the captain of the Knights here, why doesn't anyone call him Captain Goofy?"

" Well, that's a long story," Minnie smiled slyly. But Sora caught something else in her eyes. Time. Love. Loss.

" Something's happened long ago, hasn't it?" he asked quietly, suddenly solemn. Everyone, including a disgruntled Donald, turned to him. " I can see it."

" Indeed you are right," Daisy nodded. " Something happened long ago…"

She looked at Minnie, wondering whether or not she should go on.

" The name Disney comes from Mickey's last name," Minnie said, looking at Sora, who happened to be sitting next to Daisy and across from Goofy. " Mickey Disney. He gave this world that name…to erase the bloody past of Walt Phoenix. That was the original name of this world and it has seen through painful times."

" And you were involved in it," Sora concluded immediately. " You, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, and others, right?"

" Yes…"

" Mickey's grandfather was overthrown long ago by a man named Crimson," Daisy decided to continue the story. " The strange thing was, this man was quite a good ruler. He promoted safety, education, advancement in technology, economy, trade, and all things good, admired, and loved in this Universe. But he had two flaws."

" He overthrew Mickey's grandfather," Donald griped under his breath.

" And he used the Heartless," Goofy hiccupped.

" What!" Sora hollered, half-rising in his seat.

" Yes, he was the first to control the Heartless," Queen Minnie affirmed. " But Ansem is credited as being the first because he was the one who wrote down everything. Crimson did everything secretly. The coup was rather public, however. He had to use the Heartless to stomp down revolts. It's a strange case, a very competent ruler overthrown by another just as competent."

" Mickey was very young, maybe two, when this happened," Daisy added. " His family fled to Celt Circle, a large, lush world famous for protecting refugees and fugitives."

" We fled with him," Donald added. " Our families were close to the king and they knew quite well that Crimson would stop at nothing to eradicate all who were loyal to the true royal family of Walt Phoenix."

" No way…"

" And we grew up with King Mickey!" Goofy smiled. " Boy was that great!"

" Pluto and I met him at Walt Phoenix," Minnie smiled. " I met him and the others when they first arrived; I was the daughter of the mayor of the town they decided to live in and it was in our custom for all the villagers to greet and aid the refugees in any way we see fit. Pluto, he later found in a ditch a few miles from the village where the families had come to settle."

Sora continued to blink.

" Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto, and I all grew up in the village," the queen continued. A mist of time began to veil her eyes. " Over time, I came to understand their plight. It is truly a tragic tale."

" But things got, der, weird, when an old man appeared out of nowhere!" Goofy added happily. " His name was Eldest and he wanted to talk ter Mickey about some things!"

" The next thing we knew, Mickey started having strange dreams about fighting a great shadow. He was wielding the Sword of Phoenix and fought furiously with the great shadow. But in the end, the darkness of the shadow would pull him down into endless night. And a voice would tell him that he would take back his rightful throne and marshal the last war."

" A great shadow…" A troubled look passed over Sora's face. " But that would mean…he was chosen. By a Keyblade."

Everyone at the table nodded.

" Yes, a few days later he woke up with a golden key in his hand. The Golden Key." Minnie sighed and took another sip of water.

"By this time the Dalton boys, Chip and Dale, perfected their mechanic techniques," Daisy spoke. " They overheard Mickey talking to us about his dreams, and they thought he wanted to go back and fight Crimson."

" It took three years," Donald offered some information. " Mickey lost his parents, and the rest of his family, in those three years to various diseases, accidents, 'accidents', and natural causes."

" Wait, you repeated 'accidents'," Sora noted.

" He means 'accidents and assassinations'," Daisy told him flatly. " Some deaths were suspicious but most weren't. His grandfather was approaching his hundred-twentieth birthday; his parents fell to a pandemic that spread to other worlds."

" Oh."

" Well, after Mickey recovered, he disappeared for a few days. We were all worried sick, and Pluto was apparently ready to go mad, when he returned with Chip, Dale, Eldest, and a great silver ship. Yes, Sora, the gummi ship Chip and Dale mentioned over the speaker is _the_ gummi ship, It was the most powerful mode of transportation ever created and it still is. No other ship has ever come close to it since in power, speed, and defense. Not to mention looks."

They were all looking at each other, casting knowing glances and nodding.

" We all joined Mickey in returning to Walt Phoenix to get his throne back," Donald decided to continue the story, as Daisy would speak no more. " We had no idea how to do it, though; I mean, how would you do it, marching up to a very competent ruler and saying in front of his subjects: You stole my grandfather's throne and I'm here to take it back, so get off! But it got weird once we got there."

" Yup, people were starin' at us!" Goofy said, cookie crumbs flying out his mouth. " We were strangers to them! But we marched up there and Mickey told Crimson straight: the Throne is rightfully mine and I'm here to take it back! Well, of course Crimson didn't want to give up his power but he didn't want to use the Heartless against Mickey, Crimson was kinda nice but not really. He sent us to find and close Kingdom Hearts."

" Kingdom Hearts?" Sora demanded.

" Thing was, Heartless kept attacking us," Goofy said, thinking. " I guess they didn't want us to close the door to their home so…it took us a few good months to find and close that dang door!"

" And we came back, only to find Walt Phoenix in a state of chaos," Minnie continued for him. " Please chew before you talk, Goofy. Anyways, it seemed Crimson heard just how successful Mickey was and got really scared. So, he started massing Heartless to kill all of us once we came back. Luckily, Eldest, Chip, and Dale helped us along. Chip and Dale studied the whole of the world and figured out the best way to get in. Eldest had power, a lot of it, and all of us went blasting in. The Heartless didn't stand a chance."

" Things got bad once we got into the castle to find Crimson," Donald remarked. " Heartless were terrorizing the hell out of everyone in there. Me included."

" He nearly wet himself," Goofy added with cheer.

" No I didn't!"

" But you said you did."

" No, I never said I did!"

" But you said you-"

" Will you guys shut up?" Daisy hollered at them. " Geezes, what it takes to get enough peace and quiet to continue telling our story, argh…"

Sora blinked again.

" Mickey and Crimson fought like hell broke loose," Minnie continued, sounding more reluctant to tell the tale. " Nobody got away uninjured. At the last minute, Donald started a fire and…Crimson burned. I still remember, he was screaming as he fled the palace, burning like a bright, mobile beacon. It was horrible."

" Donald burned down the whole castle!" Goofy grinned.

Donald muttered something incoherent. Thankfully.

" It took us a whole year to get back on track," Daisy began the finale. " All the towns, villages, cities had to be rebuilt and renovated. We had to send for our families. The whole castle had to be rebuilt. And Mickey had to be crowned."

" And marry someone," Goofy interjected, winking a Sora.

" He chose to change the name of the world," Minnie said. It didn't seem that she saw that. " And he decided to use his last name, Disney. The people loved it. They, too, did not want to remember the bloodshed on a world called Walt Phoenix. They hoped Disney would bring a new era of peace and prosperity."

" Except the peace never lasted," Sora said quietly.

Nobody noticed the two small chipmunks and a yellow dog enter the small dining room. They were looking at each other, nodding and knowing at the same time.

" No, it didn't," Minnie confirmed. " Someone opened Kingdom Hearts. Someone with two keys. That was why you and Mickey were both needed to seal Kingdom Hearts."

" Who'd open Kingdom Hearts?"

" We think it's the other Keyblade Master, Ronsend Seiryu," Daisy explained. " He is the only other person who could've opened or closed the double doors."

" But something else happened," Sora suddenly spoke. He had been watching the queen as he spoke. " It's personal, isn't it? Something else tragic from the past?"

If mice could pale, Minnie proved it. If they don't, she broke the laws of nature.

" We had a child…her name was Evenstar," Minnie whispered. " Such a beautiful child…"

" Evenstar…"

" But Time took her away…" Minnie ended with a bitter note.

" She died!"

Donald walloped him on the head with his fork. " How dare you be so brunt about this-"

Daisy slapped him. " Honestly, Donald, what's gotten into you? Let Sora be; he is young and he does not know the protocols of royalty!"

Goofy decided to explain himself. " Time is a name we give to time itself. A warp hole appeared and sucked in Evenstar. Mickey and Minnie tried but they couldn't save her. Evenstar was lost."

Cold fingers traced a path through his veins. That was beyond horrible. " Oh my….I…I don't know what to say…"

" What's done is done," Minnie said firmly. " We wept, we mourned, but we moved on with life. That is something you should know, Sora. No matter how tragic the past, life goes on. The great flow of Time does not care for your personal needs; you must be content with molding yourself to shape your path so it will run parallel with Time and Fate."

" I see," Sora nodded.

" Then meteor storms appeared every other night…" Goofy said slowly, which was uncharacteristic of him. " And then King Mickey disappeared. He left behind a note, talking about war, darkness, and a key. We were to find that key."

" I authorized Jiminy Cricket to go with them on their search for the king and the key," Minnie smiled. " And that key…is you."

''

" Jiminy is still busy finishing up his reports," Daisy told Sora, as she, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Queen Minnie, Chip, Dale, and Pluto walked quickly down some stairs and a long hall towards the Dalton brother's legendary gummi garage. " However, he asked me to send you this."

She pulled out a folded piece of thick, cream-colored paper from the sleeve of her dress and handed it to a very surprised Sora.

" I wonder what it is…" he muttered as he unfolded the paper and looked at it.

In Jiminy's simple, clear handwriting were two words: Thank Naminé.

Thank Naminé?

" Who's Naminé?" Sora wondered aloud.

" Who?" Donald demanded.

" Der…that name sure does sound familiar," Goofy thought, then nearly tripped over his oversized loafers.

" Naminé?" Queen Minnie echoed. She looked at Chip and Dale and they nodded discreetly.

" Her name does sound familiar," Sora agreed with the captain. " But why thank her? What did she do to us? For us?"

_A flash of red hair and fierce green eyes…_

_Short blonde hair, icy blue eyes, a cold smile…_

_Long dirty blond locks, a serious, ugly frown…_

_A mess of brunet hair, an evil smile, petals…_

_A flash of platinum, the symbol of the Heartless…_

_A shadow of a Light, someone who knew how to draw…_

_And a dream, a dream of you…_

" Sora?"

" What?" Sora demanded, pulled back into reality. " What's wrong?"

" You were…der…spacing out right there," Goofy pointed out worriedly.

" Oh…" Sora blinked, then tried to recall what had just flashed through his mind.

_Memories…loose links will sink into the darkness…you won't be able to just reach in and pick the one you want…but there's another promise you made…someone you could never replace. She is your light…all the memories lost in the shadows of your heart will come into light._

Kairi…

Somewhere, deep within, he heard her voice…_" I just don't know if I love him…"_

What was she saying?

"…very mysterious thing," Minnie was talking to the others. " The human heart is gifted with love, forgiveness, and forgetfulness. But more than that, it is change. Perhaps that was what the Society was after, change."

" What about the light?"

" Well….that, too, I suppose. But I wonder…what is the Society's real purpose? Is it to simply wield the Darkness? In past, they were the ones who sought balance; now for them it is war. But what will they gain? Paradise? Or the night?"

" Neither, we won't let them," Sora snapped and strode to the doors. " Come on, we have to get out of here. If the darkness wants a fight, I'll give them a fight!"

He stomped in, leaving the others blinking after him.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, then at Minnie, Daisy, Chip, Dale, and faithful Pluto.

" What happened?" Donald asked.

""

Goofy looked to his left, to Sora who was steering the silver gummi ship like his very life depended on it. There was a look on his face that Goofy had never seen before, an angry, dark light.

" Sora? Are you o-"

" Yes dammit, I'm fine!" Sora snapped. " Stop asking me stupid questions, Goofy!"

The captain shied away. " I'm sorry!"

Donald narrowed his eyes at Sora. Something had gone wrong with him.

And why not? It had been over a year since he had heard Kairi's voice. And what does he hear?

_I just don't know if I love him…_

Why was she voicing her doubt? Their bond was there, closer than what the paupu fruit of legends could seal. But had happened while he was gone?

As they shot past a gummi ship, as Traverse Town appeared, Sora could only rethink on what had transpired so far in the past months.

With Aozora's appearance, everything he knew and loved had begun to crumble.


	67. Oblivion

**Author's Note**: As with what I said in my other story _Song of the Blue Moon_, I lack the time to go online and reply to every comment and question and theory I've received. I do have the memory to say that…er…you won't be seeing…er…incestuous yaoi anytime soon. If you do wait long enough, you will be hitting some chapters that'll address the problems between Sora, Aozora, and Kairi. And to some who are shocked at approving…er…AxK, well, we'll just have to see, eh? I love twisting your minds. But don't kill me. Or sue me. That goes for Square Enix and Disney, too, come to think of it… and a final note: Welcome to Deep Dive 

**Secrets of Memories  
****Chapter 67: Oblivion**

King Mickey sighed, though there was still a smile on his face. Aozora had fallen asleep, his head against the windowpane, as the train cheerfully marched its way towards the twilit world of Twilight Town.

" It's a sad life you live, Aozora," the mouse king murmured. " And it's not over yet."

The Oblivion must be burning in his pocket. His duty as Sora's Guardian must weight heavily in his mind. And King Mickey knew of the turmoil in Aozora's heart. He had once promised his heart to someone…but the heart had slipped away…to another who was untouchable to all.

And the scar. That beautiful, horrible scar, shaped like a star, that had scorched itself upon his chest, above his heart. It was amazing Aozora had not died afterwards. King Mickey knew how they administered the scar.

The person to die was branded. Alive.

''

" Rain," Aozora sniffed the air. It was there, the weight and the humidity. " It's never rained here before…"

" There's always a first for everything," King Mickey commented, dusting his trench coat clean. He then walked straight to a steel trashcan wedged in between two shabby buildings south of the train station.

" Uh…Your Majesty?" Aozora ventured to ask as the king began to unceremoniously dig into the garbage as a street dog only would. " What are you doing?"

" Looking for something," was his muffled reply. " Ah ha! Here, Aozora, you'll need it in this weather."

He pulled out Aozora's black trench coat.

" What's in doing in there?" the blond teenager demanded, snatching the coat and brushing at it vigorously.

" I asked Ashita to drop it off," the king replied absentmindedly, now striding into the alley behind the trashcan.

" You met him?"

" No, but I did leave behind a message. Thank goodness he did as I told. If he didn't, we would've gone to the Bell Tower and missed our date with Riku."

" _What!"_

Aozora froze. " We're meeting up with _Riku_?"

" And why not?" the king smiled. " You saved his life; now it's his turn to do something similar. Oh you aren't in danger but once you hand over the Oblivion, he'll be able to staunch the flow of Heartless into the Universe."

" Oh…" Aozora looked terribly confused.

" Come with me, Aozora," King Mickey smiled. Then he frowned. " But first, you have to put on your shirt. No sense wearing everything but a shirt, especially in weather like this."

" Sorry," Aozora muttered, pulling off his jacket and zipping on his shirt. The king watched him – or rather, his scar.

" Does it hurt?" he asked softly.

" What does?" Aozora asked, pulling on his jacket and shaking his trench coat.

" Your scar."

The blond Guardian paled. The fear in his eyes told all.

" Perhaps…once in a while you can feel it, its presence," King Mickey said thoughtfully. " Do you?"

The nod went nearly unnoticeable in the darkening world.

" Does it bother you? Do you know when? Why?"

" Not exactly…" Aozora spoke hesitantly. " I mean, sometimes it bothers me, other times I can ignore it completely. But I don't know when…or why…"

King Mickey narrowed his eyes. He was hiding something. But what? And why?

" What happened in In Between?"

It became easier to see Aozora; he had paled to the point he was beginning to look ill.

" N-nothing," he stammered back, pulling his trench coat on. " Nothing at all."

" I hope so…"

Somewhere out there, a bell began to toll mournfully. Its echoes rocketed through the high, narrow alleys of Twilight Town. The bell boomed six times. It was six o'clock. Evening had come.

" Now is the time to find Riku," King Mickey said. He suddenly started sprinting for the other end of the alley. Caught off guard, Aozora nearly fell over himself catching up to the speedy small king. " He doesn't know but he's coming quite near to the place where we should meet!"

" How do you know all this?" Aozora demanded as they burst out into a near-empty street that rose up a small hill.

" That's the King's duty!" King Mickey replied. " Also, Riku might've seen Sora sometime while coming here. You might want to ask where he's headed!"

" And how do you know _that_?" Aozora was shocked at the King's endless spillage of knowledge.

" Message from Pluto. My ship's gone."

" Your what – wait!"

Aozora slid to the right to avoid a pole and lost precious ground in the process. " Where are we headed?"

" A town square!" King Mickey shouted back. " You know of the place with that huge building?"

" There's a lot of huge buildings around here!"

" Well….the one with the large television screen!"

" What about that place? We're meeting Riku there?"

_From everything I've heard, thank goodness at least Aozora knows what the television is!_

" Yes, hopefully," King Mickey expressed doubt for the first time in Aozora's life. " I do know he will be headed that way but I don't know if we'll meet up with him in time. And the Heartless will be attracted. Oh yes, Aozora, they will be attracted. _Very _attracted."

Aozora winced. This was starting to sound like a harder job than he thought. Just pass along the Oblivion; another burning hole gone from his pocket and mind! But Heartless? Timing? The weather?

King Mickey came to an abrupt stop. Here he turned and looked at Aozora intensely. " Listen carefully. I know you will have trouble using one Keyblade once you give Riku the Oblivion. This is where I'm going to help you. When you need to, you can call my Keyblade to your side."

" What? But, Your Majesty-"

" You are a Keyblade Master, Aozora. _Yes_, you heard me right. A _master_. You can use any Keyblade, including mine, including Sora's. Therefore, you can call mine to your side. I don't need the Golden Keyblade all the time; therefore I can relinquish it to you. I'm saying too many 'therefores' aren't I?"

" Your Majesty, hate to break it to you but that's true, you do say that too many times," Aozora muttered, then grinned.

King Mickey studied him for a moment. " You know, he does look just like you. How strange."

" Who?" Aozora was bewildered by this odd statement.

" You know who I'm talking about," King Mickey stated simply, heading in another direction. " Sora."

""

Rain.

The sky was clouded. The stars were hidden. It poured.

The lights were glaring in the strange night; the streets were empty, devoid of life. Except for the glowing yellow eyes. They were watching with hunger, following the long figure of a teenager as he walked through the rain. Under the trench coat, all they saw was a handsome, pale face shrouded by blond bangs.

The rain was slowing. The heavy droplets pitter-pattered on the concrete and asphalt ground, leaving behind puddles and dampness. The person was approaching the center of the square.

Rainfall had ended. The Heartless knew. The message spread.

_Attack_.

The person stood in the middle of the square, looking up at the roof of the closed movie theater. The LCD screen near the top was flashing images. What images? Who was that girl? Was she…

The skies were clouded over. The Heartless thrived in these conditions. Night of no stars. It was time.

Slowly they inked their way out of the ground. They pulled themselves from their shadows, stretched their brawny arms, twitched their heads. It was good to be free of the floors they traveled through.

He watched them. The enemy was here. The merciless, powerful NeoShadows, wrath of the Darkness. They were gathering, they were surrounding him, they were going to strike.

" Bring it on," he murmured.

With the sound of cold steel, black and white exploded in his hands and two Keyblades appeared. The Starlight and the Oblivion. In the dark light of Twilight Town, they gleamed with vengeance.

The Heartless bristled. He wielded their hated enemy. They must destroy him!

With that, the NeoShadows jumped at him.

But Aozora was ready.

Keyblades flashing, he spun and slashed a Neoshadow clean through with the Oblivion. Swinging the Starlight over his head, he wiped out another seeking to ambush him from behind. Then he brought both Keyblades forward and slammed them at another.

Yet they kept coming. A crowd was building around him, keeping a respectful distance as he stepped to the side and swung in a dangerous circle, obliterating each and every Heartless that dare assault him. He swirled about, an elusive prey, who made good use of his mobility, particularly his feet. He kicked at one, spun off, and sliced at another with his Starlight. He then smoothly dispatched another Heartless with his Oblivion. Several NeoShadows came bounding and he wiped them out, too. He seemed not able to see under his bangs yet he knew just when to strike.

That became apparent when several Heartless, three to be exact, leapt up and at him. He looked up, and leaped.

Unfortunately, so did a ton of other Heartless. With him jumped up a swarm but he kicked at them, spinning out their grasp. He knew quite well how to fight in mid-air.

That was confirmed when he dispatched several NeoShadows and kept spinning. Four Heartless were still above him when he cried out, " Strike Raid!"

One after another, he sent the blades flying. The four unfortunate NeoShadows were eliminated.

Landing, Aozora gracefully somersaulted above the heads of the dark enemy, and landed on the stairs of the theater. He stood and stared at the awesome force before him. And then, he heard the call.

" I am here!"

_Riku!_

Aozora looked up, and saw a silver-haired human standing on top of the theater, at the very pinnacle. He, too, was wearing the black trench coat. And he looked incredibly ominous.

But this was Riku. And he had seen Sora.

" Where's Sora?"

The question echoed to the top of the theater.

And the answer came falling down. An answer of doubt, uncertainty, but it was an answer nonetheless. " He is headed for Traverse Town."

Traverse Town?

" Hang on, Riku!" Aozora called to him.

The Heartless were sprouting out of the sides of the building; they were surrounding him from all sides, literally.

And the only way to Riku was…up.

''

Riku watched the most impossible, death-defying stunt unfold before the darkness that saw for him.

The blond teenager leaped at the wall and began running _up_ the building. Gravity…had been defied. Its laws had been broken by the one who had opened Kingdom Hearts.

As he watched, Aozora wiped through all the Heartless that came his way as he rushed up the face of the building. Did he really intend to run all the way up the building to reach him?

That was decided when he heard a very ominous disturbance behind him.

" Oh shit…" His darkness picked up Heartless. A lot of Heartless.

With that, he took a running leap and leapt off the building towards Aozora.

" Pass!"

" Catch!"

With that, Aozora flicked out his arm and the Oblivion spun out of his grasp. With that, his heart released his hold on the dark-themed weapon and ownership passed onto Riku. For how long he will wield it, it was now his.

And then Aozora sensed the darkness swarming on the rooftop of the building. The Golden Keyblade!

He was not sure of how it looked like but his heart screamed for its aid.

A flash of gold and the balance returned. The Dual Wielder he still was.

Riku used a piece of the building that protruded from the wall to catapult himself out into the crowd of Heartless. NeoShadows followed him but he was much too fast for him. And once he landed, he was much too dangerous.

Riku grinned devilishly. He had a weapon once again. And not just any weapon.

The Oblivion.

""

Aozora flipped onto the roof of the theater. He didn't have a clue why Riku would be up here in the first place but he was lucky Riku was there at all.

Things were looking pretty ugly.

" Miss me?" he growled to the NeoShadows.

" Not really," boomed a deep voice.

Aozora stood up straight, the weapons lowered. Who was that?

" The name's Xaldon. Wish that wasn't my name but that's my name," spoke a huge figure who strode into view from the shadows. He was bulky, like Lexeus, had dark hair pulled back in a bun, and what looked peculiarly like trimmed mutton chops. He was holding three weapons; one looked like a long, slender staff fitted with a blade. The other two were locked together, sort of like a really screwed up cross. They, too, had sharp ends.

" Xaldon?" Was he part of the Society. " You're new, aren't you?"

" To the Elite, yes," Xaldon grinned. The NeoShadows stayed back in the gloom of the night. " The Society, no. I was simply one of the nameless, hooded Unknowns wandering around, doing things at the bidding of Crimson and Marucia. But…there's always a chance to rise to the top. One member officially eliminated from the Elite and here I am, ready to test you as others have done."

" Test me?" Aozora stared at him. " Who were removed from the Elite?"

" Oh I think you should know," the man spoke. " His name is Zexion, younger brother of Domitan and traitor of the Society. It didn't take long for Domitan to come to conclusions."

" No…" Zexion's cover had been blown!

" So, it looks like you've known after all. Now, what can you do? Now that you've disarmed the great king himself, let's see how you can handle the new power!"

Xaldon rushed forward, moving surprisingly fast for his great bulk. Aozora jumped back, the Starlight and the Golden Keyblade out before him. He blocked the long staff in Xaldon's left hand, then parried the quartet of blades on his right.

_He wants to test me, to assess my strength. Well, nobody needs to know that, except me!_

Aozora flipped over Xaldon and barely missed the sharp edge of the staff Xaldon thrust up. Clearly this one had quick reflexes and an even quicker mind.

_Note to self: don't do that again._

Aozora lowered himself into a defensive stance. Breathing heavily, he watched Xaldon spin the weapons in his fingers through his bangs.

" Are you a chicken or are you a Master?" he goaded. His long dark hair whipped in a sudden gale of cold wind.

_He's goading me! I can't let him read me…or my abilities…_

Did Xaldon see him pull off that gravity-defying stunt?

" I'm not going to fight for you," Aozora said coldly and calmly. " I won't let you read my abilities!"

" Is that so?" Xaldon asked. " Well…I might as well stall you…you'll never catch the Keyblade Master in time."

_Sora!_

A protective anger welled up in his throat, flooded his mind._ Nobody dare touch Sora while I still draw breath!_

_But why do I consider him as a younger brother, one I need to protect? Why do I act like I'm his keeper?_

" Zexion must've told you what Marucia's planning to do," Xaldon mentioned. Unfortunately, he reminded the Guardian of Zexion's warning.

Aozora saw red.

""

Riku had pulled off another trick, this time a shield of darkness in the shape of the Heartless symbol. It surrounded him and burned in walls of black flame. The Heartless, despite their element, shied from this danger.

Then he heard something he had never heard before. A bloodcurdling scream.

Goosebumps rushed up his arm, a cold flash of steel rushed up his back, raising the hair on his neck. He trembled involuntarily; there were no other words to describe that cry of absolute anger and rage.

He heard clashes of steel, a fury of metal, and a foreign voice shouting in surprise.

" Another one of the Society!" Riku realized. Had he been watching Riku? Had he seen Aozora pass on the Oblivion? Why was he here?

He looked up and his darkness caught flashes of gold and white. Aozora was obviously fighting someone. But…he was moving fast, unnaturally fast, maybe _too_ fast.

" Aozora!"

He moved forward and the shield flickered. The NeoShadows gathered. He was not focusing, he was letting his guard down. Now they could strike!

" Aozora, hang on!"

His darkness screamed a warning.

Riku quickly ducked to the side and slashed the NeoShadow flying at him, then whirled around and stabbed another. His black shield came up and he easily blocked a head butting from another NeoShadow.

" You stupid bastards, get out of my way!" Riku hollered and swiped again, this time a bit recklessly. Fortunately for him, he wiped out five NeoShadows in the process.

He swung his arm again. This time he wasn't so lucky. A Heartless got past his guard and dug its nails into his side.

Bad move.

The strange smooth scarring on his right palm began to pulse. Power and darkness flooded his limbs, began to take over his mind, It wasn't Ansem; it was the intangible power of the phoenix he fought back at Hollow Bastion.

Fire coursed his veins, the fire of justice and redemption.

_The phoenix's blood, it did something to me!_

Suddenly there was a wave of dark matter rushing through the NeoShadows surrounding him. The one clinging to his side was forcibly faded away; others exploded, melted, faded, or fled. Suddenly fear was amongst them.

This was a new enemy. This was not another Keyblade Wielder. He could use the Darkness against them! Flee!

" Riku!"

A voice he knew well…

" King Mickey!"

A form bounded towards him, King Mickey. But he was missing something.

" Your Majesty, your Keyblade-"

" Aozora's got it. I don't need it all the time." There was a flash of steel and King Mickey withdrew a sword. It was a sword Sora would recognize as the one from his dream a year and a half ago. " I've got the Sword of Phoenix. Riku, find Sally and go to the Bell Tower! I'll go deal with Xaldon."

" Xaldon? Don't we know him?"

" Yes, he is the tester of skill. You fought him before, remember?"

" Yes…"

_Flashes, anger, rushing, running, flipping, sliding, blocking, ducking…_

He recalled the sweat, the tears, the pain, the weariness, the anger…

" What's _he_ doing here?

" Beats me. I'm guessing he's a new member of the Elite now. And I'm guessing he told Aozora the wrong thing."

" You heard the screaming?"

" That would be him, yup. Problem is, if he overexerts himself, we've got a big problem. Riku, go, I'll deal with them both."

Riku was hesitant. King Mickey didn't have the Golden Keyblade with him. He didn't have all his strength.

" I'll be _fine_. Kings are supposed to be fine. Now go do your duty!"

Riku nodded, then began to run down the street to the east. He didn't need any directions. His senses already knew.

Just follow the trail of darkness for it will lead you to Kingdom Hearts.

""

King Mickey, too, knew how to scare the bejeesus out of you. He rushed up the side of the theater the same way Aozora had done. Riku didn't see him scamper up the smooth surface with shocking speed.

As King Mickey ran up and on the LCD screen, he had to pause for a moment, to ponder what the heck it was that the screen was showing him.

_Is that Kairi? What are they doing, displaying her image for the world to see? Why?_

Pondering, he sped up and reached near the ledge.

Thunder roared. King Mickey flipped onto the roof, his arms outstretched, the weapon gleaming in the flash of lightning. He landed, dipped, and was up again.

" Xaldon!" he shouted.

Xaldon, who was in the act of fighting back a bruised and beaten, but still energized, Aozora, froze. His eyes narrowed at the voice and a grim smile accented his stern face as he turned his head and spotted King Mickey. The King of Disney was here at last!

" Mickey Disney, is it?" the man grinned. " Just the one I've been looking for-"

" Begone, unworthy one!" King Mickey demanded, watching the man warily. " Enough damage as been dealt and there is nothing more you can do now. Leave Twilight Town!"

" Oh I will be leaving," Xaldon grinned, eyeing the tiring Guardian. " I've got what I want. Just one last thing…"

He shifted into fighting stance, his body low on the floor. King Mickey followed suit.

" It it's a duel you want, I'll give you one," the mouse king hissed.

" I'll enjoy fighting one…at a height disadvantage," Xaldon sneered.

" Height has nothing to do with ability. I can still fight, can't I? Or have you forgotten?"

_They've met before!_ Aozora realized as he toppled to his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at the two duelists. _But what does Xaldon mean by 'height disadvantage'? What does King Mickey mean? How could he have been taller than he is now_-

King Mickey suddenly spurt forward, jus as Xaldon rushed towards him. His sword, silver with the emblem of his world, flashed in the night; Xaldon swung out the weapon on the left, his weapons on the right pulled back and ready to strike a triple blow.

And before Aozora's stunned eyes, King Mickey and Xaldon clashed.

It was a display of swordsmanship and skill he could learn a lot from.

King Mickey seemed to have been made of air; he bounced about, nimbly staying out of Xaldon's long reach as he darted to and fro, jabbing, blocking, and flipping over. He could somersault much higher and much quicker than Aozora could; this proved quite useful against the slower but more powerful Xaldon.

Then, quite suddenly, the scenario changed. King Mickey charged Xaldon but the man quickly blocked his attack with his long staff. Then the bladed sticks in his right came flying in; King Mickey went sliding on his side. His sword slid in another direction.

Xaldon was stunned but he still had enough wits around him to smirk. He had knocked down King Mickey Disney, champion of the Light!

" Don't think just because I have no weapon I can't fight!" King Mickey shouted, flipping to his feet just as suddenly as he went down.

" You stupid king! When will you ever learn?" Xaldon shouted in fury and rushed forward. The mouse king nimbly jumped from side to side, dodging his attacks as he lead Xaldon around and around the roof. Aozora stared, then spotted the sword. It was maybe within his reach. Aozora rose to his feet and stumbled towards it.

Hard steel bashed into his back and he fell on his stomach. He quickly looked up, just in time to see Axel grin in the darkness. He looked like a deranged cat.

" Oh I'm not mad," the man smiled, resting one of his Fire and Wind Wheels on his shoulder. " I just know better than to involve myself in a battle with King Mickey. Oh the wonders of that man! No matter what becomes of him, he always bounces back. Makes Xaldon all the more useful; he can easily incorporate Mickey's fighting style as he had done to yours. It's only a matter of whether or not he chooses to use the style."

"What!" _Why did he call King Mickey a man!_

" Of course I'm ordered to keep you from getting off Twilight Town. But, I suppose I'll just…delay you. Frustrating Marucia is my greatest delight; obeying the wishes of the master…well, isn't that something?"

" As in Crimson? Are you also a puppet of his?" Aozora spat back, trying to get back on his feet. But Axel put his boot down on the center of his back and forced him back onto the wet roof.

" Crimson? Ha, I have even more power than he does! He doesn't have to know, but I can tell you, once he knows where my allegiance lies he'll beg for my services. See, Aozora, I serve a greater master…and he tells me…to do this!"

Too late Aozora saw the Fire and Wind Wheel coming down on his head.

""

King Mickey saw the flash of fire and out of the corner of his eye, saw Axel kick aside Aozora's body. His eyes widened in astonishment, then narrowed as he quickly jumped back and avoided a double blow.

" Slow….down…."

Xaldon was tiring. King Mickey seemed to be a bundle of endless energy, always bouncing about and in general annoying the living hell out of the bulky man.

" Tsk, tsk, Xaldon," Axel noted, revealing himself. " You don't have to push yourself so hard. That's not our purpose, remember?"

" Well, I'd like to kill him, if you'd like to know," Xaldon snapped back, breathing hard. He had finally come to a stop and was glaring at the mouse king, who was focused on Aozora's condition. And from what the mouse king could see, it did not look so good.

" What did you do, Axel?"

" Oh, nothing much. Just knocked him out and kicked him good," Axel grinned. " I'm not interested in killing yet; oh no, I think you know what I'm talking about…"

He faded away. Xaldon followed suit almost immediately. The battle had ended as abruptly as it had begun.

" Axel…" King Mickey grumbled, then he pulled out a device from his pocket. It was small, round, and yellow.

" Cid Number Two, yeah, Mickey here…yes, the transfer's been successful…get Rikku and Paine here, now! Aozora's not in a good condition right now…what! Cid, where's Sally? Don't tell me you lost her…"

**Author's Endnote: **This Deep Dive isn't the _world_ of Deep Dive; I've simply incorporated a dark rainy side of Twilight Town. I can't understand why Kairi's in that huge LCD screen, though…

_**Chapter 68…**_

" _Being a hero or heroine is not easy…"_

" _They are the only ones with power over all, including Fate and Time."_

" _The past will never forget you, even if you've forgotten the past."_


	68. In Darkest Night

**Author's Note:** I used to love Saturdays. Now I have SAT prep class and a community college class to take. And then my dad tutors me and some of my friends in SAT math at night. I mean, it's SATURDAY! But lucky me, I get to update some, eh? Well I'm quite surprised by the huge outpouring on the previous paragraph, all the long, detailed reviews. Truth be told, I love long reviews; they give me insight as to what my readers think as they go through each chapter. if you can write that much, feel free to do so. I'd love to know 

**FallenStarAngel**: Wow, I didn't think someone would do….er…_that_. Well I would if I were to tackle Rem-chan's great story again and read the chapters I didn't read…which is not likely to happen, as I had gotten lost a few too many times throughout the story but then again I was stupid when it came to anime. And a TON of people like Aozora, which surprises me. He is essentially a duty-driven teenager with a pretty crappy past; meeting Sora starts changing him so that while he tries to keep to his duty, he finally starts noticing the other corners of life, the ones he never looked into. Which all comes down to my coupling situation. The way things are, you people are still going to be in for a serious surprise. I thought this story was gonna be some not-so-long epic but now it's a drives-me-crazy epic spanning enough years to knock my socks off! So basically, you need to have patience, and see if Sora and Kairi will ever get back together again. Oh and the Aozora-bashing…i just love it. It pisses people off. XD

**Aoki-chan**: If my parents continue to act like idiots, I wouldn't even be able to touch my laptop! I'll do my best to update and if I can't…then I'll do my updates as soon as possible. I've planned out the updating schedule on my calendar and everything should be complete around the time Kingdom Hearts II comes out.

**Cammy-world**: yeah, you win for "scariest reader". But thanks for the cookie. I guess this story DOES cater to your tastes…well, I'll get back to that later…

**Lena-jade**: When I was strategizing the story, I came to the conclusion that Kairi's love life cannot be dictated by the rigid rules of gaming and drama and soap operas. That means love ebbs and flows; it gets caught here, it flows there, and it never touches here or there or anywhere. It goes where it will. So I must say that its good that you don't care who Kairi's with anymore. And your evil nitpicks…well, I still have room for improvement. As a warning, two chapters in this story may carry a different tone because I have re-planned them. The POV issue was that I never fooled around with POV that much before…then I started experimenting…and it went from there. Of course King Mickey knows things! He's like…omni…oh gosh, what's that word again? Well he can at _least_ sense what's going on; and, unfortunately for Aozora, though he can keep his face blank, his eyes give away everything. Its only a matter of who would look closely. As for the whole Naminé blushing scene, I kept his shirt off because he had to rush to the train station. I don't think you can run to the train station carrying a train ticket, some (lucky) charms, and try to pull on your shirt _after_ you take off the jacket all at the same time. He'd probably run into a pole, knock himself out, miss the train, and raise living hell. Only good thing is that design-wise, his jackets long enough. XD as for Kairi appearing in the screens, I thought that was totally bizarre and couldn't think of anything other than…well somehow she's there but maybe not really but why would she be there-you get the drift. Love triangle-wise, it'll be a mass of confusion and things will somehow start clearing up…if you can tell. The A/S/K situation was seriously a hell for me and I had to figure out how to get things together while setting up the scene for the next thing coming. When things start getting…"violent", you'll see what I mean. And for the other question, are you asking about the half-Angel situation? Because what their powers are…I'm not telling. But as far as I can tell, Sora's power is pretty scary. And when the going gets rough…it gets REALLY scary.

Great, me and my big mind (mouth)…

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 68: In Darkest Night**

Riku ran through the dark streets, nimbly dodging fallen trashcans, light poles, and the occasional pedestrian who happened to be wandering about late at night.

He didn't know if the Heartless were following him. His darkness was focused on getting him to the Bell Tower as fast as possible. The trail of darkness was fading…and that was a bad sign.

" Kingdom Hearts had better not be moving out of Twilight Town anytime soon!" Riku growled under his breath as he somersaulted over a stunned passerby.

" Sorry!" he yelled and kept running.

Behind him, the stunned passerby quickly ducked into a corner and breathed heavily. He had nearly run into one of the enemies of the man who had hired him! The description was enough to identify him.

" _He has silver hair but he is very young, around sixteen years of age. He is six feet tall and has a powerful built; you can tell easily. He's wearing a black trench coat and he will be wearing a blindfold over his eyes; he is blind to most of the world. Be careful; he may not be able to see you but he can smell you and his darkness can see for him. If he finds out who you are…I'm afraid you will have to be eliminated."_

Shanks took a swig from his tin canteen and wiped his mouth. " Lucky for me, he didn't notice anything. Well…let's see what he's about to do, shall we?"

With that, he stepped back into the streets and slowly made his way after Riku.

''

" This really is a nice neighborhood," Sally remarked, continuing to walk in this night.

" Yes it is," Yuna agreed, still keeping her hood on. She rubbed her arms; the weather had jumped them and she really wasn't ready for rain. " Never thought it would rain here…"

" You can't predict the weather Yuna," Sally shook her head and smiled. " The little things are governed on their own; events in the future, yes, we can see but are we certain? No, for the Fates still have control. Our free will is buffeted by their control over our life threads. If they wanted, they could snip through your string and you would exist no more."

Yuna shivered. " That…was nice to know."

" Don't mention it. However, we can change the course of the future, if we can break through their binding thread. That is what we are hoping to do with Aozora. He is a powerful child but does not know just how powerful. Not only that, we don't know where his powers come from. Is it in his blood? Was it granted to him from birth? Or did it just come to him suddenly? Or perhaps, is it a bit of each? Nonetheless, he has the power to change events and save Sora from his own doom."

" Then is Sora really fated to…die?"

" Perhaps, perhaps not," Sally said. " I saw…and I see two options, two choices. His doom goes two ways. Either he dies…or he accomplishes his task but leaves the Universe. Being a hero or heroine is not easy; you can weary of daily life because of all that you have gone through. In Sora's case, he may weary of life as it is and leave the Universe forever."

" I feel sorry for him…" Yuna whispered as they slowly began to walk towards the Bell Tower. In the night, they could see its glowing face. " He is so young yet he has aged so quickly…"

" There is a third option for him…"

" And what would that be?"

Here Sally gave a mysterious smile. " If all goes well, Kairi can heal his heart of all sorrow. And then he can live in the Universe happily, for however long his string of life is supposed to run."

" That sounds happy."

" Is it now? Well, I once warned Kairi that hearts change over time, as does Time itself. If she understands now…what will Sora think?"

" Are you suggesting she loves someone else?"

" No…I'm saying she is in love…but to who, I cannot say. Here I do not know. I see two scenarios. His life may be happy and with her…or it's with another."

Yuna stopped. " Sally, hate to break it to you but you're really confusing me now."

The woman smiled. " Yes, sometimes I have to admit I confuse myself as well. What I can _see_ is that there are four paths for Sora. Two are filled with sorrow and pain, two are filled with joy. Only one path will lead him back to Kairi. It is the tragedy of all things. They love each other very much…and no matter what happens, no matter which road he takes, that bond will be there forever. Naminé was right when she told Roxanne that Sora will never forget Kairi. No matter what happens in the future, there's always a place for her in his heart. No matter what."

Here Yuna seemed to be thinking. " Wow…they really do have to go through a lot. I mean…they're so _young_."

" But they will get old, no? I will get old and fall apart…and Dr. Finkelstein will no longer be there to help me. You will age, too, though your exploits will be remembered forever. You have done no wrong, Yuna; people will remember you forever that way."

" I guess…" Yuna sighed as they kept walking. She looked down on the wet ground. " I only wish…that he was here…"

Sally smiled again, which unnerved her even more. " Is love ever forgotten? No. Someday, Yuna, you will see him again. For in life and in death, you two are always connected to each other. Believe me, you two will see each other again someday…"

Sally stood still, looking rather high-headed as she looked to the west of the Bell Tower. Yuna looked at her worriedly.

" Sally, what is it?"

Sally held up a hand to silence her. With the other, she amplified her hearing.

" A battle rages…the Oblivion comes!"

" The Oblivion?"

" The night of all Keys. It is what opened Kingdom Hearts; it is what will seal Kingdom Hearts! Come Yuna; we are lucky our path has taken us to the Bell Tower. It is there that those double doors lie."

" The Bell Tower?" Yuna stared at the towering bell and clock tower. " How can a door fit in – wait a minute, what about Ashita and Yuri?"

" Oh they're not in danger yet," Sally remarked, walking much faster now, and in the direction of the tower. " It's only a matter of time, however, before the Heartless try and take over the Bell Tower. If Riku gets there in time…or we do, then they will be warned."

Sally began to power-walk her way towards the Bell Tower, with Yuna following her closely. Long-limbed as she was, the gunner had trouble matching stride with the brisk-walking mannequin.

" Sally!" Yuna exclaimed as they turned a corner and strode past a café. " Once we seal Kingdom Hearts…then what do we do?"

" Rikku and Paine will continue the search for Vegnagun, of course. No, Yuna, I will explain why only they are going. You need to go to Traverse Town and pick up news regarding things happening on the other side, where Cid Number One, Leon, Cloud, and the others are located. I will stay here with Cid your uncle and monitor all activity regarding New Universe. Riku will guard for us, as will Ashita. All we can do, really, is hope Aozora makes it to the other side in time."

" Sally?" Yuna had begun to think about what could happen. " What happens…if Sora dies?"

" It is all determined in the manner by which he dies."

" What! So we have to know _how_ he dies, too!"

" Even here it goes two ways: either he dies and we die, or he dies and we have war. Of course, and then there's the extreme option: he dies but in the process, releases the Twins, Halocanis and Shadowrenis. They are the only ones with power over all, including Fate and Time. Halocanis could resurrect many dead heroes for us, as a matter of fact. And there's nothing the three sisters can do about it."

Sally began to laugh, a clear sound that really made her sound crazy.

" Oh my…"

''

Riku did happen to reach the Bell Tower first. His sense told him to slow down before he runs into solid concrete and brick; he slowed to a walk, then came to a complete stop. Where to from here? Where was the door, even?

" Hello?" he hollered at no one in particular. " Is anybody in the Bell Tower?"

He thought he could sense movement; the round burn on his palm was pulsing with the life forces it sensed within the building.

" Anyone? Hello?" he shouted.

" What the f – who the hell are you?" another voice, this time from somewhere above him, shouted.

" That's none of your concern! I-"

" Oh yeah, well I was taking a nap here! Don't you know better than to shout if anybody's home?"

" Well, where's the damn door?"

" What are you, blind!"

" Yes!"

That was followed by a long silence. Then another voice, a voice he recognized immediately shouted out, " Riku, is that you?"

Yuri!

" Yuri? What are you doing in the Bell Tower? And who's with you?"

What's she doing with a guy? He bristled slightly, then took control of himself and quickly assessed the situation. Kingdom Hearts was in the Bell Tower. Yuri and whoever that guy is was doing something in the Bell Tower. And Heartless come out of the Bell Tower so…

" He's my friend, Ashita! What are you doing here, anyways? It's kind of late out, you know! And it was raining! Did you get wet? Drenched? You want to come inside?"

" I'm here for serious business. No I'm fine, I was wearing my coat and hood-" _not really_, he thought "-and I would _love_ come inside!"

" Yuri, who is this guy?" he heard Ashita demand of her.

" He's a friend of Cid's. He won't harm us."

" Cid? That old geezer? Yuri, can you trust any friend of his?"

" Well, his friends do include King Mickey Disney."

"Well, besides him…"

He heard a door swing open and his sense immediately detected it, as well as the figure leaning out the door.

" Over here, Riku!"

He rushed quickly to the door and inside. Someone closed the door and locked it, as Riku searched out the area. Well the Bell Tower really was tall from the inside, there was a staircase spiraling up, and there were many levels inside.

Where could Kingdom Hearts be?

" Well?" Ashita demanded. Riku sensed him out; he was nearing six feet, was probably the same age, and looked rather grumpy.

" Ashita, be nice!" Yuri scolded him. She then spoke. " Riku, why are you here?"

Riku could smell the trail of evil…

" You two are in danger," he spoke calmly, slowly, coldly. " The Bell Tower houses something incredibly dangerous up there. A pair of doors that open to and release evil. It moves from Twilight Town to Hollow Bastion constantly; right now it is here, inside the Bell Tower right now. I have to get to it before enough Heartless come out to swarm the whole of Twilight Town and wipe out everyone who lives here."

" What?" Ashita demanded furiously. " Kingdom Hearts, here!"

" That's not possible!" Yuri exclaimed, frightened. Riku resisted the urge to tell her it was all right, that he was here to protect them both, that he could solve the problem immediately…

" I have to go and seal the doors," Riku explained with as much patience as possible. " Aozora handed me a key, the same key that he used to open the doors. He saved my life in opening those doors; now it's my turn to do him a favor and close them. That way, he can expect less opposition from the Heartless in going after Sora…"

" Sora?" here Ashita seemed genuinely astonished and a little furious. " That brat; he was the one who chased Orion away. What the fuck does he have to do with anything?"

" Ashita, language!" Yuri exclaimed. " You know better vocabulary; don't use that language here and especially around me!"

" I'm sorry!" Ashita yelled back. There was fear and tension in his voice as he continues speaking. " I-"

" Don't you _dare_ talk shit about my friend!" Riku snarled. He took a step towards Ashita, itching to take his head off with the Oblivion. " He's gone through more in just fifteen years than you ever will in your whole life! If you know what's good for you, don't spit on his name!"

" What if I did?" Ashita challenged. He spat at the floor in front of Riku's left foot.

" You're going to regret it-"

Yuri stepped in front of the both of them and shouted. " Stop it, you two. Fighting already and you guys barely met each other? There's nothing we can do about Sora and Orion _now_ but we can do something about Kingdom Hearts. If we don't help him, Ashita, then we may be doomed."

" Just how dangerous is our situation?" the teenager demanded. Now he sounded really frightened.

" If we don't find the doors in time…you may both die and the rest of the Universe may be doomed," Riku admitted with honesty. The other two both gasped. " Therefore, Ashita, please stop fighting me. I need you guys to keep close to me; I can't trust you guys out there. I just fought off a whole bunch of Heartless and I've a feeling they're headed this way…"

The trail, it was leading up, up the stairs to the top of the tower…

" But where can Kingdom Hearts be?" Yuri whispered, edging closer to the two. She looked around nervously, half-expecting to see glowing yellow eyes.

" I think if you go up there…" Riku pointed in the general direction of 'up', " you'll find the door there. But we'll have to hurry."

He stepped to the right, then stopped. " Where would the stairs be, exactly?"

" Follow me," Ashita said with all due seriousness. He rushed to the left and showed the staircase up.

" I…knew that," Riku muttered with embarrassment. Despite the heaviness of the air and the sense of danger, Yuri giggled.

Facing danger, there was still a little light to give.

''

" Heartless! Sally, stand back!" Yuna ordered, pulling out her guns.

" There are only two now…but more will come," she replied sternly. " We must get rid of them quickly…and get in the tower! Riku got here before us; that much I know!"

" Just a moment…" Yuna fired off her guns in succession and the NeoShadows exploded into hearts and splatters of black.

Sally ran to the door of the Bell Tower. Unlike the first time Sora, Donald, and Goofy saw the tower, it didn't look boarded up and haunted. On the contrary, the Bell Tower looked quite welcoming.

Of course, that was until you realize the door is locked.

" Shoot the door open; we have to get in."

" What?" Yuna turned on Sally. " Since when were you so violent?"

" When things become urgent. Heartless already here means that more Heartless are coming. So you might want to hurry," Sally remarked.

" Alright," the gunner replied with some consternation. " Lady Yuna, breaking into a clock tower that also functions as a bell tower…"

She shot out the doorknob and kicked the door open.

They were met with dim lights. They heard footsteps rushing up stairs somewhere above them. It was a room clustered with boxes and cartons. And there was only one way up: a staircase to the left.

" Riku's here already; he must've warned Ashita and Yuri!" Yuna concluded immediately. " Thank goodness!"

" Well, now we've got to catch up to them, shouldn't we?"

" Can't the three handle it on their own?"

" They could I should tell you…however, the Heartless will still come. And who can fight off tens of NeoShadows? Hundreds? Not a lot of people. Therefore, we need to go up there anyways. You have your guns, Riku has his powers, and Ashita may have weapons stashed up there fore good use. Of course, it would be _much_ better if Riku got his Soul Eater back but…I just hope Yuri and I don't become excess baggage. I hate to be the one people must defend but what can I do?"

" Unstitch yourself and distract the NeoShadows?"

" I hope you were joking."

Yuna grinned. " Relax, I was."

" Glad to hear that," Sally remarked and they began their tedious way up the stairs.

''

Riku stopped. The trail turned off here!

" This way!" Riku exclaimed, getting off the stairs and heading for the door that marked the control room.

" There?"

Ashita and Yuri had heard of the fight there between Aozora and Axel; did that have anything to do with those two? They looked at each other, then at Riku, who bashed his foot against the door.

" Hey, what are you-"

The door fell, forced off its hinges. Ashita gaped at the teenager; Riku didn't see him and simply grinned.

" Ladies first or shall I go in?"

" I can't fight, Riku," Yuri informed him.

" I was talking to Ashita."

The blond guy bristled. " Hey!"

Riku flashed another smile and Yuri giggled again. " Well then, I guess I'll go in first…"

He strode in. Yuri quickly followed him and Ashita, grumbling a bit, trailed in after them.

Riku, once inside, froze. Yuri bumped into him and quickly backed up, embarrassed. " Riku, what's wrong?"

" Darkness…" He hefted the Oblivion in his hands. " Yuri, Ashita stay back. " I'm going in first."

He cautiously stepped into the room, with all its blinking lights and machines. Did these two run all this?

His senses then came across scorch marks. What the-

" Riku, Heartless!" Yuri yelled.

The Oblivion went flashing; three NeoShadows no longer existed.

" Thanks for the warning!" Riku exclaimed as more appeared.

_They're blocking me! Kingdom Hearts is in here…and they're blocking ,e!_

Riku shouted and rushed headlong into them, the Oblivion ready to strike.

" Is he mad?" Ashita commented.

" Is he?" Yuna remarked as she stepped past him and fired on two NeoShadows. " He doesn't look like it."

" Yuna!" Yuri stepped back in surprise.

" We took a different street," Sally smiled sweetly. " Now…Ashita, can you fight?"

" Been training with Cid's three ladies," Ashita grinned back.

" Good, get your weapons," Sally ordered him. " Even if Riku locked Kingdom Hearts, there's gonna be a hoard of Heartless trying to get in…if only to kill Riku and steal his powerful heart."

Nodding, the blond teenager rushed up more stairs. Sally nodded to Yuna, who stepped forward to join Riku. " Find Kingdom Hearts. I'll blast these little bastards – or fiends, as Rikku likes to call them – into oblivion."

" Thanks."

Riku dodged the Heartless, somersaulting over some and simply slashing through others. The trail of darkness was growing stronger, as more Heartless swarmed in, Yes, the doors were here…

And, in the back of the control room were built in two tall white doors. They were white and gilt with gold; stained glass served as window panes for these thirty-some feet tall doors.

" How in hell did they fit into this room?" Riku wondered aloud, coming to a stop as his darkness flashed warning signals in his head. " Why do I even ask; Kingdom Hearts always defies logic."

The doors were agape; even as he talked to himself, more Heartless materialized. Bt that would mean all the Heartless Yuna was shooting down in this room came only Kingdom Hearts itself!

" Well," Riku grinned triumphantly, " not anymore!"

He pointed the Oblivion at the doors and a purple-black glow surrounded the Keyblade's head.

" Go Riku!" Yuri shouted. " Kingdom Hearts is ours!"

His ears burned. " Hear that, Heartless? This ain't your turf anymore!"

A dark light issued forth from the Keyblade and seemed to have grasped both doors. With an unseen strength, the dark light shoved the doors shut. There was an ominous booming sound that came with it.

Silence.

The Heartless froze. Yuna looked up. Ashita slowed as he rushed into the room wielding what looked like a very huge water gun. Yuri and Sally inched closer to each other for safety. Riku smiled again.

" Suckers."

The Oblivion suddenly burned in his hand. " What the-"

The Keyblade exploded in a burst of black and purple light.

" It's gone," Sally gasped, aghast.

" Shit…" Riku pulled up a shield, then began to push a ball of darkness into a sword like he had done before back at Hollow Bastion.

Except this time the weight was very solid and very real.

" What in hell?" Riku gripped the handle. Yes, this _was_ a sword, with a familiar weight and feel to it.

" Riku, your Soul Eater!"

The sword he had wielded through Castle Oblivion! It had returned!

Riku heard Yuna fire again. And then Ashita fired as well. The NeoShadows were regrouping, were lashing out, were furious.

" If they want a fight, I'll give 'em a fight!" Riku snarled. Shield on his left arm, Soul Eater in his pulsing right, Riku threw himself into battle.

""

It was a full moon.

The seas rippled in the night. The gnarled, dead trees twisted across the skies.

A lone figure was sitting on a lone boulder looking out towards the sea. It was hooded and cloaked; the person was hidden to most, if not all.

Nearby stood other boulders. One particularly egg-shaped in form stood apart from the others. And why not? After all, there was some importance to this particular formation of minerals.

A flash of bluish light. A Society member stepped into this lonely world. His visible eye flashed yellowish-gold. His boots made muffled noise, cushioned by the night grass.

He strode slowly towards the seated figure, displeasure evident on his face. His eye burned with malice.

The seated Society member turned to him. One could barely see the wrinkles of age upon the visible part of his face. His tone was clear and light.

" He looks just like you."

The other stopped next to him and put on a look of disdain and anger. " That's what others say. See if I care."

" Oh I think you do," the other remarked calmly, casually.

" Just because you broke out of the Society doesn't mean that you-"

" I say what I like, Advocate, because I am who I am," the other interrupted softly. " You, for one, should know."

" Why not? I am the Advocate, aren't I? I'm quite aware of who others are….Prophet!"

" Tsk, tsk, respect your elders," the Prophet said, shaking his head. " Fleeing your past? You know you can't hide. It follows you, wherever you go…"

" Just leave me alone, will you?"

" How can I? You are the Advocate, the evil of the Universe. You are the last…and the worst. Darkness is your life. You wanted to travel other worlds and you gave yourself up to the force you once swore to fight in order to do so. In the process, you destroyed _everything_."

" I did not!"

" Oh? Then how do you explain Marucia's existence? How do you explain the destruction of Deep Tranquility? How do you explain the death of your family?"

" That's all a part of the past, Prophet, you old fool! I do not dwell on what _had_ been done; I dwell on what _will_ be done. There is no point in talking about what had already come to pass."

" You call me a fool," and here the Prophet sounded angry for the first time, " yet you yourself prove to be a fool. The past teaches great lessons and it is what happened in the past that leads us to the future. Why do you think I reside in the past? Why do I ask you constantly? Because the past determines the fate of this Universe."

" Well, what did you see so far?"

" Well, all I can say is….death."

" Rivers of blood will slowly still my pity for those who have died. Death is nothing new to me. You are hiding something else. I know you are!"

" Am I? Well, wouldn't you like to know!"

" As a matter of fact, I do!" the Advocate snapped.

" Well, if I told you your past will come back to haunt you, what will you say?"

" Ha, superstition is nothing to me! Is that the best you can do, Eldest?"

The old man smiled. " No, of course not. I can always do something else, something worse."

The Prophets smile began to bother the Advocate a lot.

" What's so funny?"

" Nothing's funny…but…do you think you really killed everyone?"

" Alara's dead! I…saw to that," Ronsend stated, bowing his head. " And so are the children…"

" I highly doubt that," Eldest remarked. " Either that or other children have been chosen. The Keyblades do not choose on a whim but they do play favorites now and then…"

" My children are dead! Alara's dead! Deep Tranquility's dead! Everyone! Everyone!"

But still Eldest smiled.

" I would agree…if I was not so skeptical."

" Are you suggesting…"

"…that they are dead? Partially. I am of the mind that at least one of them is still alive."

" They're all dead!" Ronsend shouted at his face. " All of them!"

" I…would not be so sure if I were you. The past will never forget you, even if you've forgotten the past. Remember that, Ronsend, and head my words well…"

**Author's Endnote**: You have any idea how hard it is to remember that Riku can't exactly "see"? Damn the darkness!

_**Chapter 69…**_

" _My guess is, Kairi, that poem's warning you."_

" _I think I know which one."_

" _I'm gonna kick the crap out of Cid!"_


	69. Silver Glass

**Author's Note: **I have a terrible announcement to make: my parents have cracked. They got so sick of my writing habits that I either had to stop writing or lose my laptop. I now resort to writing by hand secretly while pretending not to mess with the stories. This can only be done in utmost secret and even then, things will happen once my parents oversee the removal of all my story documents from my laptop and onto a disk or two. Tragic but its for my 'future'. Pah! On the other hand, I'm updating earlier than usual out of desperation and because Initial D music TURNS ME ON! I MEAN, WHO DON'T LIKE EUROBEAT! 

Of course, then again, I am quite desperate to get to the SERIOUS chapters. Starting with the next chapter will begin the series of 70's, which will answer ALL your questions…for the most part. There are some questions I leave for later but I assure you everything will be solved with the next handful of chapters. Of course, that involves some answering, too…

**Lena-jade:** I can't hate you for pointing things out I miss or ignore for the hell of it! Of course I'd hate it but I also appreciate it. You know what I mean…and inside the train he had trouble finding seats, remember all the evil old people? Plus, he's exhausted by then and would love to do nothing more than sleep…besides figuring out Zexion's message. As for A/S/K, you'll see. There's going to be a whole lot of confusion and complete misunderstanding. But you can already guess as to the misunderstanding. The whole Kingdom Hearts issue was actually living hell for me; I had no idea how to make Riku's side interesting and therefore tired the hell out of myself by the time I got to the real thing. Therefore, it's not as great. But look at it this way; what's really worth it: the end or the journey to the end? As for the whole DiZ issue, that'll be addressed later in a very confusing way; I need to look back and modify, thanks for bringing that up. Har har har, Ronsend is Darth Vader, har har har!

Aozora – AH-O-ZOH-RA (actual Japanese pronunciation)

**ShebytheDogDemoness**: No comment. Very scary. 0.0

**FallenAngelStar**: Well, you might have to be a bit more patient because this is Kairi's side of the story but I promise you: in the next set of chapters, Aozora will be appearing a LOT more often. Believe me. And the whole Aozora issue was that it bothered me that I put so much time and effort into writing fanfiction instead of using that energy to create my own stories (like I am for the fifth time in a row with the same world, same idea, and similar characters). Of course, then again I could just steal his character, can't I? And you were right to feel ready for a serious surprise; there are…three or four surprises? Somewhere around those numbers… Aozora-bashing? You want me to BACK OFF? The whole essence of his chapters is to show how much he suffers! Mentally and physically he has been suffering. But there is one more area that has yet to be touched and this will change the course of the story. Take a guess. Hint: the scar of a traitor. As for Shanks, I can't say too much…except it will be very painful. And yes, Sally is annoying. That is why I love her. I love ambiguity because it's so…frustrating. Yes I love torturing people, sue me! And Riku has a harder time making friends because of his ordeal. I mean, seriously, turn against your best friend and lock yourself in darkness and then…well, yeah. And yes, foreshadowing is heaven.

**Cammy-world**: I hope your butt gains back its senses. XD Yes Ronsend has his problems. That's why the Prophet's there. They may hate each other's guts but the Prophet knows as well as Sally does what needs to be done. Will Sora die or will Aozora die for him or will Riku or Kairi suddenly appear and die instead? Or will someone else die? Who dies? And I love pocky!

**Kingdom Alchemist**: I went back to my loyal base of KHU so I should visit KHI now, huh? Well, I'm updating now. So there you go! E-mail me if you want; I look forward to hearing from you.

**Nirina Illuisar**: Congratulations for the marathon reading of my story! What surprises me is the fact that people would sit through 68 (69 now) chapters. Then again, I do that, too…though I have yet to read a story as long as mine 0.0 And besides, this is school season! Yah! Well, I'm glad you like the Riku chapters. I hope you like the next one. No, seriously, everyone needs to pay attention: the next chapters are the finest set you will lay your eyes on. Hopefully they are less confusing than all the other chapters so far.

More to be said near the bottom concerning my predicament with my parents. Here's the story, though…

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 69: Silver Glass**

Kairi shuffled through all the pages they had collected from their journey through In Between. One paper from Wonderland, along with a box; one from Deep Jungle; there was that weird one from Agrabah; and two from Deep Tranquility.

" She said that the path to the door of In Between would be here…but I don't see it anywhere…" Kairi remarked, shuffling and looking through the pile yet again. " Or rather, I haven't _read_ them yet…anybody have any idea as to where the door of In Between is?"

" I bet you Merlin and Kenaii do," Selphie remarked, holding onto the box the Queen of Hearts had given them. " I mean, they are the know-it-alls…"

" Well, honestly, I don't know where the door is," Oracle Kenaii admitted, scratching his ghostly head and whatever stringy bits of white hair remained of it. " I mean, I don't even _know_ what is looks like…"

He faded as he realized that Selphie was staring at him with an expression that was much like horror.

" Then what did you tell Hercules?"

" Whatever I knew. Regretfully, I did tell Hercules….that boy does need more help than you think…well, I guess I'll have to take a look at the reports. Merlin?"

" What?" the wizard asked, scratching his own head with his wand.

" Care to handle the pages? I'm not exactly physical am I?"

" Well, there are things you can do…"

" Get over here, man! Life and death hangs by a thread thanks to these pages and all you can talk about is my ghostly state?"

" Right, right, right…"

Iago stared at the two. " They _are_ featherbrains."

" So are you."

" Tidus?"

" Yes, Selphie?"

" Shut up."

The blond man sighed and scratched his head. " So…some things never change, eh?"

" Obviously," Selphie remarked as the ghost and the wizard-in-PJs huddled over Ansem's Other Report with Kairi.

" Hey, wait a minute…" Kairi realized. " They're all one-sided!"

" And your point is?"

" Flip 'em," Kairi shot back, flipping each page.

Merlin uttered something incoherent. Oracle Kenaii glared at him.

" I never see these before!" Oracle Kenaii exclaimed. " How strange…and how very convenient."

" Mayhaps if all the pages are together, then we can see these…writings," Merlin thought. " I mean, I really don't recall seeing any of this…"

Kairi flipped over the first page, the one about the brothers, Dragon and Phoenix…

_Silver is the glass_

_Upon which you will pass._

The next page, about Ronsend and Mickey…

_Dawn will take you home_

_Where the darkness roam._

Written on the next page was about the Heartless and the Nobodies…

_Night will take you down a path_

_From which you will never come back._

Then there was that odd note about the behavior of the Keyblades…

_Twilight is the hope that is true_

_If you know what's right for you._

Then there was that odd prophecy that Iago found in the belly of the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders…

_The moon will pass into silver_

_And the circle will close forever._

And right underneath that was a sketch, well-shaded and immaculate in detail. It was a part of a world, with a path leading out of it beyond…

" It looks like a path made of some metallic stuff," Merlin noted, peering at the page.

" That part of the world, doesn't that look familiar?" Tidus asked; he, Iago, and Selphie had joined the others in reading the papers.

" That building looks familiar…" Selphie pointed out. " And that tree."

" That looks familiar, too," Iago agreed. " Wait a second…isn't this Deep Tranquility?"

Everyone looked up and around them. All they saw were tree stumps, some straggly dead trees, and plenty of ruins.

" Yeah, I agree. Iago's right; look over there!"

Everyone looked at where Tidus was pointing.

There was that tree, next to the ruins of a building that looked remarkably similar to the one in the drawing. And just beyond that, they saw something shimmer…

Oracle Kenaii began walking there as fast as his ghostly feet could take him. Everyone stared at each other, shrugged, then ran after him. Kairi jumped over a fallen tree in the process of reaching that lone standing tree next to the ruins of the building Selphie had noted and Tidus had identified.

There, just beyond a group of hills, was something that shone silver. Liquid silver.

" What is that?" Selphie wondered, peering at the strange scenario.

" A path?" Iago suggested. " That weird writing suggested it."

" _Silver is the glass/Upon which you will pass_. He must be right," Tidus thought.

" Let's take a closer look," Kairi suggested. " Never hurts to do so."

She began walking for the hills.

" I wonder what we'll find," Merlin mused as the hills grew larger and the slope of the land became noticeably steep.

" Some pretty strange stuff is my guess," Tidus offered his two cents.

" Isn't that kind of obvious."

" Hey, he was wondering. I'm just answering."

Oracle Kenaii shook his head, then strode forward after Kairi, who was several feet ahead and pretty determined the conquer the hills.

" You know, I've been thinking about the lines of that poem."

" So have I," Kairi admitted as they topped the first hill. " I don't like how it sounds…"

" I must agree with you on that. Something tells me that poem does more than guide us to the door of In Between. My guess is, Kairi, that poem's warning you. Of what, I don't know."

" Warning me?" Kairi gestured to herself. " What can happen?"

" The second stanza is talking of a path of light. It will guide you home, perhaps Destiny Islands, but it adds in that line "_where the darkness roam_". Think about it. That line is basically saying that your home is full of danger."

" Then why is it telling me to take that road?"

" The poem also tells you of a road of darkness," the oracle reminded her. " _Night will take you down a path/ from which you will never come back._ My guess is that the things that will soon take place will change everything we have come to know and love about the Universe. Kairi, there are three orders in this Universe. The first is the Mythic Order, the time of Dragon and Phoenix Seiryu, of the Twins Halocanis and Shadowrenis, and the first appearance of the Keyblades. By closing the Door of Light, the Mythic Order ended and the Old Order began. We live in the Old Order. Once Sora finds and opens the Door of Light, the Old Order will die and the New Order will begin. Many lives will be lost and many worlds will never see the dawning of the New Order."

" So basically I will take a path from the Old Order to the New Order," Kairi realized as they topped another hill. The others were falling behind. " This…is really scary."

She turned to the Oracle and stopped walking. " Can I face it? Can I face these changes?"

" Your heart is strong, Kairi," the ghost assured her. " That is a strength already. Be brave. That is all I can say to anyone who expresses his or her doubt about the changing of the Order. The change will be violent, mark my word, but the brave and true will live to see the dawning of a new era."

" Oh…" Kairi looked down. " What about that other line?"

" _Twilight is the hope that is true/ if you know what's right for you._ That line puzzles me, honestly," the oracle admitted. " There are only two 'twilights' I know of: Twilight Town and our Guardian. He uses the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper. He is the middle ground between light and dark – Kairi, are you okay?"

The redheaded teenager had frozen at the mere mention of the Guardian.

" N-no, nothing's wrong…its just…there's something about his past that bothers me…"

" What else can bother you about him?" the oracle demanded. He smelled something fishy here.

" I…don't know," Kairi admitted. Bronze eyes flashed in her mind and she shivered.

The specter looked at her strangely as she walked on down the hill. " That's what she says…"

" What?"

" Nothing, really," the oracle quickly shot back. " But why would the twilight be the true hope? I mean, what's the big deal about Twilight Town? There's nothing big about Twilight Town, besides Kingdom Hearts-"

" What? What about Kingdom Hearts?" Kairi turned around quickly.

" Kingdom Hearts started jumping between Hollow Bastion and a place called Twilight Town a while back. But I don't know why it's such a big deal…"

_Not for you, Oracle Kenaii,_ Kairi thought as she kept walking, a sense of foreboding in her heart. _You don't understand, Oracle. Nobody does. I only wish people understood…but nobody would. Nobody ever would._

A tear left its trace in the gray grass of Deep Tranquility. Its crystal beauty glistened with the all its tragedy, with all her love and pain.

Nobody saw that.

''

" A path of silver, made of glass," Kairi remarked, standing and staring at what looked like a dripping walkway of silver that led up somewhere into the skies, curving as it disappeared into the grayish clouds. Silver dribbled off like water pouring from the middle of the walkway. " How beautiful…"

" This is our pathway?" Selphie demanded as the others finally caught up to Kairi and Oracle Kenaii. " That's so amazing!"

" We're traveling in style," Iago grinned.

Kairi giggled. Selphie stared at her. " Are you okay?"

The teenager smiled. " We get to go back, Selphie…and I'll see Sora again!"

The brown-haired girl scratched her head. " Well…thing is, I never heard you giggle in such a long time."

" I guess that's what happens when you finally see a light at the end of the road," she replied. " You feel…happy."

" I gotta agree with her; I feel swell knowing I can go back to my friends," Iago agreed as Kairi took the first step onto the rippling silver. The silver rippled around her foot in waves of glass.

" And I'll go home…to Spira," Tidus sighed. " I wonder how Yuna's doing…"

" Lover boy, let's go," Selphie slapped him on the back as they all began to follow Kairi up the spiraling staircase.

Alara watched them as they all made their way up that path to the Door of In Between.

" Oh Kairi, when will you understand that your heart will break in two? Wherever you go, a trail of pain and sorrow will follow you…"

She bent down and gently picked up the droplet of crystal from the blade of gray grass.

" May luck follow you, whichever path you choose to take."

''

" Well, now what?" Iago demanded.

" Gee, like I'd know?" Selphie snapped back.

" This is perplexing," Merlin commented, perplexed.

" I have to agree with you on that," Oracle Kenaii admitted. " This is really confusing."

" Shit, well, now what do we do?" Tidus demanded.

Kairi fingered the keychain that she kept hidden in a pocket in her skirt. " I…don't know."

Before them was a room full of silver. Cascading from high above them rippled glass. Their reflections bounced off, distorting in the continuous waves of the colors of the moon.

" I don't see much of anything…"

_Dawn._

_Night._

_Twilight._

Kairi blinked. The words repeated in her head.

_Dawn. Night. Twilight. Why?_

The room was full of silver…The Moonbeam pulsed in her pocket, a glowing comfort in this moment of loss and confusion.

" I don't know what we're supposed to do…but maybe the poem as a say in it…" Kairi suggested, discretely pulling out the chain Aozora had given her so long ago…

" _The moon will pass into silver/ And the circle will close forever_," Tidus said quietly. He knew what Kairi was talking about. " Something about a moon, silver, and some circle…wait a minute, the circle's already closed! How can it close forever if it's already closed?"

" The circle means In Between." Oracle Kenaii was quick to answer. " If the door closes, then the circle of destruction will close forever and no worlds will ever vanish again."

" But what if the Heartless continue to destroy the worlds?"

" They go bye-bye. The dreams will never suffer like the ones of Celt Circle. Life would be short, sometimes painless, but the evils of In Between would never again exist."

Selphie thought for a moment. " Is that a good thing?"

" It depends," Merlin shrugged. " Suffer slow or suffer fast?"

" Let's not think about that," Oracle Kenaii suggested. " We're trying to get out of here, don't you think?"

" Well, look at this, Kenaii! All we got are cascades of silver coming from the heavens down on this floor! You tell me that's something right there!"

" Well, what in Atlantis am I supposed to do?"

" You're dead! You're supposed to know all the secrets by then!"

" Secrets? You fool, what's wrong with you? I'm not an omnipotent old man! I died in a catastrophe long ago as a raving lunatic!"

" Well, you knew crap when you were raving-"

Kairi thought of what Tidus had recalled for them. _The moon will pass into silver…_

He unclenched the hand that held the keychain and held it up.

There in the palm of her hand, was the Moonbeam, as Aozora told her. The pulsing silver light cast a halo around the moon, with the small head engraved into it. The emblem of King Mickey…Disney.

" The moon…and silver…" Kairi murmured. Then she looked up at the walls of silver. " Moon…silver…dawn…dark…twilight…"

_Gray…_

" Kairi, what are you doing?" Selphie demanded as Kairi strode to the cascading wall and pressed her right palm into it.

Light suddenly exploded from the palm of her hand, spraying out from between her fingers and ricocheting off the other walls. Light bloomed all around them, ripples of silver…silver light…

" What in Spira is that!"

When they could see again, when the light dissipated, they saw three keyholes. One was full of light, glowing with promise. One was dark, ominous, full of night. And the one in the very middle…was silver.

" What in blazes…" Merlin murmured.

" There are three!" Selphie noted. " Now what?"

Kairi stared, as she slowly pulled her hand away.

Once more, light flashed. Then it compacted into a handle of light. Kairi's fingers went around and grasped the handle. Slowly, but surely, she pulled out a Keyblade from the silver wall.

Gleaming bluish silver, it was warped with the idea of a nebula in mind. There was the main body, rising and curing into the head of a key. Two silver lines rose on either side, twisting and turning around the main body as it met the head. Shapes like a crescent moon, stars stuck out of it and deep in the center was a spinning crystal globe. The whole thing seemed to sparkle.

The handle seemed to be made of ivory, curving like the horn of a unicorn. The guards were crescent moons and the keychain…was the Moonbeam.

" That's…beautiful," Selphie gasped.

" Worth more than all of the Cave's crap!" Iago declared.

" A rogue Key…" Oracle Kenaii noted. " So _that's_ what it is! Two rogue keys, two doors. The Oblivion is one, the Moonbeam is the other!"

" But which door do I close?" Kairi posed the question. She swung the blade expertly in her grip.

" That's what the poem should say…" Merlin mused. " Except for the fact that all three types of light…and the corresponding keyholes…really don't make sense at all."

" Twilight has the best suggestion," Selphie suggested.

" Yeah, that's true," Tidus agreed.

" We have to choose carefully," Oracle Kenaii warned them sternly. " That Keyblade may be used once. Close the wrong door…and that's it. We'll be stuck here…for who knows how long."

" We can't risk anything; we have to be careful," Kairi determined. " This…is dangerous, isn't it?"

" Very."

" Dawn is the road home where the darkness awaits us. Night is a path that we cannot turn back. Twilight is the road if it is right for you. But Twilight may not. So…what do we do?"

_Tread your path with care._

_Where will you go now, oh where?_

Everyone blinked and looked around each other. " Did you guys hear that?"

" Whose voice is that?" Selphie questioned slowly.

" No one's. That voice…is one that we don't know."

" Good. For once nobody's playing a trick on us!" Selphie nodded happily.

" But still…it's telling us to be careful. And it's asking us…where are we going?" Tidus noted. " Except it's asking only one person."

He looked at Kairi. She gestured to herself. _Me?_

" You have the Moonbeam. You are going to close the door. And you're making the decision," Tidus stated with strong words. " It's your call, Kairi. I trust you will do the right thing."

" What?" Kairi asked weakly.

" I agree," Iago squawked.

" _Where will you go now, oh where?_ But what does it mean?" Merlin pondered, staring at the three holes.

" We're about to find out. Kairi, show the way," Selphie snapped.

Kairi rubbed her face with her free hand. _Why me?_

_Tread your path with care._

The days are numbered, the light shortens, the dark lengthens.

_Where will you go now, oh where?_

She saw Traverse Town…Sora, Donald, and Goofy had gone there…they were entering Cid's Accessories Store…

…and bronze eyes flashed into her mind.

" Kairi?"

She looked up. Everyone was staring at her with concern. " What? What's wrong?"

" I don't know but you suddenly gasped and started hyperventilating or something…" Tidus explained, looking at her worriedly. Oracle Kenaii was musing deeply. The others were simply staring at her…and Iago was staring at the Moonbeam in all its mithril-like beauty.

" I think I know which one."

_This is my decision. This is my road. The others, they're only a part of it. I'm the one who will lead them…and I will take them out of In Between. But to where?_

And then she remembered something an old woman told her long ago…

"_The Universe will unfold like it is supposed to. Decide what you will; let everything else come naturally."_

" This is my choice."

She held out the Moonbeam in front of the silver keyhole. An orb of sparkling light formed around the head…then discharged as a beam of white into the center of the keyhole of silver.

" Twilight," Oracle Kenaii spoke quietly, as light collected in the keyhole and began to spread. The whole keyhole turned white, then fingers of light streaked across the ripples, touching upon the other keyholes and causing them both to glow, too. All around them, white light spread its fingers, closing up in a cage of intricate white light. Curling, streaking, connecting, ricocheting, it was a fireworks of the kind none but Oracle Kenaii had ever seen before.

" What is going on here-"

Selphie never finished her sentence. In a brilliant and bold burst of light, consciousness was lost. The mist of sleep came over and everything simply vanished in that hot, pulsing illumination.

_When will you understand that your heart will break in two? Wherever you go, a trail of pain and sorrow will follow you. But luck I wish you, whichever path you choose to take. Destiny is what you make._

""

" Now what?" Kobi demanded, relaxing in the only three-seating couch in Cid's shop.

" We wait," Leon said coolly, staring at the fireplace and the cheerful dance of flames inside.

" How long?"

" I don't know."

Yuffie had a smile on her face. " Is it cuz Rinoa hasn't come yet?"

Leon flushed slightly. " Not just that…"

" The others," Cloud said quietly, staring at some of the crystals the Moogles in the shop above Cid's synthesized. " Aozora, for one. Kairi, for another. Both of them have not come here yet. Because of that, nothing will happen."

" Then what do we do?" the ninja asked, sitting on the coffee table.

" _Off_ the table, Yuffie!" Cid warned her.

" She's not going to break it," Lorien remarked, shifting in her seat and putting her booted feet up on the table. " So relax for once."

" Not with you hotshots sitting pretty here!" the man shot back. " What are you, lazy or something? Heartless, Nobodies, the Society, they're all roaming around here! And what are you guys doing? Asking each other what they should do now!"

" Well, nothing's really happened since a member of the Society was seen studying Traverse Town's Keyhole and people started coming here for safety," Aerith noted. " And the only danger is what Sora will face. We really can't do much until Aozora gets here."

" What is he, a power keg?" Kobi asked, with something not like anger. " Is he the alarm? Will the Universe collapse if he doesn't come here on time?"

" What are you so angry over?" Yuffie asked innocently.

" He has nothing to do…and Aozora has everything to do," Lorien said calmly, now withdrawing her sword and studying its sharp edge. " He's got nothing…and Aozora's got everything, whatever it is."

Her cheeks were tinged pink in the soft glow of the lights in the room.

" Shut up," Kobi snapped, turning his head away from her.

Yuffie was winking at Aerith. The look that passed between them looked something a lot like this: _Puppy love!_

The pretty brunette shook her head. _Not now, Yuffie!_

" How long is it gonna take for Kairi to get here, anyways?" Lorien decided to ask.

" Hell, like I'd know," Cid grumbled back. " I've got no messages from that damn dead man Kenaii and Merlin's been gone for ages since his little battle with that damn Noknight. I mean, where'd the hell did it come from?"

" One appeared in Coliseum to do battle with Hercules," Leon remarked calmly. " My guess is, they're being sent around for assassination attempts."

" Except nobody died yet," Cloud reminded the dark-haired man.

" That, too."

" Besides King Nedakh," Aerith said sadly. " The poor old man; if only he could have lived a little longer-"

" What's done is done. You can't change the past and you never will," Lorien interrupted briskly, with a voice devoid of emotion. " Life goes on and we have to face new challenges now. His death is a loss but what can we do?"

" Nothing…"

" Exactly."

Cloud was glaring at Lorien.

" You're not scaring me, Cloud," Lorien remarked, still studying her sword, " so stop trying."

"…"

Now Kobi was staring at her strangely. " Lorien, why are you so mean?"

The redhead blinked. She opened her mouth…and nothing came out.

" I mean, I know we've both been living a tough life and all but that's the most heartless speech I ever heard from you. King Nedakh was a good man, Lorien; how can you push aside his death so apathetically? We knew him, Lorien; why are you so harsh?"

She continued to stare at him. She opened her mouth again, in an attempt to speak-

Light exploded in the middle of the room, extracting shouts and causing mostly everyone to get knocked out of their seats. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, the occupants of the room happened to hear different voices yelling, followed by an "Oomph!", and the sound of splintered wood.

" My table!" Cid hollered as the light vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

What lay before his eyes was a spectacle of nightmare proportions.

Leon was relatively safe, having stationed himself in front of the fireplace. So were Cloud and Aerith, as they were standing somewhere behind the ladder that led up to the Moogles' synthesis shop. Mostly everyone else, however, was in a state of pain.

Kobi found himself under a pile of people, a pile that happened to destroy the coffee table and knock off Yuffie onto the floor. Rubbing her head, Yuffie slowly got back up to her feet, as Kobi started shouting about not being able to breathe.

" What the f-" Lorien crawled off the overturned sofa, her sword flung a distance away.

" Well, well, well," Cid smirked. " Looks like _they've_ arrived."

Leon strode over and proceeded to pull people off of Kobi. That included an old man with a long white beard, bespectacled and wearing what looked like a long blue dress. That also included a tall, tanned blond man who was squashing an indignant and woozy red parrot. Lorien offered to help by pulling up a shorthaired brunette girl with a yellow dress and a redhead wearing a white shirt and a purple skort. That left Kobi with a ghost on him. He didn't realize that until he got up and passed through the ghost in the process.

" Yah!" the silver-headed boy shouted, jumping away.

" Whaddya know, it's Oracle Kenaii!" Cid said happily. " He's brought the whole gang with him, too!"

" Merlin," Cloud stated, striding forward. " It's about time you got back."

" What are you talking about? It hasn't been that long, has it?" the old man replied indignantly, brushing at his clothing.

" Half a year," Leon said softly.

" Half…a year?" the redhead's voice quavered.

" Hello, Kairi," Aerith smiled.

" Oh shit," Lorien winced. " Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Perfect timing, Merlin! If that's Kairi….oh crap!"

" Why, what's wrong?" Kairi asked the other redhead in the room nervously.

" Sora just left," Kobi replied matter-of-factly. " He was here for a whole week. They're headed for Hollow Bastion."

" And the other bastard's not here yet!" Cid grumbled. " Aozora! I'm gonna kick the crap out of Cid! Grrr…."

**Author's Endnote:** I will attempt to update each one of my other stories over the course of this week (Thursday to Thursday) before I stop for the rest of the year. Yes, the REST of the year. I will continue working by hand in secret (and destroy all nerves in my hands in the process) but nothing typed will be uploaded until summer begins or my parents relax by the time winter hits. (hopes for the latter) Seriously, I had great stuff planned and EVERYTHING but _they_ got in the way of EVERYTHING. I mean, the chapter scheduling was working out…perfectly, really….now its like…all down the drain. I will make similar announcements in my other stories, for those of you who like reading my other stories for some peculiar reason. Thank you for your understanding. Feel free to e-mail me, as long as you don't ask for the next chapters. XD

_**Chapter 70…**_

" _What's wrong with you?"_

_Why don't you recall a part of your life, Sora?"_

" _There's always a light at the end of the road."_

…_**Last Days**_


	70. Last Days

**Author's Note:** Edit Chapter 69 – Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in Traverse Town NOT for a week but for approximately 3-5 days. I nearly got busted editing this chapter, as with every other chapter following this. I hope you enjoy this next handful of chapters. There's a clue here as to what the real purpose is for the Society, Ansem, and the Advocate wanting to get their hands on Sora but we'll see as to whether or not you'll find it. 

Copyright notes: Every character here belongs to Square-Enix and/or Disney. The song is 'final distance' by Utada Hikaru. And this chapter is dedicated to my pet goldfish, which died Friday morning. Don't laugh; any pet you've had for more than a month is worth something special.

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 70: Last Days**

There was some relief on Sora's part, as the great billboard signaling Traverse Town came into view. It was a comforting sight, the sign pointing to a place of rest, a place that he knew well. Traverse Town was like a second home to him, and he was returning to it.

But only if he could go back to his real home, to Destiny Islands…

_A clear blue sea…soft white beach…trees beyond…a thriving town, pastoral, full of happy people…a small black-and-white fish waiting for him in the shallows, waiting for food…and laughter, young childish laughter…_

_Shirozora!_

" Sora!" Goofy exclaimed. " Look out!"

" What – wha!" Sora pulled at the controls and the gummi ship shot straight up to the sky. He had nearly broadsided the sign he admired so much.

" Watch where you're flying the ship and stop daydreaming!" Donald screamed at him.

" Sorry!" Sora screamed back, purposely nose-diving the gummi ship to prove his point. Which really didn't.

" Sora!" Donald yelled. " What's wrong with you?"

" Nothing!" the brunet snapped back, feeling an anger in his heart.

_How could Kairi do this to me? Why? Does she still love me? Or is it too late?_

And then he remembered the slightly beat-up gummi ship they passed by on the way to Traverse Town. He had never seen the gummi ship before but knew immediately that it was not a Heartless Ship. In fact, it looked like something more of the Cid make.

_Who would Cid give a gummi ship to?_

And then he remembered the shuddering feeling that came over him as they passed by each other. A flash of silver lodged itself in his mind –

_Riku!_

The ship had gone slightly off-course at that moment, as Sora tried to realize what it was that he saw. Could it be? After the long weeks of searching, after a year and a half had gone by, has Riku returned? Has everything begin to come together at long last?

_But what Kairi said…_

And he knew, deep in his heart, that nothing was complete. There was still Aozora. He knew that despite the anger he held for that look-a-like of his, there was a deep bond between them. They were both Keyblade Masters, this he was more than sure of. Both of them suffered one way or another…and more than that, they were so alike it was ridiculous. He was the Guardian; Sora was the one he was to guard.

_But I don't understand. Why must he guard me? Who must he guard me against?_

" Hey the garage is right there, you idiot!" Donald suddenly hollered in his ear. " Watch where you're going!"

He pointed at the welcoming hangar that Sora nearly broadsided.

" Gah!" Sora turned the controls abruptly and the ship went flying. He then pulled hard and turned the ship around one hundred and eighty degrees. " Maybe you could've warned me earlier!"

" That's what Goofy was doing," the duck snapped back, jabbing his thumb in the direction of a stunned Goofy.

" Oh…" Embarrassed, Sora decided to focus on getting the gummi ship into the garage.

" Hey, look who's down there!" Goofy pointed at the mass of people that were huddling under the gummi ship. " That there's Cid!"

" He works here, Goofy," Sora reminded him.

" Oh yeah…"

Shaking his head, the teenager carefully steered the gummi ship inside and sought out a place to park it. That really wasn't hard; the only gummi ships occupying the hangar were Cid's thirty beauties. And that odd little pod-shaped thing crunched in between two lethal gummi ships near the far left of the hangar. Oh, and count Gepetto's twenty custom-made gummi ships.

" Park…very…_gently_," Donald hissed through his beak. Sora cringed at his breath.

" Donald, go get a mint, blegh," he winced.

The wizard glared at him, then stomped off and began packing. " At last I can get some decent rest!"

" Besides that tasty lunch back home," Goofy grinned, rubbing his stomach. He then picked up his shield and strode to the door. " Are we gonna land yet?"

" Just hold on," Sora gritted his teeth and pushed a lever. He was rewarded with the sound of wheels descending from the bottom of the ship.

" Steady…" He carefully settled the ship between two large Gepetto gummi ships to the right and gently brought the ship down.

" Yippee!" Goofy yelled, slammed a button open, waited impatiently for the hatchway to open up, then jumped out. That was followed by what sounded like a crash and the sound of something made of metal sliding across concrete.

Donald sighed and shook his head as he marched for the door, watching Sora shut down the engines. " Goofy sometimes gets a bit too excited for his own good."

" But that's why we love him," Sora grinned, pushing himself out of his seat and stretching his limbs.

" Well…that's true," Donald admitted. " Hurry up, Sora. The others are waiting."

" Half a year…" Sora mused as he followed Donald out of the silver ship. " Half a year since we all woke up in the middle of the town square in Traverse Town…"

""

" Don't really look to be worse for wear," Cid noted as he walked around the trio. Sora felt like Cid was studying a gummi ship before buying her. And the gummi ship was him. " Look a bit on the thin side…obviously you three have been through tough shit…"

" But the gummi ship," Gepetto, Pinocchio's creator, noted, a dreamy look in his eyes. " That was beautiful…"

" That's King Mickey's personal ship," Leon said softly, staring at the fire in the fireplace. " Why would Queen Minnie lend it to you?"

" Well, she did want us to travel in style," Sora recalled as he laid back in the couch and set his feet on the coffee table.

" Hey, feet off!" Cid hollered. Sora ignored him.

" So, what have you guys been doing?" Yuffie asked cheerfully as she sat on the counter next to a disgruntled Cid.

" You know the usual: going around the Universe, kicking Heartless and Nobody butt, trying to figure out what the _hell_ is going on here…" Sora rambled off a short but impressive list.

" I think we should focus on that last part," Cloud noted. He had been quiet for some time now. Sora was relieved he was finally showing some sign of life.

" Well, there's not much we can say, is there?" Aerith said worriedly. " Well, actually there is something I think you should know, Sora."

" Really?" Sora, who had his eyes closed, opened them. " Fire away."

He closed his eyes again.

" Riku, Tarzan, Pooh, and Sally left about an hour ago, just to let you know."

Sora suddenly spasmed and fell off the couch, He quickly sat up and smacked his head against the coffee table in the process.

" WHAT!" Sora shouted at her, rubbing his head in the process. " _Ow, shit…_"

" No yelling," Cloud said in a low voice.

" Sorry, sorry," Sora apologized quickly. " But – but Aerith, Riku was _here_?"

" Yes, he just came back from a little excursion into Hollow Bastion. Learned more than he intended to."

" Hollow Bastion? How-"

" There were no Heartless," Leon remarked. " That was his report. There were only two Heartless, actually, to challenge him but other than that, his little visit was remarkably…quiet…"

Sora stared at him, then narrowed his eyes. " You're hiding something."

" Well we'd tell you some but…" and here Gepetto got up, " there are others who you should talk to first. One of them, I'll find right now."

With that the old man left Cid's shop. Sora then looked to the others. " What is he talking about?"

" Us."

Not even five seconds after Gepetto left the store, the doors swung open and two people strode in. Sora stared.

One was pale, with silver hair and eyes more green than aqua. He was wearing a dark blue vest with a lighter blue shirt underneath and his pants were slate gray. A dark blue bandana was tied around his forehead, keeping his long hair out his face. He was holding a staff with a clear crystal on top and with wings sprouting out from the side.

The other was a girl, lightly tanned. She was slightly taller than the other and had long red hair that went past her shoulders. Her bangs stood out harshly against her. Her eyes were stormy blue and cold. She was wearing a green tank top tunic with a pink one underneath. She wore a leather belt over the shirts. She wore rather tight dark jeans. She also wore a leather sheath with a large sword inside.

Both were sharing the same black boots that Sora had seen before…on Domitan and Axel…

" Who are you?" Sora demanded.

" Hi, I'm Kobi, Ansem's son, nice to meet you," the silver-head said matter-of-factly as Donald and Goofy dropped in from the upstairs Moogle Shop.

" What!" Donald squalled.

" Oh shit, my ear," Leon winced, rubbing his right ear.

" You're Ansem's son?" Goofy pointed and gaped.

Sora turned on the teenager, demanding an explanation with a very furious expression on his face.

" He is Kobi. He is Ansem's son and believe me, there is no love lost between them. Kobi hates his father's guts to hell. Me? I'm Lorien, nice to meet you Sora. We're Aozora's friends, were a part of the Society, got found out, escaped the Gathering, landed in Hollow Bastion, ran into Riku and his three odd pals, took the train to Traverse Town and we've been waiting for Riku, you, Kairi, and Aozora. Any questions?"

Goofy slowly raised his hand. " Can you say that again? Got…der…lost after the first half."

Lorien sighed impatiently.

" How's Riku?" Sora asked. " Is he okay? Any problems? And who was he with again?"

" Riku's six feet, fine, fit as a fiddle, a bit on the blind side, and quite good at kicking ass if needs be," Lorien informed.

" He's with Tarzan, Pooh, and Sally. Tarzan from Deep Jungle, Pooh from Merlin's book, and Sally from Halloweentown," Kobi added. " Thanks to Kairi, Deep Jungle and several other worlds are returning to the Real Universe; Cid Number Two found Pooh's book somehow somewhere; and Halloweentown was destroyed in a battle between Riku, Jack, Tarzan, Pooh, Sally, and Oogie Boogie and the Heartless."

" Halloweentown was destroyed?" Donald gasped.

" Pooh fights!" Sora asked quizzically.

" He uses magic, yes," Aerith nodded.

" Holy…" Sora went and sat down on the couch. " Tell me something I don't know."

" Tidus is alive."

" Oh and what about Wakka?"

" He's still in the world of Spira," Cid said, champing on a toothpick. " Most of your friends landed there after Deep Destiny – and Destiny Island – was destroyed the first time around. Wakka somehow landed in present-day Spira. Tidus ended up in millennia-ago Spira. Lucky for us, Auron got him back on track."

" We know Auron!" Goofy exclaimed. " We met him back at Ancient Greece!"

" We know that, thanks Goofy," Cloud said.

" Anyways, it turned out that Tidus was a dream, as in he wasn't really alive. So after he helped a girl named Yuna save Spira, he disappeared. Lucky for us the Fates got him back to life. Wakka, on the other hand, has a new life now. With Lulu."

" I'm sorry?" Sora yawned, scratching his head. He had dozed off while Cid had begun his speech.

Yuffie could tell a vein had just popped in the poor man's head.

" Sometimes Sora, I wanna get my hands around your neck and choke you to death!" the man griped. " Get him to bed before he falls asleep on us again!"

" Too late," Lorien said quietly, gesturing at Sora with her head.

The poor boy had fallen asleep again.

""

" It's been nearly a week; what the hell are we doing lounging around here?" Sora demanded as he sat next to the fountain where he had first closed the Keyhole to Traverse Town.

" Waiting for word," Lorien said quietly as she joined Kobi and the Keyblade Master.

" From who? About what?" Sora fired.

" Riku, for one. Aozora, for another. And lastly…" and here she looked at Sora icily, " Kairi."

He jolted. The name took hold of his heart, refusing to let go. Kairi…

Sora stared down at the clear waters of the fountain. Traverse Town hadn't changed, was the same as it always was one and a half years ago. At times, the memories walked about these streets. He could still remember how happy he was, bringing her back to Traverse Town safe and sound a year and a half ago…before he went to the End of the World to face Ansem…and lose both his friends…

" Riku and Aozora need to close Kingdom Hearts and Kairi needs to close the door to In Between and – are you listening?" Lorien turned on the black-clad teenager.

Kobi gazed at her sternly. " Shut up Lorien. He's not paying attention to you."

" Oh my god, when will he ever-"

" Shut up. You're not helping him. Leave us alone if you're not going to help."

Lorien stared at her childhood friend and saw the coldness in his eyes. She bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes.

" Bastard."

She strode off. Kobi then turned to Sora. " Listen, I'm sorry about Lorien but…"

Sora wasn't even listening to him. He was staring at the waters, saw the images, felt the pull of her hand, the echoes of a promise, at the moment they parted…

_I'll come back to you. I promise!_

_I know you will…_

And the growing island pulled them apart.

" K-Kairi…" Sora whispered, touching the waters softly with his right hand.

He watched the ripples, watched the lights of Traverse Town reflect in the surface of the fountain…

…_was that Aozora? Where is he? What happened to him? Who could beat him up like that? Why don't they leave him alone…_

…_Riku was talking with the two people he, Donald, and Goofy met back at the Bell Tower in Twilight Town. Ashita and Yuri. He seemed so…so happy…_

…_where is Kairi? Why is the world around her so gray? What road is she walking? Where…_

…_there was King Mickey! Who's he talking to? What's he drinking? Where is he now…_

…_Hollow Bastion, the world of all the answers…_

A tear fell in the ripples, creating its own ripples and countering the fading ones from his hand.

Riku didn't need him anymore. It seemed that he had forgotten about Kairi, too. He looked so happy, being with Ashita and Yuri…especially Yuri.

Kairi was in a world of gray, He had been told that she had gone to In Between with Selphie…but he never understood…until now.

And Aozora. What more had he done? What more had been done to him?

Another tear fell, creating another ripple of its own.

_Why can't I be happy for once? It's becoming so tiring, so…hopeless._

In the ripple he saw a hazy image of a world destroyed, wreckage and ruin. There were people there. One, with an undistinguishable moving lump on its shoulder, was fuzzy, obscure. But the other two he saw with sharp, stunning clarity. The very image shook his heart.

He had seen the look of peace upon Kairi's face when Aozora held her. His blood did not boil but a heavy doom fell upon his heart.

_Could it be…that he had lost Kairi…to him?_

Kobi watched him quietly as tears continued to fall. It was a beautiful, tragic disturbance of the water's surface, as the teenager looked ready to break down for the first time since he was first given the Keyblade.

And that pulsing darkness…

Kobi narrowed his eyes as he watched Sora tremble, as the tears fell faster. He had heard of the darkness in Sora's heart; he knew why it was there…but he could now see it was growing. Somehow Sora had started thinking about something that caused that darkness to spread…like a cancer…

_The weight of the world upon his shoulders will break him! He's gone through what I would never hope to go through. And now…time grows short…and the darkness spreads. If I tell him that his enemies are going to kill him if he reaches Hollow Bastion…how will that affect him?_

He came to a decision, as the tears poured into the growing sea of sorrow.

_Sora will not know of what is waiting for him at Hollow Bastion. If his heart is too weak by the time he reaches that world, he will die!_

Sora's light was fading…

" Well, this is most unexpected…"

Kobi looked up at this rude intruder. " What are you doing here?"

" I came here to talk…but it looks to be bad timing for the most part. I'm really sorry…"

Sora turned around, the tears still falling. " Who-who are you?"

The intruder smiled sadly and bowed his head. Sora stared at him, at what he was wearing. _The Society…_ " My name is Zexion. I am the one who is most at fault for tampering with your memories-"

" What about my memories?" Sora whispered. Then he hiccupped, tried to fight back the tears.

" Why don't you recall a part of your life, Sora?"

" Which part?" he asked, wiping his eyes on his arm.

" Between closing Kingdom Hearts and now."

_Between saying goodbye to Kairi and realizing that she may be lost to _him_…_

" I…I don't recall anything."

" There are those I know who could give you the answer…if you are brave enough to find them."

Kobi stared at him. What was Zexion talking about.

" Sora, do you see this?" the blue-purple haired young man pushed aside his bangs and pointed at his cheek. " My brother did this. My own older brother. His name is Domitan. I'm sure you've met him before."

" He – he fought Aozora…back in China…"

" He personally beat the crap out of me for betraying the Society. Thanks to a whole bunch of Australian teenagers, I made it out alive. But barely. Aerith took forever fixing me up."

" What's your point?"

Kobi wondered as to what this guy was getting at.

" Find my brother's friends. They know what happened to your memories. Find them, ask them…then beat the shit out of them. I'd be more than happy if you kill my brother. He nearly killed me, tried to keep Aozora from reaching you in China, and tried to rape Lorien. He's done actually a lot of fooling around with girls in each world he's gone through…and tore off a few heads in the process of doing dealings with others. He deserves to die."

" Is that – is that why Lorien's like that?" Sora ventured to ask, unsure of the response.

" She's been like that…ever since our home was destroyed," Kobi answered. " Truth was, she loved Aozora…and she turned cold once we figured out that he was dead. After all we've gone through in the Society, she…lost all emotions. It all nearly came back when the three of us met again but…some things just don't change. I think the run-in with Domitan in Hollow Bastion added to it."

_Lorien loved Aozora…but he doesn't love her…anymore…_

" So…" and Sora studied Zexion, " does Axel have anything to do with this?"

" Plenty," the other nodded his confirmation. " Honestly, Sora, I think you should talk to him more than others. Besides a man named Marucia. Both of them…know much more than anyone else. Me included. I? I just did what they told me to do. It was either that or a slow death."

" A slow death…" Sora sighed as he slowly rose to his feet. " Decay…"

Kobi looked at him strangely.

" Listen, Sora," Zexion said, gripping Sora by both upper arms and looking him in the eye. " I…I'm sorry for all you have gone through. I know how hard it is…when it seems you've lost everything in the world…everything. I lost my parents…and then my brother. I have no family, no true friends…but you, you may have Donald and Goofy by your side but there's so much more you've lost. You've lost your childhood. And there's nothing that will replace that. Once you've lost your innocence…there is no going back."

Sora nodded numbly, tears forming in his eyes again.

" There is nothing more evil than to grow up too fast. That is your fate, Sora. You were chosen by the Keyblade. With it comes much responsibility…and sacrifice. It was noble what you did, stabbing yourself to release the hearts within you. But you have experienced near-death…and only Kairi's light saved you. Don't lose that light, Sora. It's all you really have left in this world."

" I…I think it's…too late…" Sora barely spoke, looking down, opening his fears. Tears were falling…

" Nothing's ever too late," Zexion said sternly. " I thought it as too late for me to be saved…and then the Australians literally saved my ass. Sora, just hang on. The last days are coming. I know they are. If you do well…you'll return home. Although you'll never look at the world the same way again, you'll be home with the ones you love and care. You're lucky in that sense. At least you'll have a place to go to once it is all over. And there will be those you will go home with, those you love and hold to your heart."

_Riku doesn't need me anymore…_

" Life goes on, Sora. But the Universe will unfold like it will…and you will be happy once more."

_I don't think Kairi remembers me anymore…_

" Be strong, Sora. She would have wanted you to."

_Be strong…_

And still he remembered her last words.

" _I know you will!"_

She knew he will come back, no matter what.

_I wish I told you then what I thought of every day…_

Zexion let him go and stepped back, watching as Sora, crying as he was, smile and nod.

" Thank you, Zexion."

" I am always willing to give help to those who need it most."

" I know…"

Sora looked up at the night sky, at the few stars that still shone in the darkness. There was a hope there…a hope that he will use as the candle in the dark.

" I will find the Door of Light…and I will come back. I promised…"

Kobi looked to Zexion, who looked back and grinned uncharacteristically. The silver-head mouthed the words: you're incredible!

Zexion grinned, glad that his work was done.

Sora has been put on track, this time to find the answers he so desperately needed. He may not know some of the questions but once he finds out the truth, everything will fall into place.

_And hopefully he'll find the Door of Light and open the gateway to Paradise…so we can all go home…to the ones we love and cherish forever in our hearts._

''

" And what are you up to, Cid?" Yuffie declared, watching as Cid finished installing what looked like a pair of loudspeakers to the roof of his store.

" Installing a radio," the man grumbled back. " We need life in this town. Too quiet for me!"

" _Now_ you realize that?" Leon remarked in amusement as he walked up the steps to join Yuffie in staring at Cid. Well, not exactly; he was busy reading a telegram.

" Is that from your lover?" Yuffie asked nosily.

" None of your business," Leon grumbled back, his face turning pink.

" Is that from Rinoa?" Cid hollered, jumping off the roof with a hammer.

" Yeah…what in…"

Shaking his head, Cid strode to the stairs and surveyed his work. A quartet of loudspeakers had been fashionably stuck onto buildings all around the town square; more were posted in the two other districts. Finally, some music into this quiet night world!

" Well, better go and turn on the radio!" Cid said happily, turning to his shop. " Oh, and just to let you know, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are leaving."

" They are?" Lorien asked, walking out of the store that Huey, Louie, and Dewey ran. Donald's nephews had earned quite a fortune and had expanded their shop.

" Lorien, are you trying to drive my store out of business!" Cid hollered at her.

" Why, you got a problem with that?"

" I OWN a store. Take a guess!"

Yuffie grinned. Leon, frowning and focused as he was on the telegram sighed and shook his head as Cloud and Aerith entered the scene.

" Problem here?"

Cid grumbled. " She's making my life pure misery and I'm turning on the radio."

He stormed inside. Aerith raised an eyebrow at Lorien, who didn't seem phased at all by Cid's anger.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy strode out of Third District, heading to the main door that would lead them to the hangar. They stopped upon seeing all the speakers in place.

" Cid's been wanting some music for a while now!" Yuffie yelled to them. " Kinda looks odd but yeah…"

" Hey, Sora, good luck on your journey," Leon said, raising a hand.

" Thanks, Leon!" Sora shouted back.

" Thanks guys!" Donald added. He then elbowed Goofy.

" Ow! Well, huyuk, see you guys later!"

" Make sure you two bring Sora back in one piece!" Yuffie said sternly, in a very un-Yuffie-like manner.

" Don't get into too much trouble, you hear?" Aerith called out.

Cloud needn't say anything. He simply nodded.

" Be careful, Sora!" Kobi shouted as he walked out of the Second District.

" Sora," Lorien nodded, her face still cold.

As the trio turned to the main doors, Sora turned back one more time.

There was Zexion, sitting in one of the chairs in the café next to Donald's nephews' shop. He didn't see him there before; how-

" Sora," Zexion said simply.

" Zexion," Sora nodded to him.

" There's always a light at the end of the road. Good luck, Sora. Be careful."

Sora nodded, his trademark grin returning on his face. " I will! Thanks for everything!"

Then Cid's voice boomed out of the loudspeakers. " Finally! Hang on…."

As Donald opened the double doors and waited for Goofy and Sora to follow him to the other side, where the hangar was, a song slowly drifted into the town square.

Sora smiled as he heard the song. Then he stepped out of Traverse Town, knowing that whether or not he returned to Traverse Town didn't matter. The road to Destiny Islands is what will take him through the darkness to the light. The Universe will unfold as it should…and he will be there…with Kairi.

I wanna be with you now

Itsu no hi ka distance mo

Dakishimerareru you ni nareru yo

We can start sooner

Yappari I wanna be with you

I wanna be with you now

Someday even this distance

We'll be able to embrace

We can start sooner

After all I wanna be with you

**Author's Endnote:** Starting with the endnote first, don't ask why. Teen Titans R0X0RS and my goldfish of six years died September 24, 2005. This chapter is dedicated to him.

_**Chapter 71…**_

" _Are you going to break your promise now?"_

" _I'm not hiding anything."_

" _Kairi?"_

…_**My Promise**_


	71. My Promise

**Author's Note:** Um…for all ya'll people interested in who's going out with who…here's the chapter…for you? Dunno what else to say… 

**Copyrights**: The plot is mine. Everything else belongs to Square-Enix and Disney. And…'Somewhere I Belong' belongs to Linkin Park. Linkin Park, w00t w00t!

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 71: My Promise**

_It was a sunny day, with a few white clouds in the sky. He looked up at the sun and smiled in its warmth. The breeze felt good. He could smell the welcoming smell of the sea._

_Their mother had sent them out of the house with a basket filled with cheese, bread, a bottle of grape cordial, and a large homemade sausage. It took the both of them to lug the whole thing to the beach._

" _You'd think Momma realizes we're still three by now," the other boy grumbled. He then tore off a chunk of bread and began heading for the water._

" _Feeding your fish again?" the other boy called out, busily digging in the sand with a stick._

" _His name is Gill!" the first, a brunet, yelled defiantly as he marched into the water and began throwing around crumbs._

" _Okay," the other, a blond, shrugged. " I'm hungry. C'mon, I wanna eat!"_

" _Wait…" the brunet tossed the rest of the crumbs then sloshed his way back to shore. _

_The blond was pulling out cheese and whatever remained of the bread. Their mother had packed in a dull knife; he took that and began slicing the cheese._

" _Where's Ashita?"_

" _I don't know," the other replied, intent on cutting the cheese right down the middle. " I don't think he's gonna come today."_

_The brunet reached over and pulled the cheese in half. He then proceeded to stuff his chunk into his mouth._

_The blond glared at him._

" _Mom told us not to eat like animals."_

" _Gill eats nicely. He's an animal."_

" _That's cuz you throw crumbs in the water."_

" _And he says thank you."_

" _Fish don't talk!"_

" _Go ask him!"_

_And suddenly…the whole scene melted away._

_And Aozora found himself hovering above a tumultuous sea. The skies were dark, overcast, and there was no land in sight. Nor were their any signs of life. Besides his own._

" _What is this place? No…it can't be!"_

" _It is…"_

_And there, hovering before him, was his mentor, Eldest._

" _Mentor! What's going on here? Why am I in the Sea of Sorrows?"_

" _Well, I do need to talk to you some…"_

" _About what?"_

" _Your failure…"_

" _What? What are you talking about?"_

" _Sora's still defenseless! And what are you doing, sleeping of all things!"_

_Aozora bristled. " Hey, Axel knocked me out back there; like I was able to do anything!"_

" _Of course you did. Have you forgotten all your spells?"_

" _Oh…" Aozora looked down, rather embarrassed and humiliated. " Of course…I could've…"_

" _You forgot that you had powers and so you've failed to protect Sora like I had implored you to. The sky-child is out there defenseless. You must get up!"_

" _What am I supposed to do? I'm tired, Eldest. If I don't get any sleep, I can't think right and I can't do anything right!"_

_The old man thought for a moment, his face hidden by the shadows of the hood._

" _The days are shortening…the night is prepared to strike. Aozora, you must hurry. Have you forgotten your promises?"_

" _My promises? What's your point?"_

" _You must get up and go. If you don't, you will be breaking some promises."_

" _I never made any promises to you. It was an order you gave me!"_

" _Am I talking about myself?" Eldest snapped. " I am not a selfish fool here! You made a promise once, to one you care about. Or have you forgotten, too?"_

" _My mind works just fine, thanks. But what are you talking about-"_

_For the briefest of moments, he saw Lorien and Kobi in his mind. Then they melted away, replaced by three images: Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Then Sora and Riku faded away. And there was Kairi, her face full of pain and loss. She seemed to be asking something of him, something just barely beyond his reach._

" _Kairi…"_

" _You promised to save Sora for her. Are you going to break your promise now?"_

_Aozora fell silent, his heart beating rather painfully. He did promise…_

_There was something that bothered him, though, something about promises. He knew that there was someone long ago who believed in holding onto the promises made. Someone he was very close to._

" _I…" Aozora looked down, watching the sea, " I have to go…don't I?"_

" _You are a Keyblade Master; your days were never of leisure. Your path is of darkness and suffering; you must do right for a light to be found at the end of the road."_

" _Light…" Aozora sighed._

" _My hold on your mind lessens. Time grows short, Aozora. You must hurry and find Sora. Riku has told you where he could be found. Now is the time to go and find him. Hold to your promise and all will be right."_

" _If only…" Aozora murmured, as the Sea of Sorrow and Eldest began to fade._

_Can anyone understand what I'm going through? Will anyone understand why my scar hurts when…whenever I think…of her? Do I love her?_

''

" He's coming around," Yuna said softly, as Aozora stirred in bed and slowly opened his bronze eyes.

" Gaahh…."

" What a way to wake up," Paine snorted.

" Hey, be nice," Rikku pouted. She was holding onto the two necklaces Cid found as he and King Mickey got Aozora all cleaned up. " He's been through enough."

" I know…but I was expecting a lot more than some barbaric moan," Paine shot back coolly.

" It doesn't matter," Cid said, striding into the very familiar bedroom. " As long as he's alive, in one piece, and has a mind fit as a fiddle, there's no need to argue over stupid things."

"" Ugh…" Aozora moaned, sitting up in bed and rubbing his face. " What's going on here?"

" Well, I guess you overexerted yourself in fighting Xaldon, then Axel came and really beat you up," Rikku recounted for him.

" Then we got a call from King Mickey about the situation," Paine said calmly. " Luckily, Riku, Sally, Yuna, and the others were close by."

" You've been out for half a week, Aozora," Yuna informed, full of concern. " We just couldn't wake you up. Gave Paine the job of feeding you…"

Yuna and Rikku both turned to a very disgruntled Paine with huge grins plastered on their faces.

" Shaddup, you two suck as you already do."

Aozora really sat up and stared at them. " What? Half a week! Are you crazy? That's crazy! I was out for that long! Oh my god, I have to go!"

He literally jumped out of bed and fell on his face.

" Aozora, you should take it easy-"

" You don't understand!" Aozora shouted, picking himself up. " I have to find Sora! I have to protect him! I'm the Guardian, okay, I have to protect his ass until the day I die!"

" Well, you're not going anywhere without some clothes," Paine remarked, raising an eyebrow at his boxers.

Flushing red, the teenager snapped back, " Then get me some!"

" Alright, alright, sheesh, hothead!" Paine grumbled back, striding out of the room.

Sighing, Aozora sat back on the bed. That was until he realized Yuna, Rikku, and Cid were both eyeing the scar above his heart.

" Does it-"

" It's a mark of one who's traitor to the ideals of the Society I joined. They brand you alive, then they kill you. I'm lucky to be alive. But the scar…sometimes it hurts…and I don't know why…"

_Yes you do! Whenever you think of her, the scar pulses. And only she's able to make your scar do that!_

Aozora winced, silently cussing out his subconscious. But he knew that his subconscious was right. It was always right.

" Aozora, are you okay?"

He shook his head, then looked up. " Yeah, just needed to clear my head a bit."

Rikku, who looked like she was fighting with herself, then stepped forward and held out the necklaces. " Here."

A hand flashed out and snatched them from her grasp. " Oh my god, I can't believe I still have these…"

He drifted into mumbling something rather rude. The three other occupants in the room looked at each other worriedly. Since when did Aozora wake up declaring he was the Savior? And a self-righteous cussing Savior at that?

" Here's your stuff," Paine announced, striding in and tossing him his pants, socks, shoes, shirt, and jacket. And his wristband and two rings.

" Thanks," Aozora replied thankfully.

" Oh and King Mickey's waiting for you. Something about a custom-built ship or something of the like…"

Nodding, Aozora quickly shoved himself into his clothing and followed Paine out into the living room of the apartment, where King Mickey was absentmindedly swirling around a glass of what looked suspiciously like…

" More vodka?" Paine asked, going for a clear glass bottle sitting on a counter in the kitchen.

" No thanks, I'm fired up as is."

Aozora and the others stared.

" You drink?" Yuna demanded.

" Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet," Cid sniggered. Rikku pushed him. " Dad!"

" As long as you don't' call me Pops I'm fine."

" Okay Pops."

Cid looked ready to blow.

" Gummi ship?" Aozora demanded straight out. " Riku's seen Sora flying for Traverse Town. I'm there."

Nodding the mouse king stood up. " I'll take you to the hangar. You need to get off this world _now_. Telegram from Cid stationed at Traverse Town says Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been with them since six days ago."

" That was when I got knocked out," Aozora noted. Then he realized, " meaning Riku was right after all! He did see Sora headed for Traverse Town!"

" Which means that we haven't got much time," King Mickey said, pulling on his trench coat. Aozora suddenly realized that he was wearing some rather colorful clothing underneath, odd abstract clothing.

" Aozora should wait and rest some more…" Cid argued weakly.

" No can do, Cid," Mickey said, shaking his head. " I'm going to the train station after going to the hangar with Aozora. Need to get back to the Order."

Cid nodded. " You go do that, Your Majesty."

King Mickey then looked at Yuna. " Yuna, Sally's already told you that you need to go with Aozora, right?"

The brunette nodded. " Yes, I do. But I still don't know why…"

" We need you there to talk with my cousin and all his buddies. And there's another reason you're going there…but I prefer we don't talk about it yet."

" Oh…" Yuna looked very confused.

" Wait, what about us?" Rikku demanded indignantly. " We have no say in this!"

" You two are going back to Spira to hunt down and destroy Vegnagun," Cid barked back. " Get rid of that machine as soon as you see it; that thing should have never been even thought up of in the first place!"

" Alright, Pops! We get the message!"

" And stop calling me Pops!"

" Sure, Dad," Paine said coolly. " By the way, where is Sally?"

" She's with Riku, Ashita, and Yuri," Yuna answered, checking and sighting her guns. " I guess its like a 'pow wow', as Ashita would say."

" A what?"

" Gathering, Aozora. You know, a group of people getting together and learning about each other."

" Oh…"

King Mickey then drained his glass of vodka and slammed it down on the table in the middle of the living room. Everyone else jumped at the sudden sharp sound.

" Looks like I'm done drinking for another twenty years," Mickey remarked, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his trench coat. " As long as nobody tells Minnie, they'll still have their heads."

Mostly everyone in the room paled. Except for Aozora; he turned paper white.

" I was joking!" King Mickey exclaimed. " I'm not going to behead anyone!"

He began striding for the door at the end of the hall. " Aozora, Yuna, let's go."

Yuna turned and hugged her uncle, her cousin, and her friend goodbye. Aozora watched from an uncomfortable distance; it was at times like these that he really felt out of place.

" Aww…looks like Aozora needs a hug, too," Rikku cooed, noting the lonely look on his face. That look quickly vanished.

" What? No-"

Rikku, Paine, and, to his chagrin, Cid – who was grimacing all the way - gave him a group hug. Yuna started to giggle and King Mickey sighed and shook his head, a smile on his face.

" Don't kill him now," he reprimanded playfully. " We need him alive and sound."

" Go, then."

With that, the three who were staying behind – two temporarily – let a very blue Aozora go and waved the three good-bye and good luck. Aozora staggered after the energetic, albeit slightly tipsy, mouse king and the long-limbed former summoner out of the apartment and into the streets of Twilight Town.

""

" How long is it going to take to get to Traverse Town?" Yuna asked as they neared the hangar.

" This baby's got some real engines. You'll be there in no time."

Aozora and Yuna stared at King Mickey. He stared back, slightly annoyed. " _What_!"

" Tell me he didn't just say that," Aozora begged.

" I think he did."

" Oh my god…" Aozora ran his hand through his hair and grumbled.

The mysterious king shrugged and kept on walking. " Don't scream when you see the ship."

" Why would I scream – OH MY GOD, IS THAT THE GUMMI SHIP!"

" I warned you…" King Mickey muttered, rubbing his ear.

Sitting in the middle of the hangar, much to the annoyance of others trying to take off, was the sleekest, most powerful gummi ship Aozora had ever seen. It was slender, built like an orca but outfitted with long, missile-shaped engines and outfitted with even slimmer guns, lasers, and missiles under each wing. Its lone window was dark, protection against any violent sources of light and unwanted attention.

But there was one question.

" Is that a gummi ship?" Yuna repeated, her voice on a much smaller scale.

" Uh…that's the thing," King Mickey remarked, striding towards the gleaming beauty. " It's not."

Aozora froze. " No?"

" Chip and Dale Dalton found a way to make very tough material out of the simplest things. I don't even know what it's made of. But it's strong, very strong. Strong enough to withstand atmosphere, meteors, even enemy fire."

" Holy shit…" Aozora murmured, slowly walking up to the ship.

" That's incredible," Yuna said. " That's even better than what Cid and Gepetto can make."

" Just don't tell Cid," King Mickey replied with a wink. " Might make him mad."

Yuna started to laugh.

" I'd take that seriously," Aozora said. " He does not look like the happiest person."

" Oh that only depends on how you met him," King Mickey said casually. " Aozora, catch."

He tossed Aozora a set of keys. They were like car keys, only that each key looked like a Keyblade. And to top it all off, they were all attached to a keychain with Mickey's head on it. Er, his emblem.

" These are?"

" Keys to the ship. I only added in extras to make myself look like a busy little bee," King Mickey winked. " The real ones are the Silver and Gold keys. Please don't lose any of the others. I paid Cid to make the others."

" Which one?"

"…Gee, what a good question. I had them made so long ago…"

He shrugged and started to walk off. " I'm headed for the train station. Need to catch up on work back at the Order H & Q. I trust that you will do your job well, Aozora?"

The teenager was hesitant in his answer. " If…if it's not too late."

" It's never too late," Yuna whispered.

" What she said." King Mickey then turned around, gave them a thumbs-up, and winked. " Have hope. Give it all you've got."

He nodded to the engines. " That goes for the engines. Aozora, fire away!"

Nodding, the teenager ran to the ship. A door opened on the side and sleek steel ladders slid down to his feet.

" C'mon!"

Yuna followed Aozora quickly into the ship, not noticing that the steps were following her back into the ship.

" Have courage, Aozora…" King Mickey murmured as the engines roared to life. Spectacular heat waves shot out of the engines as the ship slowly rose up.

As the silver ship screamed into the skies of Twilight Town, King Mickey added, " Don't be afraid of what your heart tells you…"

''

Nearly five hours had passed since Twilight Town disappeared from sight. Nearly four and a half passed since Yuna gave up trying to hold a conversation with the blond teenager.

" So…what do you think they're going to talk to us about?" Yuna asked for what she felt was the sixth time in a row.

She looked sideways at Aozora, hoping he'd say something. Alas, the stony-faced teenager uttered no word, keeping both hands on the steering wheel as he avoided a suspicious swarm of Heartless ships and ducked under an asteroid.

Silence.

She frowned. What the heck was bothering the kid?

" Is something bothering you?" she asked, deciding to stop wondering and start asking.

Silence.

She watched Aozora closely, saw that he was forcibly keeping his eyes on the window into the wider world. He didn't answer because he didn't want to answer; he didn't say even if he was bursting with it. He wanted to keep things to himself.

Problem was, it was fine with him but not for the former high summoner. Summoners were chosen because of their willingness to help people; Yuna was utilizing that special quality in her personality and wasn't going anywhere with it.

" Do you want to talk about it?"

The ship carefully maneuvered past a suspicious world, a world gathering force and coming into being,

" Okay, I guess not…"

She suddenly saw Aozora grip the controls tightly, his knuckles turning white. Then he relaxed his death hold.

_What was that?_

She turned to study the stars and worlds in the far distance. There were well-known worlds and there were the lesser-known realms amongst the suns and stars.

Out of the corner of her mismatched eyes, she saw Aozora grip his shirt in the place just over his heart. A grimace flashed over his face and she turned to him.

" Aozora, what's wrong?"

He looked at up at her, the grimace chased away by sudden fear. _Fear of discovery_, Yuna realized as he worked an unsatisfactory smile – is that even a smile? – on his face and blurted out, " Nothing! Nothing's wrong! Nothing at all! Just that we're taking so long to get to Traverse Town is all!"

His voice cracked halfway through the sentence and he flushed red. Yuna giggled.

" Is panic and little 'man-moments' part of the problem?" she teased. The poor teenager turned even a darker shade of red. " Hm…what are you hiding from me, Aozora? Tell me, I want to know."

The red dissolved and disappeared under his pale skin. The impassive grimace returning to his face, Aozora turned back in his seat to focus on the ship. " I'm not hiding anything."

Silence reigned for the next several hours but the unconvincing words echoed in her mind.

Something _was_ definitely bothering the Keyblade Wielder.

''

Traverse Town. It was a town of night, the lamps on at all hours. There were so many people living in the Third District, yet the First District was so empty…

…and music was blaring from loudspeakers obviously scattered all over the First District. That could explain the emptiness.

_When this began_

_I had nothing to say_

_And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me_

_(I was confused)_

_And I let it all out to find_

_That I'm not the only person with these things in mind_

_(Inside of me)_

_But all the vacancy the words revealed_

_Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel_

_(Nothing to lose)_

_Just stuck_

_Hollow and alone_

_And the fault is my own_

_And the fault is my own_

Yuna and Aozora strode out of the gummi garage adjacent to the walls of Traverse Town. The music was blaring; its harsh sounds rocketing all around them. It was amazing they haven't gone deaf yet.

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel_

_What I thought was never real_

_I want to let go of the pain I've held so long_

_(Erase all the pain 'till it's gone)_

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel_

_Like I'm close to something real_

_I want to find something I've wanted all along_

_Somewhere I belong_

Aozora felt his heart stick to his throat as Yuna pushed open the double doors and they walked into Traverse Town. These words…the harsh pain in the vocalists' voices…they mirrored his own.

_And I've got nothing to say_

_I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face_

_(I was confused)_

_Looking everywhere_

_Only to find that it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind_

_(So what I am)_

_What do I have but negativity_

'_Cause I can't justify the way everyone is looking at me_

_(Nothing to lose)_

_Nothing to gain_

_Hollow and alone_

_And the fault is my own_

_And the fault is my own_

There _were_ a few people in the First District. As Aozora reluctantly followed Yuna towards the steps that would lead them to the Accessories Shop, he felt people stare at them, stare at _him_, and whisper. Some were pointing; others were turning away and shuddering. Why?

"…what's he to hang out with that kind of woman…"

"…looks like the other one, ain't he…"

"…they're strangers…"

"…he looks like the other child…"

"…is he with _them_…"

…_the other child…_Sora?

Aozora froze and looked around wildly. The few people scattered throughout the First District immediately fell silent and turned their backs on him, leaving him feeling very much like a fool.

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel_

_What I thought was never real_

_I want to let go of the pain I've held so long_

_(Erase all the pain 'till it's gone)_

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel_

_Like I'm close to something real_

_I want to find something I've wanted all along_

_Somewhere I belong_

Sighing, Aozora continued to follow Yuna up the steps towards the store. His senses picked up the presence of many bodies within; that could explain why the district was empty, right?

Yuna's hand lighted on the door handle. Murmurs were behind the door, a muddle of voices drowned by the music.

_I will never know _

_Myself until I do this on my own_

_And I will never feel_

_Anything else until my wounds are healed_

_I will never be_

_Anything 'til I break away from me_

_And I'll break away_

_I'll find myself today_

Yuna pulled open the door and together they strode in.

Silence. There were people standing, people leaning against the wall, one person sitting on the counter on the left, and people sitting in couches all around a coffee table. People…many people, some who seemed familiar; others who were new to him-

Yuna trembled. Aozora looked at her suspiciously. She had frozen stiff, her mismatched eyes staring. Aozora followed her gaze…to a tanned light-blond young man who was sitting on one of the couches. He had looked up, had caught her gaze, had frozen, too. His mouth had fallen open, stunned.

Slowly everyone looked at or turned to Yuna, confused by the silent exchange between the two people. Then Aozora felt it. Eyes, burning into him. He turned his head and found himself caught by a pair of blue-violet eyes. And everything seemed to just fade away.

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel_

_What I thought was never real_

_I want to let go of the pain I've held so long_

_(Erase all the pain 'till it's gone)_

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel_

_Like I'm close to something real_

_I want to find something I've wanted all along_

_Somewhere I belong_

They stared at each other. A second. A minute. An hour. A day. A week. A month. A year. Forever. Eternity. Time fell by the wayside. Life and all its troubles faded; it was the two of them, alone, meeting again for the second time.

Echoes. Someone was calling him, calling her, calling their names. And he could not answer. His tongue was stuck to his throat, his limbs rendered immobile by the eyes that had watched him from the back of his mind. His own studied her; she had became pale, thin, but her long red hair still shone in that vibrant, passionate color. Helplessly, his gaze drifted to her full, pink lips and, for a moment, toyed with the thought of pressing his mouth against hers and finally ridding himself of the longing that had persisted since he left her at Celt Circle.

"…hey, are you even listening to me? You _are_ Aozora, right?"

"…I swear, this is becoming a bigger mess than I thought…"

And then her lips moved, called his name. " Aozora?"

The fantasy shattered, scattered into a billion pieces. He shook himself, stunned by what had just crossed his mind.

" Kairi?"

_I want to heal_

_I want to feel like I'm_

_Somewhere I belong_

**Author's Endnote: **I _still_ have nothing to say. Sorry. Review please! Preferably long, detailed reviews, thank you!

_**Chapter 72…**_

" _If we get to Paradise first, all our dreams, hopes, and wishes come true."_

" _Ah, I remember, we never met, have we?"_

" _You said you won't leave me, remember?"_

…_**Future and a Lily**_


	72. Future and a Lily

**Author's Note:** I have an announcement to make. Beginning now, every question you have concerning this story or any of my other stories will be answered on my livejournal account: www.livejournal/users/shirozora. Or you could just search 'Shirozora'. I will copy and paste your review, then answer all your questions to the best of my abilities. This is to ensure that I won't get in trouble with the administration nor will I drag on explaining things when you people should be reading instead of listening to me sound like a jerk. But this is one great chapter, seriously. Be prepared for plenty of unlikely pairs in the coming chapters. 

For you people who didn't understand:

Ashita: Tomorrow

Yuri: Lily

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney with the exception of Shanks – damn, just gave it away. Anyhoo, the plot is mine.

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 72: Future and a Lily**

" How long have you lived in the Bell Tower?" Riku asked, feeling the breeze of the open-air floor wrap around him.

" Years. It hasn't been too long since our parents left, though," Ashita said, staring out at the sunset.

" We lost count," Yuri informed. " We don't know…just been too busy…"

The wind tousled with her dark curls and she brushed back her hair with her fingers.

" At least our job's done," Sally remarked, walking slowly towards the door that opened up on the stairs. " Are you going to come back or stay here?"

Riku thought for a moment. " I'll stick with these guys. What about King Mickey and Aozora?"

" Aozora's still in recovery," Sally answered. " King Mickey's going to stay until he gets better; then he's going to the headquarters of the Order of the Hearts and Souls. I'm going to be with Cid and the others. If you need me, you'll know where to find me."

Riku nodded. " Alright."

Sally began to slowly walk down the stairs, closing the door behind her carefully.

Ashita and Yuri listened to her footsteps until they faded away. Then they turned to Riku, who was enjoying the breeze. Ashita watched him with a rather irritated look on his face. Yuri, seeing Riku's smile and Ashita's frown, began to laugh.

" What's so funny?" they both demanded of her at the same time.

" You two…are so ridiculous!" Yuri giggled, tears forming in her eyes. " I mean, that episode down on the bottom floor…and you two right now – I'm sorry but I just had to laugh!"

Riku cocked his head in Ashita's direction, who was giving him a rather confused look. Somehow the same look seemed to pass between them: she's lost it, all right.

" Riku?" Ashita began to realize just what the blindfold on his face meant. " Are you really blind?"

" Well…" Riku mused, stepping out into the narrow. " In a sense I am. My eyes are extremely sensitive to light. But I can see clearly in total darkness."

" Oh…" Ashita looked at Yuri.

" You know, we do have some special glasses," she spoke up, taking the cue from the blond teenager. " They're streamlined and very protective. Ashita here kept running into walls when he had them on. In full daylight."

" Yuri!" Ashita exclaimed, turning red with embarrassment. " You didn't have to add that!"

" Can I see them?" Riku asked curiously. He really did want to be able to see again. And not just in total darkness. There are few worlds were no light exists and Twilight Town wasn't one of them.

"See them?"

Riku twitched. " Same thing."

Ashita smirked, but left the room to find them.

" You're not used to it, are you?" Yuri asked quietly, staring at the loose ends of the blindfold. " Being this blind?"

" It takes a while but you get used to it," Riku answered in a low voice. He could feel the setting sun on his face and wondered at how it looked like. " As for me, I use my darkness to see."

" Darkness?"

" Yuri, long ago I gave myself to the darkness to save someone I cared for…it was something I should have never done." Pain, regret, and shame wrought through his voice and Yuri felt sympathy. So there was much that he did and had gone through. " In the end…it blinded me. I journeyed with King Mickey through the darkness to the doors of Kingdom Hearts. By then, my eyes had become intolerant to any light and King Mickey lent me a piece of cloth to blind my eyes and protect them. The darkness within me…sees for me. It's like a radar; it sends me back images, not all of them clear."

" Can you see me?" Yuri asked curiously, twirling one of her curls with her right index finger.

" Um…" Riku played with his darkness, willing it to see her. " I don't see much but an outline – you're playing with your hair."

Yuri stared at him. " And you're staring at me like I'm the creature from the black lagoon.'

That last part was sarcastic. Yuri laughed. " So you can see!"

" Well, not in color," Riku admitted. " The last time I saw any color was on the way here. I had the guys keep the gummi ship in total darkness so I can see how space looked like. It was…beautiful."

_And I saw Sora in the most freakish gummi ship ever._

" How sad," Yuri sighed, looking at the sunset. " You can see but not in color. How much you must miss the colors of a sunset…I never get tired of the sky in Twilight Town; it's always the color of the twilit sky."

" I imagine its beautiful," Riku agreed with a sigh. " If only I could see…"

" Can you get better?" Yuri asked curiously. " Can you fix your eyes?"

Riku was silent for a moment. " I…I don't know. Some seem to think it's…permanent. I'm hoping it's not but every day…the darkness is still there, just as strong as before. Hope…I wish I could see color again…but I'm losing hope daily…"

He sighed, letting go of his shield, and weariness bloomed on his face. He was tired, dead tired, and rather depressed. Colors were a dream to him, a dream of happier days, bygone days.

" If Sora finds this…Paradise," Yuri ventured to mention. " then won't you be able to see again?"

Riku turned to her. " Paradise?"

She nodded. " Yes, when Sora opens the door and Paradise comes, you can heal your eyes and see again. At least that's what I heard. If we get to Paradise first, all our dreams, hopes, and wishes come true."

" What are your dreams?" Riku asked suddenly. " What are your wishes?"

Taken back, Yuri stammered, " Um…I-I'm not s-sure…never really thought o-of that…"

" There's nothing to be ashamed of, really," Riku said, carefully sitting down at the edge of the railing-less balcony. He let his feet hang and leaned back, propping his arms up to keep himself from falling flat on his back. " There's really no reason to be ashamed of what you dream."

" Well…" Yuri said hesitantly, carefully setting herself down next to him, " I wish that Aozora will find out where he came from. I wish Ashita could be more cheerful nowadays. I wish Yuna will find Tidus. I wish Sora can find the Door of Light in the first place…and I wish you can see color again."

She was lucky Riku couldn't see color at that moment, though, as she blushed. She looked at the tall teenager nervously, wondering what he'll say.

" You…" he said slowly, " haven't saved anything for yourself."

" Well…I would wish that my parents would come back but…I don't think they are."

" Why?"

" They've been gone long enough…and I don't think they would forget their daughter. Me, the niece of Ansem, ha!"

Her laugh was bitter. " My uncle used to be so wonderful…I wish I knew what had happened to him."

" Sometimes I wonder the same thing," Riku agreed, though he knew where a part of that man lived. In his memories. A man fully defeated by the drive that gave the Universe the Heartless

" What's taking Ashita so long?" Yuri wondered, turning a bit to eye where Ashita had gone off to.

" I'm not worried about that right now," Riku said. " Right now, I could care less if he's found the glasses or not."

" Oh?"

" Yeah," he grinned, " 'cuz if Paradise was true, then someone just wished for me to see again. That's enough for me."

" What if it's not true?"

The black-clad young man shrugged. " Tough. That's life. You win some, you lose some. It's only a matter of what you win and what you lose."

" What did you win and lose?"

" I lost…my home…my friends, my vision," Riku said carefully, with a deliberate slow pace. " But…I have new friends, more power, and a place where I can live right now. Here…with you two."

" We've only just met-"

" But it feels like home. And that's all I care about now."

He was smiling with a rare happiness. She knew it wasn't easy for him to do so. She couldn't help but smile, too.

" Welcome home, Riku."

""

" If you're going to move in with us," Ashita began as the three of them walked down one of many streets in Twilight Town, " you'll need to know some rules."

" You're joking…"

" No, I'm not."

" But Ashita, we never had any rules."

" …shut up."

Riku began to laugh. Ashita looked a bit put off.

" But if you say so…" Yuri continued, rolling her eyes.

" Well, firstly, I get first dibs on the bunk bed!"

" You actually care about where you sleep?"

" Hey, a warrior needs his rest."

" A warrior should be able to sleep anywhere, Ashita. And you need a lot of work if you want to call yourself a 'warrior'. You seem more like a gangbanger to me."

" I'm not in a gang!"

" Suit yourself."

Grumbling, Ashita continued. " Munny is an issue we all have to discuss. If you earn munny, half of it goes into our savings. Whatever you have left you use for whatever you want. As for the savings, all three of us have to talk about whether or not it's appropriate to use the munny for whatever purpose any of us needs it."

" I'm blind; can't I bypass that rule?"

" No can do."

Yuri giggled. " You know, he does have a point-"

" Are you two trying to conspire against me? Is this a coup here?"

" We never voted you leader in the first place."

Ashita was silent for a minute. " Well…it doesn't matter! Rules are still rules! Also, we only have one bathroom. Yuri gets first dibs, no matter what."

" Hey, I follow the rule 'Ladies first'. I should know."

" You called _me_ a 'lady'. I'm a guy; I've got my faculties-"

" Ashita, don't go there, please."

" Sorry."

Turning pink, Yuri giggled again. Ashita ran a hand through his spiky hair. What's wrong with Yuri? Ever since Riku popped up on the scene, she's always laughing or something…

" Someone's a bit tipsy today," Riku remarked, obviously following Ashita's train of thought.

" You don't know the meaning of tipsy until you've seen His Majesty drunk," Ashita muttered.

" King Mickey drunk? Are you serious?"

" You have no idea. He-"

" Ashita, for the sake of the King, please don't go there."

" Alright, I won't. Well, next rule is…the weapons we have locked in the tower's mine. Off-limits to everyone else."

" Well, I don't like fighting anyways," Yuri remarked, pushing her hair behind her left ear as a breeze blew. Faintly, Riku smelt the scent of flowers from a tropical island…

" I have my own weapons. I don't need your guns."

" I don't see any weapons besides that weird sword of yours-"

Riku held out his right hand, palm up. A black and purple ball hovered above the pulsing burn on his palm, glowing in its own dark light. Ashita and Yuri stared.

" Remind me never to mess around with you, ever," Yuri whispered, entranced by the power.

" You're never going to make me mad. It's the other guy I'm more worried about…"

" I get your point, Riku," Ashita muttered back, unnerved by the mysterious teenager's display of power. " Um…when the Bell Tower strikes eleven, you'd better be back here. We set the door to lock itself at eleven every night. You can leave when the locks undo themselves at six."

" What time do you get up?"

" I get up at five. This lazy bum gets up at seven," Yuri remarked. " A lot of times I leave around six thirty and buy some groceries. You should see him in the mornings. Always whining for food. If I don't get the groceries early enough, I'm stuck with one very grumpy blond."

" Not true!" Ashita shot back hotly, his face turning red. " And I'm not stupid!"

" She said 'blond', not 'stupid'. But we get the point. What did you do in the past to come to that sort of conclusion?"

Yuri laughed again. The other teenager bristled. " You're really reaching me, Riku. You really are."

" Thanks. Got any more rules?"

He was surprised when Yuri answered. " Don't ever talk to Shanks."

" Who?"

When Ashita spoke, his tone was suddenly dark and serious. All anger had vanished, replaced by urgency and a taste of fear. " He's some drunk homeless idiot who's willing to kill for his drinks. Lately though he hasn't been seen in the streets. That's kind of odd of him; my guess is he's getting money but from who and for what reason nobody knows."

" Is he dangerous?"

Yuri looked at Ashita, who nodded. " He almost beat Ashita into a bloody pulp. Some dispute outside a bar and Shanks was at it. It was…horrible…"

She shivered and Riku placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. " I should imagine."

" He's just lucky Aozora appeared right there and then," she continued, the pain of the memories laced in her voice. " Me and Orion – you heard of him already – couldn't do much of anything…only I think Orion could've. But before Shanks could kill him…Aozora appeared with a wind shield around him and the two most beautiful Keyblades I've ever seen. You used one of them to close Kingdom Hearts."

" The Oblivion…" Riku said thoughtfully. " And Aeroga."

" Well, Aozora saved my ass for sure," Ashita said. " We didn't see Shanks again for a long while. Probably the last time any of us really saw him was when he and Orion ganged up on Sora and nearly killed him."

" What!"

He turned on the two of them, shocked and outraged. " He what?"

" He and Orion tried to kill Sora but the rest of us…we stopped him. It took Aozora a lot just to heal him, though. Yuna found poison in the knife that Orion was using."

" They cut him!"

" He got hit on the neck and the arm. A Heartless gored his side. Aozora nearly killed himself trying to heal him."

" Oh my god…" Riku ran his hand through his silver hair.

" You…have no idea…"

The three of them froze. " What was that?" Riku demanded.

" The stuff that happens when you walk down an empty street during the twilight hour…" Ashita drifted off.

" Naughty little children…outside so late…don't they know how dangerous it is…to go alone?"

" There's three of us. And we're not children!" Yuri exclaimed

" Who are you?" Riku demanded.

" Ah, I remember, we never met, have we?" His voice was smirking. It was a scratchy voice, grainy and tired, but very sinister-sounding.

" What do you want with us?" Ashita snapped angrily. The voice was so familiar…

" Well, gee, I wonder…is it to finish killing you off? Or…play with that girl a bit before gutting her? Or…earning my keep by assassinating a very important little boy amongst you?"

Yuri turned white. Riku stepped in front of her, his darkness pinpointing the voice. " Don't touch her!"

Ashita shakily pulled out a knife from the sheath attached to his belt. He slowly joined Riku. " You-you want to finish me off? I-I'll show you."

" You stutter…the fear is there…this will be interesting…"

Darkness exploded. And Yuri screamed.

Shanks bounded out from where Riku's darkness found him, in a narrow alley a few feet from where they were. He had a huge dagger in his right hand and looked ready to plunge it into Ashita. Despite his quick movement, the felt-tip hat on his head refused to fly away and reveal his dirty hair.

" You little bastard! I oughta stick you!"

Ashita tumbled back, managing to stop the dagger from slitting his throat by quickly bringing up his knife as well. Metal screeched against metal and Ashita's knife slid away.

" First thing's first, boy," Shanks grinned and held him by the neck, pulling back his arm to carve out his heart.

A hand grabbed him by his jacket and tossed him aside. " Shanks, get your hands off of him!"

Riku held out his hand and Ashita pulled himself back onto his feet. While the blond stumbled forward towards his knife, Riku turned back, his right hand bristling with pulses of dark energy. His darkness searched madly for this brilliantly fast drunkard and didn't like what he saw-

Yuri screamed as Shanks approached her. She stepped backwards awkwardly, not sure of where to run. To his right was his dagger, behind her was a brick wall, and her left was partially blocked by a dull green dumpster. She was muffling her cries with her fist, as tears of fear flooded her eyes and fell down her face.

" A pretty lass, as ol' Sparrow used to say," Shanks grinned darkly, eyeing her delicate form. " Pity he turned his back on the old ways long ago…"

_Who the hell's Sparrow?_ Riku was sure he heard that name before. But first thing's first. Clouds of darkness flooded his mind, pulsing in tandem with his racing heart, as he stormed forward.

" Stay away from me, you freak!" Yuri yelled at him, slapping away a nearing hand.

" Feisty," Shanks grinned. He was close enough for her to smell the years of dirt and garbage. She could even smell the stale alcohol in his breath. Unfortunately, she was now against a wall, his knife and the dumpster cutting off all means of escape.

_Well, I can always kick him in the nuts_-

He grabbed her right forearm and she beat back with her left fist. But he brought out his dagger and held it against her neck. She stared down at the polished surface, feeling her heart beating madly in her ears. Was that flecks of blood on that blade?

" Don't you move, Riku!" Shanks spat, knowing the blond teenager was nearly upon him. " Unless you want your pretty girl to die right here, right now."

Bristling, Riku nevertheless had to ask. " How the hell do you know my name?"

" Oh, it involves those who know the guardian of memories…" Shanks flashed a grin filled with yellow, crooked teeth. Luckily his large dirty blond moustache covered most of it. " What you'll do for a lot of munny…and what you can do with a lot of munny…"

Riku could sense the disgust rising from this man. " You are not going near her."

" Says who?"

Unfortunately, Riku could sense where his free hand was headed for. North and east.

" Sick bastard!" Riku hissed. Clenching his fist, he jerked his right hand back.

Shanks felt a force take hold of his right arm and jerk it backwards with such force he knew was enough to dislocate any shoulder. In fact, it was enough for him to be basically shoved backwards. He fell over, his dislocated shoulder smashing to the floor first.

He never screamed but he cussed. Angrily.

" Fucking bastard, you dislocated my shoulder, you sonofabitch!" Shanks shouted, trying to get back on his feet. His hand let go of his great dagger and he propped himself up. Riku gave him a look of disgust, then he kicked Shanks. Hard.

If Shanks had any thought of sleeping with anyone, those dreams were most likely dashed for good.

The silver-headed teenager rushed to Yuri, who was bent over in crippling fear. She shivered, crying but too shocked to make any sound.

" Yuri? Yuri, it's okay," Riku whispered, kneeling down and touching her left shoulder. She looked up, first with wild fear, then with relief. " It's okay, I'm here, nothing's going to happen to you."

" Riku," she whispered, and he hugged her. He held her tightly, as she wept into his left shoulder, soaking his trench coat with hot tears. " Riku…I'm so scared."

" It's okay," he whispered into her right ear, embracing her. " It's alright. You have nothing to fear anymore."

" Don't leave me, Riku. Please don't leave me…"

Her words echoed in his dark-lit mind.

" I'm not going anywhere, Yuri. I promise."

He lifted his head and turned to see Ashita staring down at a cringing and crippled Shanks, his knife in his hand. The teenager seemed to be thinking about something but wasn't quite sure what to do.

" Don't kill him."

Both Ashita and Shanks stared at him, Ashita with shock and Shanks with astonishment and uncertain relief.

Yuri stopped crying long enough to ask, " Why?"

" I don't feel any pity for him," Riku began to explain, " but he can go right on ahead and tell his employer that there's some new dogs in town and they don't like to be messed around with. You got that, you sick sonofabitch? Tell the guy that his hitman's out of business…for good."

Ashita quickly understood. Riku will cripple you for life but he'll spare you death. It's only a matter of whether or not that's a good thing, as it seemed his methods of crippling seemed so painful death was almost a reward.

" What are you waiting for?" Ashita snapped. He kicked at Shank's side and was rewarded with the sound of a stick snapped in half. " Get going! Git!"

Shanks, shocked at Riku's verdict as he was, still had enough senses around him to get himself up and stagger off. Ashita still thought the guy was lucky to get away with a dislocated right shoulder, cracked ribs, and crushed nuts; he should've just gutted the man…or worse…except Riku got to him first.

" That has better be the last time we see him!" he muttered under his breath, slowly walking up to where Riku was gently lifting Yuri to her feet. Her knees knocked together; the ordeal had taken an obvious toll on her ability to focus at all.

" Come on," he said quietly. " We'd best be heading back."

The three of them – two helping a third – slowly made their way back to the Bell Tower, which never looked so welcoming before.

''

" I wonder who he works for…" Riku muttered, draining his glass of water. The three of them were sitting in Yuri's bedroom and she was sitting in her bed, quite lost in her thoughts. She continued to play with her cream-colored blanket as she stared off into space.

" If I knew, I'd go and meet that guy head-on…" Ashita smashed his right fist into his left hand. He was sitting on a wooden stool in the room next to a small round table topped with a slender cerulean vase. A single plum blossom seemed to bloom out of its serpentine neck.

Riku shook his head. " Not a good idea. Obviously the employer knew his potential. Who'd ever expect a drunken misfit to attack anyone with the skills he's got? That was a born assassin. Either that…or he learned somewhere…"

_Sparrow…where have I heard that name before?_

" Well, I hope he never comes back," Ashita said, standing up and pacing. " I've set the Bell Tower's security system on overdrive. I programmed it to recognize only the people we know."

" Do you guys own this tower or something?" Riku asked curiously, realizing that these two basically had the run of the mill. " I mean, isn't it a public building?"

" It was rundown and closed when we first found a way in," Yuri whispered, still staring off into space. " Ashita, Orion, and I…we spent months fixing it. In the middle of it all, Aozora came along. Then he left and we met your friend and his two buddies. After a while, Orion started slacking and disappearing for long hours. We…we finished renovating the Bell Tower and bought the rights to it with our savings."

" We nearly went broke," Ashita smirked. " Orion's income from his odd jobs disappeared and we barely had enough to buy this place."

" Then…when the four of them came back…something happened," Yuri murmured. " Orion was found with Shanks and the Heartless…and then Sora and Aozora split. We haven't seen either of them since…and it's been a while since Shanks appeared just about anywhere…"

She shivered and Riku, who was sitting at the end of her bed, placed a hand on hers. She relaxed and looked away, turning her hand and grasping his gloved one.

" He was out to do more than kill me," Riku said quietly. " He wants revenge…and he's been waiting to dish it out."

Ashita stopped walking and thought for a moment. " I guess you're right…I guess Yuri and I are lucky you were here with us. Who knows what…I wouldn't even be standing here if it weren't for you. Thanks, Riku."

" So…dibs on the munny?"

" No."

Shaking his head, Ashita left the room. Riku heard him muttering, " Hopeless git."

The teenager smiled faintly. Then he turned to Yuri and his darkness formed the likeness of her face. She was smiling, too.

This darkness surprises me every single day… 

" Hey, you okay?"

She nodded, her dark wavy hair shifting as she sighed. " Yes, I'm fine."

" Don't worry, Yuri. He's not going to come back. I'll make sure of it."

" It's not that I'm worried about right now, actually…"

She bowed her head, her expression changing quickly. " It's the night I'm worried about…"

" Nightmares?"

" Yes…I still have them, even though I should've outgrown them."

" Hey, I still have nightmares, too," Riku replied softly, shifting his seat so he could sit closer to her. " If you have nightmares, then it shows you are brave. For only the brave dream of their fears."

" Really?'

" Fear is part of reality. You don't belong…if there's nothing to fear. And you can't have courage if you don't have fear first. Fear leads to courage. You were strong back there, when you tried to defy him."

" But I failed. I couldn't fight. You had to help," she said miserably. " Sometimes I just imagine everything going wrong. What if you weren't there fast enough? He could've gutted Ashita…probably turn on you…and where would I be?"

" But you had the will to turn him back," Riku noted. " And besides, nobody's gonna beat me. There's only one person who could and I'm proud of it."

" Who?"

" Sora. I beat him up into becoming the best. We dueled all the time…back home – Destiny Islands. I always beat him…until I was fifteen and he was fourteen. Then he started beating the crap out of me. The first time he did, I felt so proud…"

Yuri smiled sadly. " You must miss him."

He leaned towards her. " I do…but he'll be alright. It's you I'm worried about right now. _He_ isn't exactly dead…"

" You said you won't leave me, remember?"

" So I did," he smiled rather weakly. " So I did…and I…"

They were almost touching noses…

"…don't plan to…"

His lips brushed against hers. She raised her right hand and touched his face. He kissed her again, this time deeply, his sentence finished in his mind.

…_anytime soon. I promise._

**Author's Endnote:** Had to edit this, the idiot I am. Please write nice long reviews and ask every question that's on your mind, please! I will love to answer them on my livejournal account. It's only a matter of how well I answer…

**_Chapter 73…_**

" _I want to talk to you."_

" _I don't love her!"_

" _Just….go away."_

…_**When the Love Falls**_


	73. When the Love Falls

**Author's Note:** Yet another update. After this chapter, each update is going to get more and more difficult to do. Each chapter following this one is going through serious revisions and some are going through complete rewrites – just lying, ALL of them are. Given my current situation at home, I will no longer be able to keep up with the reliable updates. Well, then again, that goes for both 'Best Deceptions' and 'Rain of Sorrow', too. This chapter has gone through five revisions, proof readings and whatnot so I hope this chapter turns out well. I really do. 

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square Enix and Disney but the plot is mine and mine alone. Oh yeah, and Aozora, too.

**Feature Songs:** 'With or Without You' by U2, 'First Love' by Utada Hikaru

Enjoy this chapter! Seriously! And mind the language!

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 73: When the Love Falls**

" If life couldn't get any worse…" Cloud muttered under his breath. He was apparently very bothered by the scene playing right outside the Accessories Shop.

A few minutes after the song had ended, Tidus had risen to his feet and walked straight to the sorceress-turned-sphere hunter, who collapsed into his arms, sobbing and repeatedly saying his name. He held her close, whispering words of comfort, while the blond teenager who was accompanying her had backed away into the counter. There was an odd expression on his face, easily matched by the look on the face of the auburn-haired girl who easily identified who he was.

Then Tidus had led Yuna outside and they heard hushed words pass between them, broken repeatedly by Yuna's tears. It was obvious she had been looking for him; she must have gotten a heart attack walking into the shop and finding her loved one, _him_, sitting on the couch with all the other people.

" Oh hush, you have no right in speaking about such matters," Aerith whispered back, giving him a warning glare. She made an almost-invisible gesture to her left with her head.

" Oh…"

There was a rather uncomfortable silence in the Accessories Shop. Cid had taken to fiddling with his radio – again – while Yuffie sat on the countertop and, for once, stopped banging her feet against it. Leon sat like a stone in the seat at the head of the coffee table. Kairi sat to the brunet's left as far as possible from Lorien and Kobi, who were both looking as troubled as the Princess of Heart. Opposite of them sat Cloud, Aerith, and the Keyblade Wielder, Aozora.

And then Cloud amazingly managed to grasp the complexity of the situation. In the few seconds that followed Aerith's subtle move, he saw the conflicts that were already rising between the four. Aozora and Kairi avoided each other's gaze but her face was unnaturally pink. Lorien was glaring at the two of them without even moving a muscle; Kobi was staring at her, looking painfully torn.

" Well, I _finally_ found just the song for the mood of the discussion we're about to have-did I miss something?" Cid demanded, coming to a sudden stop as he left the storeroom where he had stored 'his precious'.

Yuffie glared at him some but Leon answered. " No, except for our two young lovers, but we do need to get on with the discussion. There was a reason His Majesty sent these two over to Traverse Town."

He then cleared his throat, snapping the concentration of the four young teenagers. They looked up, startled and rather embarrassed all at once. Leon ignored them, though, and said, " Let Tidus and Yuna spend a few minutes together; it's been two years – to them, I may add – but I'm not letting the rest of us getting off so easy. This is a meeting."

He then nodded to Cloud, who mouthed, " Me?", and glared back. Aerith poked him and the soldier sighed. " Okay, we have to know what happened to Kingdom Hearts. Aozora, did Riku seal the Keyhole?"

The poor teenager, whose eyes kept studying the teenager sitting across from him, looked up, startled. " Kingdom Hearts?"

_See the stone set in your eyes_

_See the thorn twist in your side_

_I wait for you_

_Sleight of hand and twist of fate_

_On a bed of nails she makes me wait_

_And I wait…without you_

Leon sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. This was going to take longer than he hoped it would.

_With or without you_

_With or without you…_

Aozora felt sheepish as he finally found his bearing and reported, " I know he found Kingdom Hearts in the Bell Tower. And I know there are fewer sightings of Heartless and Nobodies now. At least at Twilight Town. I don't know about other worlds, though."

Cloud nodded. " That's true. Sora's previous report on Hollow Bastion said that there's a huge army of Heartless assembling there-"

" The Heartless that are already in existence won't disappear easy," Aerith interjected. Cloud looked put-off. " Therefore we still have to deal with Ansem's army…and any other Heartless out there."

" We still have a fight on our hands," Leon spoke softly. " In order for Kingdom Hearts to really work, we need to eradicate all the Heartless-"

" That won't stop them," Lorien interjected coldly. Aozora stared at her, surprised by the chill in her voice. " Kingdom Hearts is their main gate but they are also born through the darkness already in existence. Only the Door of Light will banish them forever."

_Door of Light…_

Aozora grimaced, lowering his head. He didn't want to be reminded of something he had failed to do so far: protect Sora until he found the Door of Light.

_Sora…Kairi…_

Discretely he looked up, saw that everyone's attention – including hers – was now focused on the discussion between Lorien, Kobi, Cloud, and Aerith. He stared at her, studied her really, noticing what he had not seen the first time they met.

She _was_ skinny, even skinnier than the last time they met. She had become so thin, so pale that he could clearly tell the strain was telling on her. But still, she was beautiful. Her paleness enhanced those intense violet-blue eyes that spoke with a thousand sorrows and wishes and gave the slight pink blush on her cheeks a vibrant glow. Her crimson hair had grown longer and her bangs were rendering her right eye invisible. The color was fiery, in contrast to her cool eyes, and made his insides squirm.

She was wearing new clothes, too, a white blouse over a purple skirt. Her long white socks stopped inches short of where her knees began and she was wearing new shoes, too, white with splashes of gray and red. His eyes trailed back up to her face, then all over her. If there was something he really hadn't noticed before, it was that her new clothes accented her body's natural curves and he couldn't help but follow them-

"…it really was too dangerous for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to venture to Hollow Bastion the way they did…"

He felt someone watching him, studying him. He looked up slowly and locked eyes with Kairi, then realized that she had been doing exactly the same thing. In each other's minds, they had become aesthetically beautiful sculptures to study and observe.

"…Cid, turn off the blasted radio and…"

_And you give yourself away_

_And you give yourself away_

_And you give_

_And you give_

_And you give yourself away_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_I can't live_

_With or without you_

"…we'll need to talk to the other two about this. Things are not looking up right now. Aozora?"

" Wha-oh, I know," Aozora stuttered, tearing his eyes away from Kairi's blushing face to look at the others. " I mean-wait, which other two? Tidus and Yuna? Or is there something you're hiding from me?"

Somehow Aozora created such a menacing glare as he spoke that the fact he was checking out Kairi wiped out of everyone's mind…except Lorien. She returned his glare coolly, more than used to his mood swings. But there was trouble written in her face, a fiery storm, and Aozora had to look away.

The others gave each other very confusing looks. " What _are_ we hiding from you?"

Kobi was first to answer. " Maybe…Selphie and Merlin? I mean, have you heard…of…never mind."

He gave up trying to answer his baffled childhood friend.

Leon groaned. " This was _totally_ pointless. _However_, there IS something I believe everyone here should know involving information an acquaintance of mine sent-"

Yuffie and Cid coughed and cleared their throats abruptly, while Kobi snorted into his hands and Lorien started struggling with her cold face. Leon scowled at them but knew he had to answer to Aozora and Kairi; neither of them knew his friend's identity. Then again, Aozora was truly left in the dark as he didn't know what the message was.

" I'll get them," Yuffie grinned wildly as she jumped off the counter and bounded for the doors.

Aozora sighed, using the momentary silence to lean back in the couch and stare up at the ceiling. The lights were…shiny.

He thought someone was calling his name. But the lights were…shiny, entrancing, rendering him oblivious to the outside world-

" Group meeting now?" Tidus asked as Yuffie brought them in.

" Once we get _him_ back on track," Cloud muttered.

Aozora didn't hear him; the lights were becoming brighter, blurry even. Then suddenly-

" Wake up!" Lorien barked. Aozora jumped up and fell over the couch, landing in a painful heap on the ground. " Ow…"

" We'll need to discuss the information later; both Yuna and Aozora need to rest," Aerith sighed, shaking her head and smiling as the blond teenager staggered back to his feet. He smiled sheepishly as he eyed Tidus and Yuna, the latter who was yawning continuously.

" Good, I need people out of here!" Cid grumbled. " Damn kids, getting in the way of everything-"

" It's late; there's nothing to do here old man," Cloud retorted.

" Yeah, whatever kid." Cid waved him off. " Rooms are at the hotel in the Second District. Meet back here eight at night to start talking again."

" I…thought it was always night here," Tidus pointed out.

The look the blond man was giving him was enough to shut him up.

" Would you like the Green Room or the Blue Room?" Aerith asked kindly as everyone else stood up to file out of the Accessories Shop.

" Blue would be fine," Aozora answered quietly. There was something about today that dumbfounded him and he didn't have to look far to know why. " How long was Sora here?"

" Came after Riku and left before Kairi. He was here for maybe four or five days,' Aerith replied. " It's going to take longer getting from here to Hollow Bastion; the debris left by the Heartless' destruction is enough to slow them down."

" Oh…"

They filed out of the Accessories Shop as Cid went back to mess with his radio. Aozora blinked into the night; now the First District was completely empty and the last stanzas of the song was drifting into the night. Then someone placed a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

" I want to talk to you."

Briefly he saw Lorien look back at them and saw a frown form on her face. Then Kobi gently pushed her forward and she kept walking with the others. They were going up the stairs, to the Second District.

Aozora steeled himself around.

" What is it, Kairi?"

_Yeah, we'll shine like stars in the summer night_

_We'll shine like stars in the winter light_

_One heart, one hope, one love_

_With or without you_

_With or without you_

_I can't live _

_With or without you_

_With or without you…_

''

She blinked, looked at his face. For a moment her stomach churned with a thousand butterflies; just briefly she saw Sora, with his wild spiky hair and cheerful blue eyes. But just as quickly that vision vanished, replaced by the solemn wolf-like gaze of his brother. His _brother_!

_Neither of them know the truth! How am I supposed to explain it to them? Especially…especially Sora…but what about Aozora? What's he going to say? How will this affect Sora's mission? _

She bit her lip, suddenly unsure of why she decided to stop him. Should she tell him now or wait until after Leon explained his bit of news tomorrow? Either way, Aozora had to know.

" Kairi? What's wrong?" Aozora asked worriedly, taking a step forward.

She paled suddenly, instinctively backed away. She saw the worried look on his face but refused to meet his gaze and lose herself. What happened at In Between was enough; if anybody else knew, then word of it would reach Sora and then what would happen?

_I'm the one at the center of a disaster waiting to happen. What I do…it'll hurt Sora. And if Sora gets hurt…we could fail. Why doesn't Aozora just stay away, so that Sora doesn't get hurt? Zexion told me enough; I'm his light and if I turn away now, it'll destroy him!_

" Kairi?"

She bowed her head, so her red bangs shrouded her face. She shouldn't have stopped him, shouldn't have held him back! Why did she do that-

" _Hearts would change as well."_

_No!_

She looked up, her blue-violet eyes full of fear. Aozora stared at her, shocked.

" D-don't."

He took a step forward but she couldn't back away again.

" Kairi, what's-"

" S-stop. Don't c-come any closer," she stammered. It was so hard saying those words. She had to keep him away, for Sora's sake, but her heart felt so torn uttering such harsh words. " Please."

He froze, his hand reaching out, about to touch her face. Then he pressed the palm of his hand against her burning cheek and she felt herself relax, closed her eyes.

" Kairi, tell me. What's wrong?"

_What am I doing?_

And then she remembered the bond. Sora and Kairi were connected. If something happened to her heart, would he feel the change as well?

Fear. She had never felt fear like this before.

" Aozora, don't." She backed away and his hand fell to his side. " Please. I'm sorry I stopped you. Just go."

She knew he was hurt, he was lost, he was confused. But she couldn't explain it to him, not after In Between, not after the hours and days after they went their own paths, not after when they saw each other again.

_It would only break his heart. Like it would break mine. Like it broke Sora's. Oh why did Sally have to say those words?_

A tear fell, dotting the cobblestone floor.

" Kairi-"

" Go." Her voice came out stronger. She _had_ to do this, she had to do. She looked up at him, her eyes bright, the tears streaming down her face. " Go away. Aozora, you can't help me. Just go."

" But-"

" Stop it! Don't you get it? You're confusing me, Aozora! And whatever happens to me happens to Sora, too! Our hearts are connected, even if I lost his voice long ago! If you come in between us and break that bond, it'll destroy him! Just go away! Just…go!"

She thought something was wrong while she was climbing up the silver pathway to the three doors back at Deep Tranquility. It was like a presence within her, watching her. She had never felt such foreign sorrow.

Then Zexion told her everything.

" I can't," he whispered, hurt but struggling to find his bearing. " I can't go away, Kairi. I-"

" Stop saying my name," she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. " Stop it. You look just like him, you sound a lot like him, you remind me of him! I haven't seen him for a year and missed him by several hours yesterday. You know how much I missed him? But you came into the picture…and I'm lost! It's all because of you! It's your fault! You're the one who's going to destroy Sora!"

She ran past him, running up the stairs and into the Second District. She ran down the stairs to the right and collapsed by the silent fountain, sobbing.

She felt her heart break in two.

""

"…I suppose it may have been wrong to tell her what Sora saw in the waters of the fountain in the Second District," Zexion said calmly, carefully choosing his words as he looked at his younger friend. Aozora was staring at his hands, fidgeting slightly, bothered intensely by yesterday. " I saw everything. It wasn't pretty. He misunderstood, Aozora."

" But not Kairi." His voice was a whisper, strained, wracked with a hurt too painful to explain. " She…understood…everything."

" Her connection to Sora is latent," Zexion said plainly as he blew out the candle on the table in the First District Café. He had been entertaining himself in this way for many days until Aozora came; the candles had a strange way of staying lit and will come back to life seconds after the fire was blown out. " His connection, though…has awaken. I'm beginning to suspect something reminded him of the debacle I proudly and with all due shame call 'Castle Oblivion'."

" How does that start the connection working again?" Aozora asked, curious.

" I don't know. Like Naminé said, memories work in strange ways. Of course Sora and Kairi could be the exception. It's not just memories that link them. I guess it just has something to do with the paupu fruit legends on Destiny Islands…and the fact he's the Keyblade Master and she's the most powerful Princess of Heart. Now, the fact that you're also a Keyblade Master brings up some very interesting points that I've been thinking about since yesterday-"

" She hates me," Aozora interrupted. He spoke with such intensity that Zexion stopped and stared at him. " She hates me…because I remind her of Sora. She doesn't know what to do, Zexion. I heard Cid talking to some of the others; he heard us, and he knows something's up. Leon thinks…if something goes seriously wrong, Sora won't be the only one destroyed."

" Love is such a finicky thing," Zexion sighed. Aozora looked up, startled.

" I don't love her!" he protested. " That's not it-"

" Then what is it?" the blue-haired man smiled wryly at his friend's muted protest. " I can see some things plain as day. You're lovestruck and you don't know what in Hades to do. She's in love but the scales are continuously tipping one way and another way. And Sora's mad at the world. As far as I can tell, he hates you."

" He _hates_ me?" Aozora asked weakly.

" You came into his world, upturned it completely," Zexion replied nonchalantly as he surveyed the scenery of Traverse Town. " You look like him, you've been around King Mickey and his friends, you've turned traitor on the Society, you use Keyblades, you countered his movements, you _both_ have attitude problems, and…well…you both fell for the same girl."

" I…I don't-"

" Stop lying. Gods, Aozora, you frustrate me sometimes. Keep denying it and I'll be forced to take drastic measures. You do NOT want that to happen. Now that we're done with that, I need to talk to you about Lorien-"

A chill ran up Aozora's arms and he stared at Zexion. Not Lorien! As dully as possible, he asked. " What about Lorien?"

Zexion didn't answer. Instead he drummed his fingers on the table, staring intently at the flames. The look on his face seemed to read: How does the candle stay lit despite all the odds against it? I don't understand.

" Zexion?"

The fingers kept drumming.

" You have a good way of making enemies out of allies, Aozora."

" What!"

" I must admit I thought my life was misery. But now that we've talked for a bit since we split ways years ago, I see your life's pure misery. How does it feel having very important allies hate your guts to hell while Axel's hell-bent on masterminding your demise by his own hand?"

Aozora groaned. " Axel? You just had to-"

" Things are going to get worse, Aozora." Zexion's voice dropped to a whisper. " Tomorrow you're leaving Traverse Town. I'd prefer you leave tonight but Leon has some _very_ important issues to discuss with us. It's something I've heard once in passing long ago. His sorceress friend has discovered something."

The very last word was spoken in a voice filled with dread and chill.

" What do you mean by 'something'?"

Zexion looked both ways. " I said the Society allied themselves with Ansem and the Advocate, right? They want to kill Sora. But it's not just because of the fact he's the Keyblade Master, oh no. It's unfortunate for them that you escaped the Society. Now they'll have to pursue Sora…"

Was Zexion going mad?

"…I didn't think it would happen," he kept talking. " But somehow they managed to start some chain reaction with Riku. Well first they captured you, then worked on Riku, because he's closest to the darkness. I would have it that you go _now_ but Leon wants us to discuss the situation at hand. Perhaps the Society wants it that way…or something worse…"

Aozora sighed, stood up, and looked at the clock. It was nearly seven-thirty.

" Thirty minutes until the meeting," Aerith called out as she walked by with Cloud. " Zexion, find Merlin, Lorien, and Kobi. Leon, Yuffie, and Cid's waiting in the store already. We're out finding our two lovebirds right now."

" What about-"

" He's doing it," Cloud interrupted Zexion's question. The cold blue eyes glared at Aozora's bronze gaze. Aerith looked at him, startled. It was obvious she hadn't planned on Cloud saying such a thing. And the look on Zexion's face was a mixture of humor and horror. " He's going to bring her in. That's the only way things will work."

He walked on, leaving Aerith, Zexion, and a mystified Aozora staring after him. And then it dawned on him. _No…_

Zexion smiled at him sadly. " Good luck."

" What?" Aozora sputtered. " Wha-why-what does _that_ mean!"

The blue-haired man left, leaving him alone with Aerith. Aozora looked at her helplessly, feeling very much like a little boy going up to the cashier to order something for the first time. " Aerith…what do I do?"

The woman had a kind smile as she turned to him. Poor Aozora looked so lost…it almost broke her heart.

" Talk to her. If anything else, mend the rift. You made a mistake in failing to fix the distance between you and Sora. Don't make the mistake again."

She sighed, staring up at the Second District door. " I can feel her pain. She's hurt, Aozora. If anything, she needs Sora. But he's not here, is he? You have to go to her, Aozora. You _have_ to. If I were Queen I would've ordered you to."

Aozora sighed, staring down at the floor. Something strange was coursing his veins. " Aerith, I'm…I'm scared. I'm so scared, Aerith. I don't want to make another mistake. Not with _her_."

Aerith understood immediately. " You love her."

Three simple words. He looked up and a protest began to form on his lips.

She shook her head. " No, do not protest, do not question me. Question yourself Aozora. Do you love her? There is no other explanation for why the two of you have parted ways so abruptly last night. As for her…I will not say. That is her matter. I speak yours. You have thirty minutes. Like you said, don't make a mistake."

And Aozora was left all alone, floundering in a sea of despair.

""

Yuna smiled, staring at the stars in Traverse Town's night sky. It was as though someone had broken a pitcher of shimmering dust and scattered them all over a canvas painted midnight blue.

" It's so beautiful," she whispered, as a night breeze wove its way around her.

" Yes, so beautiful," Tidus agreed dreamily. He wasn't talking about the stars.

" I wish nights were like this back home at Spira," the gunner sighed, looking down. The waters of the sewers were eerily clean tonight; she could see the weaving of cracks in the stone ground under the clear water.

" That reminds me of the Thunder Plains…"

She giggled, remembering the number of times Tidus had to dodge the lightning bolts as they all ran through the Thunder Plains, even Rikku, who was scared of lightening. No one had an explanation for a singed and furious Tidus as to why only he attracted them. " But it's not storming, is it? It's so peaceful…"

" Like the quiet before the storm."

Yuna looked at Tidus, astonished. " What are you saying?"

Tidus looked down solemnly. " I don't know how long I'll be here. I don't even know what the Fates are doing with me. You know, Yuna, I really wasn't even supposed to exist. How did the Fates discover a life thread for me?"

She blinked, then realized what he was saying. " I'm not going to leave you, Tidus. Not now, not ever. The Fates brought you back to this world and you'll stay in this world-"

" I always wondered about life on Destiny Islands. Was I real then or was I real until I was thrown out of my world into the Dream Zanarkand? There are so many questions…who can answer them all?"

" Then don't ask. Just be thankful, thankful that you're here alive…" Yuna sighed, sidling to him and laying her head on his shoulder. "…after two years of absence. I've waited so long…and then things came up. Like the debacle with the two lovers a thousand years ago back at Spira and the Heartless."

" The Heartless." Tidus formed a fist. " They destroyed _everything_."

" But think it this way," Yuna whispered in his ear. " If it weren't for them, I'd have never met you."

The first was still stiff, then relaxed. A faint smile appeared on the tanned face. " You're right. Maybe the coming of the Heartless was good in a way…"

" I know," she whispered. Daringly, she lifted a hand to his face and her fingers ran up and down the side of it. He closed his eyes and she felt him relax.

" We should go to the meeting."

" I know."

They didn't move. And then…

" Looks like Cid found another song."

" He loves the radio…"

_Saigo no kisu wa_

_Tabako no flavor ga shita_

_Nigakute setsunai kaori_

_(The last kiss_

_Tasted like tobacco_

_A bitter and sad smell)_

" And he's a sucker for sappy songs," Tidus finished as he looked down where the sewer water flowed from the Secret Place. Something flashed by. " What the-"

That child! The child of the Fayth! What are they doing-no…

" Tidus, what's wrong?" Yuna asked worriedly, seeing his face pale. She stood up straight and looked over the balcony of the Red Room. " I don't see any-"

" Wait here, Yuna," Tidus said tersely. A second later he had thrown himself over the balcony and landed gracefully on the floor. He made just a step to follow the child in blue when someone landed behind him.

" Don't leave me, Tidus. I'm going with you."

" Yuna, I-"

" I'm a gunner. Not a sorceress anymore but I do know how to use guns. You wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of me, Tidus. Trust me."

He nodded grimly, but felt too badly to tell her what he saw. What he _might_ have seen. " Follow me."

He walked hurriedly down the alleyway, listening to the water ripple and toss against the walls of the stream. Where was that Fayth child?

_Over here…_

He hurried his pace and Yuna quickened to keep up. The voice, it came around the corner. But why-

He turned the corner and everything around him dissolved into haze and mist. He turned around, didn't see Yuna. " Yuna!"

" She won't hear you. Not yet." The dark-skinned child in blue appeared in front of him. Tidus backed away quickly, then anger took over.

" What do you want with me?"

" Relax, we're-"

" Leave me alone! Haven't you done enough to me already? Thanks to you, my life was misery! And just when I get my bearings you bump in! Just leave me alone!"

" Listen!"

Tidus shut up as the child approached him. Around him, hazy faces appeared as well. Faces…like Jecht…and his mother…

" We are not here to take you away. No, you HAVE done enough for us. We are only here to give our thanks for helping the dreams sleep. We were the ones who asked the Fates to fashion a special thread for you. Then we fused your dream into the thread, bringing you back to life. Yes, Tidus, this is our way of saying thanks."

" I…" Tidus was utterly speechless. " Well, um…sorry for the outburst."

" No need. You misunderstood completely. This may be the last time we meet, as you are no longer a dream. A new life awaits you…but all of you will have to go through a series of trials to reach that life. Let the dreams help you along, for the days to come are the darkest days."

" Are you…warning me?"

" We help our brethren and you are still one of us," the child spoke. " But we will no longer interfere with your life. Your fate…is out of our hands. Farewell Tidus son of Jecht, and a good life and a good luck."

He waved and suddenly the haze disappeared. And Tidus was standing in the alleyway in front of a townhouse as Yuna ran up to him. " Tidus, what's wrong?"

" I, uh, um…" Great, how was he to explain this?

" Funny, I don't see anything?" Yuna looked around, thankfully missing the shocked look on his face. " Hey, what's in that house? Maybe it's the Dalmatian house Aerith and Yuffie mentioned before-"

Tidus stepped forward, and pulled her to him. Their bodies met as he cupped her face in his hands.

" T-Tidus?" Yuna whispered. Her eyes were wide with surprise.

He smiled once, before leaning over and kissing her.

_Ashita no imagoro ni wa_

_Anata wa doko ni iru n' darou_

_Dare wo omotte ru n' darou_

_(Tomorrow, at this time_

_where will you be?_

_Who will you be thinking about?)_

''

Misery loves company. And she was its companion.

Kairi sighed as she sat on the ledge of the silent fountain, staring at the waters, at her reflection. Her hair, she noticed, had grown much longer than she anticipated. Maybe she should cut it short-

_Don't ever change._

She shuddered, bringing her arms around her body as she continued to stare at her reflection.

_Hearts change with time._

" Change…is that what's in my heart? Change?" she whispered to herself but the reflection gave no reply.

The meeting would be in thirty minutes but she didn't want to go. It was fear, fear that kept her in the Second District, whispering to herself as she sat – unknowingly – in the exact same spot as Sora did days ago. Fear of facing the others over the events of last night. Fear of meeting _him_.

She felt her heart jump, placed a hand over her heart. It was pounding fiercely; just the mere thought of him churned her inside and left her feeling winded, lost, and confused.

_How could he do this to me? Just a thought and this happens. Why? Why? WHY?_

But even before her conscience could answer she replied herself.

_Do I love him? We met only once before…how could such a thing like this happen with just one meeting? Oh Sora, I'm so sorry, so terribly sorry…_

She felt a tear escape her tightly closed eyes and she opened her eyes to see the water ripple. And when it stilled, she saw she was no longer alone-

Screaming, she jumped up and backed away, her heart beating painfully. _Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…_

" I'm sorry," Aozora muttered sheepishly, jamming his hands in his pockets and looking away.

" What are you doing here?" she asked, then winced at the uncharacteristic harshness in her voice.

" I…I'm supposed…" he seemed to fumble with his words, looked embarrassed. " Supposed…the meeting….thirty minutes…"

" I'm not going."

Aozora whipped his head around and stared at her. " What!"

" I said I'm not going," Kairi repeated, feeling her body shake under his gaze. She rubbed her arm, suddenly nervous. _What's wrong with me? Is it true, is it true that-_ " I already know what Leon's going to talk about. He showed me the message first. I don't have to go."

" Oh…"

Silence, except for the loudspeakers in the First District…

_You were always gonna be my love_

_Itsu ka dare ka to mata koi ni ochite mo_

_I'll remember to love_

_You taught me how_

_You were always gonna be the one_

_Ima wa mada kanashii love song_

_Atarashii uta utaeru made_

_(You were always gonna be my love_

_Even if I fall in love with someone else again_

_I'll remember to love_

_You taught me how_

_You were always gonna be the one_

_It's still a sad love song_

_Until I can sing a new song)_

" Um…" Aozora shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable. Kairi sighed, looked away, wishing he'd just go away.

" Go. I gave my answer. You need to go to the meeting."

She turned away, expecting footsteps drifting away from her. Only silence met her.

" No."

" Didn't you hear me?" she said, sudden anger coursing in her veins. _Just leave me alone to wallow in my thoughts!_ " You have to go to this meeting! You can't-"

" I need to talk to you. You know what the meeting's about. You could tell me, can't you?"

Kairi shook her head, refused to turn around. " No. Go to Leon. He'll tell you everything. Just leave me alone, Aozora. Go…just go away."

Footsteps. They were coming toward her. Fear filled her and she shook involuntarily. She refused to turn around, though; she stubbornly stared at the wall before her, hoping the footsteps would simply walk away and leave her alone.

_What are you afraid of?_ Her conscience had awoken, had a few seconds to slip in choice words.

_What are you talking about? I'm afraid of nothing! I just want him to go away and leave me alone-_

Her conscience laughed at her. _You are afraid of yourself. You've waited so long for Sora, and for long you have held all your 'other' emotions within, unable to express them. But now you've been feeling something different yes?_

Mentally she scowled. _Shut up!_

The laughing was still there, the darker side of her mind. _Too many emotions fill you. Just the right trigger…and the ones you don't want will seep through. You are afraid, Kairi, of your love. You still hold your love for Sora but someone else is there. That is the person you are afraid of, because you fear that being with him would make you face the truth._

She closed her eyes tightly, tried to block out the nagging voice. _Shut up! I hate you! Leave me alone!_

_The truth is, Kairi, you love him, and you're too afraid to face it-_

" Shut up!" Kairi cried out, sobbing. " I hate you! I hate you! Go away! That's not true! That's NOT true!"

She shook violently, covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Torn, she had never felt so much pain, like her very being was being ripped in two-

_Oh no. Aozora's here. He heard. Oh no…_

A hand touched her shoulder. She shied away involuntarily but the hand still gripped her slim shoulder. It forced her to turn around and she found herself staring at shoes, dark shoes with red straps.

" Stop it-"

" Do you hate me?"

Hate. A cold word, bringing a shudder through her body. No, more than a shudder; it brought a needle of pain into her heart.

_What's happening to me?_

" Kairi, do you hate me?"

She didn't know what to do, what to say? What _was_ she to say?

" Just…" her voice came out a weak murmur. "…go away. Go away, Aozora…"

" No."

She bit her lip, suddenly touched upon iron on the tip of her tongue. " Leave me alone…"

She felt his hands take hold of her shoulders. " Kairi, look at me."

She shook her head.

" Look at me!"

" Let me go!" she yelled. " Go away, Aozora! Get away from me! I hate you! I-"

The pain came rushing back and she almost fell as her knees went weak.

_What's going on? What's wrong with me?_

" I see…"

" Why won't you go away," she found herself whispering. " Wherever I go, you're always there. I see you, I hear you, I feel you. You're always following me…never leaving me alone…never…"

" Kairi."

She shuddered. " Don't say my name."

Faintly she felt his grip tighten on her shoulders. Anger, she could feel it radiate from him-

He pushed her against the wall, kept one hand firmly on her shoulder, and the other hand went under her chin, forcing her to look up. Through her blurry vision she saw his face…and realized what her words had done to him.

He looked so incredibly distraught. No, more than distraught. Her mind floundered, desperately searching for words that would put a name on the look on his face. Her heart lurched; he had seemed so sad and solemn before but now…Her mind screamed with pain and regret at what she had done to him. His bronze eyes were shiny, too shiny with the tears that couldn't run. His lip trembled slightly but he refused to look away.

" Do you hate me?"

Four simple words. One simple question. How could it hurt so much?

_Tachidomaru jikan ga_

_Ugoki-dasou to shite 'ru_

_Wasuretaku nai koto bakari_

_(The pausing time is_

_About to start moving_

_There's many things that I don't want to forget about)_

" H-hate you?" She found it so difficult to speak, not with the pain and hurt she inflicted to the person in front of her, someone she cared about, maybe too much.

" Do you hate me, Kairi? Do you hate me that much? Tell me truthfully. I don't want to leave knowing I made another enemy. I've made too many, and it's the only reason why Sora's so far away from me…"

_Another enemy…is that what's become of these two brothers? A conflict of interest and a sense of deception…and they are enemies? How could it have come to this?_

" Please, Kairi. I-I can't stand it if you hate me like this. I can't. Just…please, don't hate me like this. I can't…not you…"

He finally looked away, as a crystalline teardrop slid down his cheek and fell.

" Aozora…" she murmured, raising a hand to his face. He flinched at the touch but relaxed slightly as she touched the trail of the tear and wiped it away. " I'm so sorry…"

Her hand slid down to the place just over his heart. Underneath she felt his heart, could feel it beat with pain and…what was this? There was something else, beating in tandem with his heart, radiating heat.

" What-"

" It's my scar. It is a brand, the mark of a traitor," Aozora spoke quietly, trembling under her hand. " Sometimes it's like that. I wish I knew why…"

" Oh…"

_Ashita no imagoro ni wa_

_Watashi wa kitto naite 'ru_

_Anata wo omotte 'ru n' darou_

_(Tomorrow, at this time_

_I will probably be crying_

_I will probably be thinking about you)_

She looked up at him, risked it, and before she knew it, she was lost in the bronze eyes that made him who he was. Sora's brother. An individual. A Keyblade Master. And the Light's last hope.

" Kairi."

Her name echoed with his voice. His hand rested under her chin, had her face tilted up to him.

" Please…don't hate me. This is too much…I can't stand it if-if you hated me like Sora did. Sora's one thing. But you…"

His breath brushed against her face as he drew near. She could feel the heat of his body as he took a step closer, forcing her against the wall. She felt herself tremble; she could see herself reflected in his eyes, could see herself watching him with a sadness and a longing she could not recognize.

_Why?_

And the answer came.

" I…I care about you, Kairi. I can't let you go, can't push you out of my mind, my thoughts. The promise I made…it haunts me wherever I go. I know…I know this is wrong, this shouldn't happen, but what can you do…when something happens, something you don't notice until it's too late, and you could do nothing about it? That's how some things happened, that's why…"

He drifted off, didn't finish.

_He loves me._

" Please." His voice was a mere whisper, begging for forgiveness, for acceptance. " Please, just…be with me."

Her heart beat painfully at the words. Aozora was alone in this world…and she was his only link to the allies he had alienated. His only link to reality…and someone he had come to love.

" I will," she murmured before she could stop herself.

Silence. For only a second.

_You will always be inside my heart_

_Itsu mo anata dake no basho ga aru kara_

_I hope that I have a place in your heart, too_

_Now and forever you are still the one_

_Ima wa mada kanashii love song_

_Atarashii uta utaeru made_

_(You will always be inside my heart_

_You will always have your own place_

_I hope that I have a place in your heart, too_

_Now and forever you are still the one_

_It's still a sad love song_

_Until I can sing a new song)_

He came closer. Kairi felt her heart pounding in her ear as his eyes drifted to her lips. Then instinct overwhelmed her and she closed her eyes. Seconds later, Aozora pressed his lips against hers and fire flashed. Kairi trembled as his tongue pushed into her. She offered no resistance, gave way as he pressed her against the wall, deepening the forbidden kiss. She could feel the fire behind the kiss, pent-up emotions that stormed through him and into her. She felt herself well up with the same emotions as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer, until her body molded into his and they became one.

They broke apart for only a moment, then Kairi whispered his name, and Aozora could only answer by diving even deeper into her, her very essence. He wanted her, wanted her so badly, but she knew he was holding back. Once again he was denying himself the very things he wanted, longed for. The least she could do was ease the tormenting pain within him…and herself.

She murmured his name repeatedly as the flames grew hotter. An unexplainable warmth began to form as their hips brushed, as he pressed her more forcefully against the wall. And then it dawned on her. She wanted him, she wanted him just as badly. And all thoughts of Sora banished from her mind.

Time seemed locked in eternity. It did not matter. They had each other and that was all that mattered.

_You were always gonna be my love_

_Itsu ka dare ka to mata koi ni ochite mo_

_I'll remember to love_

_You taught me how_

_You were always gonna be the one_

_Mada kanashii love song_

_Now and forever…_

_(You were always gonna be my love_

_Even if I fall in love with someone once again_

_I'll remember to love_

_You taught me how_

_You are always gonna be the one_

_It's still a sad love song_

_Now and forever…)_

" I'll never forgive myself for this," she whispered a moment before he nipped at her bottom lip. Aroused by her gasp of pain, Aozora pressed his lips against hers, intent on exploring her mouth again –

Doors opened. Aozora pulled back abruptly, looked up with fear to the doors of the Second District. Over his shoulder, Kairi saw two people emerge from the shadows next to the white factory.

Too late. She heard Lorien's cold voice, felt it suck up all the warmth she had felt.

" Oh…_sorry_."

She saw the looks of shock on Tidus and Yuna's faces.

" Kairi? Aozora? What…"

She shivered, cold cruel fear rushing through her. Aozora wrapped his arms around her, held her briefly, then pushed her away, stepping back to face the two people up on the second floor.

" Lorien-"

" Why?" Her voice rang like steel, echoing off the walls.

" That's not-"

" Just taking Sora's place, are you?"

Aozora flinched at the comparison and anger flashed in his eyes. " I said-"

" You fucking yellow bastard," she hissed, her fiery eyes blazing. " Stealing her, are you? You don't even know what's going on."

" She _says_ he doesn't know what's going on," Kobi muttered, though his face remained impassive and icy.

Aozora was silent. He did not know how to counter her accusations. He couldn't even make out what she was trying to imply.

" Leave him alone," Kairi whispered. Her heart couldn't bear the ugly hatred she knew she caused. But Lorien remained undeterred. Kairi knew the girl was not forgiving. " Hasn't he gone through enough, already-"

" You stay out of this, you cheating whore," Lorien snarled. Her hand rested on the pommel of her large sword. " You have _no_ idea what's going on, you don't know what's happened between _us-_"

" Don't call her that."

Lorien froze. Kairi saw Aozora shake, felt the rage radiating off of him.

" You don't know everything," he said, his voice low. " You don't know me, my pain, my suffering. You don't know what I had gone through, how changed I've become. So many hate me. Fate abandoned me. Your feelings for me have turned you to stone. Who are you Lorien? I don't even know how to begin. You're just like the others, cold, coldhearted, with nothing but anger and hatred for who I am, for what I was not. And the one person I care for I can't love. What right have you to take away the last remnants of my sanity?"

" It's called Paradise, the Door of Light," Kobi spoke. He was angry, too, angry at what was taking place between Aozora, Lorien, and Kairi. " But still, what right have you to-"

_No!_

"-take the one your brother loves?"

Silence.

" What?" Yuna's voice gasped.

Kairi closed her eyes tightly, bowed her head. It was there, the painful throbbing within her, what was called truth, a dark, painful truth.

" My…brother?" Aozora struggled to comprehend. " What do you…he's alive?"

" Those who died still live among the lost of the living," Tidus uttered neutrally, trying to maintain an uneasy calm between the Keyblade Master and his former childhood friends. " Your parents are still alive…as enemies. The Angel and the Advocate. Kairi knows."

Aozora turned to her, helpless. She refused to meet his gaze, said softly, " Your brother is Sora. The Keyblade Master, the one who hates you, is your twin. The Advocate is your father, the Angel your mother. It is by the grace of the Angels that the Keyblades chose you. But more than that, both of you inherited your mother's good heart and an inner grace so few have in this world."

" Advocate? Angel? Sora?" If there was one word to describe the look on his face, it was defeat. The mysteries have come into light but the light they shed was full of darkness.

" The Advocate, the Society, and Ansem will kill Sora," Kairi whispered, looking up to the sky. Everyone focused on her; they realized this was Leon's message from his friend, " Long ago, the Prophet made a gate to seal Light and Darkness. The first King of Light, the very first Keyblade Master, then cut himself with his Keyblade and let the blood spill on the gate, locking it. No key will open the gate and break the seal. Only blood."

" Sora…"

Yuna bowed her head as she finally understood how great the situation was, how much more deadly it had become.

" The gate is at Hollow Bastion. Halocanis and Shadowrenis sleep. Maleficent thought to overcome the blood pact with our hearts; she did not understand that our hearts are connected to Kingdom Hearts. And so…Ansem hid his army…so that Riku would send a message to Sora, saying that the castle was clear. If…"

" If you don't get there in time, Shadowrenis and Halocanis will be released at the price of Sora's life," Kobi finished sharply.

" Caught between a rock and a hard place," Lorien intoned. " And you have made it all the worse. You've doomed us to death, slow and swift. But even if you change the tides, I won't forgive you. I'll NEVER forgive you. Goodbye."

She turned and strode out the doors, leaving others to stare after her. Kobi sighed. " You were our friend. How many more hearts must you break, how many more friends must be turned against your very existence before it is all over? Think about it, Aozora."

Ansem's son turned to go.

" You won't be seeing again for a long time. I'll make sure not to see your face."

And only Tidus and Yuna were left, to ponder and to think. Kairi turned to Aozora, her bottom lip trembling. He only shook his head, a sad smile forming on his face. " The three of us were fools to think we could remain friends when we're all so different. But I'm an even bigger fool."

She knew what he was implying, what he couldn't say with words. " It's not your fault…Aros."

He turned to her, shocked, but she continued, " Someone once told me that hearts change. Time is what forces us all apart. It's not your fault, Aros, nor is it Sora's… nor mine."

Tidus looked away and his grip on Yuna's hand tightened.

He still had that sad smile. " Remember my promise, Kairi? Remember what I said?"

She nodded. She then reached for his hand and took it, holding it above her heart. " You said you'd bring Sora back to me."

" Whatever happens," he began, then stopped. It was there, a single line from her heart through his arm and into his own. Then he could feel her heart, felt it pulsing in his own, a presence full of strength, light, sorrow, and love. " Whatever happens, I'll bring him back. We'll tell him everything…and maybe the rift will mend."

She nodded again, though her heart filled with a sense of dread. How will Sora-

" There's always a way. Always a light. Always a hope." Aozora pulled her to him and held her tightly in his arms. " And we will be whole. Sora will find the Door of Light…and peace will be ours."

Kairi bowed her head, then looked up and immersed herself in the sad hope she could see in his bronze eyes. Then Aozora gently kissed her on the lips and stepped back. He then turned to Tidus and Yuna.

" Tell Leon I'm going. Zexion was right. I need to leave now. Thank you, Yuna."

With all her heart, Kairi thought, as he climbed the stairs and quietly left the Second District, _Come back to me, the both of you. I'll be waiting, always waiting._

A presence in her heart whispered.

_We will. I'll bring him back. I promise._

A tear fell down her face. She turned to Tidus and Yuna, smiling, as the tears streamed down silently.

" What do I do?" she whispered, almost too quietly to hear.

Suddenly Kairi crumpled to the floor against the wall, covering her face and sobbing. She sensed Tidus and Yuna running to her but she ignored them. The pain was unbearable, the dread, despair, fear pounding in her head.

" What do I do? _What have I done?_"

**Author's Note:** If you were expecting something after this, you're all in for a big surprise. I cannot guarantee any previews for the upcoming chapters, as stated previously. Oh and please check my Bio page for recent updates, thank you. Long reviews and questions are preferred but give me all you got and I'll be thankful. Thank you!

And yes, it has come…the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end…


	74. From the Far Past

**Author's Note:** And so…Judgment Day is nearly come. Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for…has arrived. Now onto the chapters for 'Rain of Sorrow', followed by 'Best Deceptions'. Sorry things are taking so long; I was 'nearly' done with this chapter for two weeks but things just kept getting in the way…like homework, friends, and unexpected events. But I assure you it was worth the wait. Believe me. 

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney save Aozora and the Advocate. These two characters are MINE. The plot is also mine and though it may be impossible to understand the plot, it's mine as well.

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 74: From the Far Past**

The silver ship shot through several spinning rings of rock, ice, and dust as it soared through the space of the Universe, on course for Hollow Bastions. Though there were many, the Heartless ships were unusually lethargic and only served to hinder the ship's progress. The debris presented the bigger problem and it was taking longer than usual to cruise from Traverse Town to Hollow Bastion.

It looked as though some great intergalactic war had just taken place, with wreckage strewn throughout, in between returning worlds and worlds saved from the wrath of the evils.

And the silence, it was just _deafening._

That bothered Sora a lot. Donald and Goofy were definitely not talking and the brunet had a sinking feeling he was at fault for this disquieting silence.

" Um…guys?" Sora turned in his seat and found Donald and Goofy just _staring_ at him. They were leaning against opposite walls, arms crossed, weapons set on their feet, just glaring at him.

Oh shit, what did I do now? 

It was one thing to have Donald glare at him; he was used to it. It was _another_ thing for _Goofy_ to be sharing the same expression as Donald.

" What's going on here?" Sora demanded slowly, and with suspicion.

" Sora, we need to talk," Donald said flatly, in a no-nonsense voice.

" Yeah," Goofy agreed, sounding very un-Goofy-like.

" About what?"

" You."

" Me? Do we have to talk now?" Sora questioned, truly bewildered. He then gestured at the controls. " I have to pilot, you know."

" Sora, if there's one thing you need to know about Chip and Dale, it's that their gummi ships are so highly advanced that voice commands alone will put the ships on Autopilot for the assigned destination _and_ blast any ship or asteroid that gets in the way!" Donald barked.

" Um…how-"

Goofy strode over and pressed a small rectangular red button on Sora's right. " Autopilot, set course for Hollow Bastion."

" Voice register: Gary Remue. Destination: Hollow Bastion. Confirm?"

" Confirm," Goofy affirmed with a stern and uncharacteristically clear voice.

" Confirmed. Course set for Hollow Bastion."

Goofy let go of the button and backed off. Sora swiveled in the seat and stared at him. " _What_ did that thing just call you?"

" You don't need to know," Donald retorted. " We're not here to chat about names. We need to talk to you about you."

" Yeah," Goofy nodded. " You and your attitude."

" My _attitude_?" Sora repeated. " Excuse me?"

" That's part of the problem," Donald noted. " Ever since Disney, you've been acting unlike yourself, being extremely rude, disrespectful, and in general very pissed off. Care to explain?"

" Explain?" _How the hell do I explain this? My two best friends let me go, with one hanging out at the clock tower at Twilight Town with some new buddies, and one who…I've been getting my ass kicked for a good year and a half to get back to her and she goes to someone else? Someone named 'Aozora'? I can't explain this!_

" You have nothing to say?" Goofy asked, softening a bit.

" Um…" Sora looked away, bit his lip. _But these guys…they deserve to know at least part of the truth! They've stuck to me through the good times and bad and all…I have to tell them, don't I?_

_What will you tell them?_ A voice spoke in the back of his mind. _What can you say? Can you really speak your heart's sorrows?_

_Shut up._

Sora sighed, scratched his head. He rubbed at his chest, right above his heart. That area was feeling rather irritated, like too many things crowded in a tight space all at one time. _Weird…_

" As long as you guys could get off my case, I guess I'll tell you," Sora sighed. " Thing is…I've been having weird thoughts lately."

" What kind of thoughts?"

" Ones that give you a bipolar disorder!"

Sora blinked. " Well, it's just…I've been wondering…is this all for reals, or not?"

Donald and Goofy blinked at him, clearly lost. Sora shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondered if it all came out wrong. What could he explain? All he knew was…things like this could've happened…or could've never happened. It was so hard to explain…and that's part of what's been tearing him to pieces. Well, maybe not tearing him but-

" As in " Is all of this really happening?" Am I right?" Goofy asked, obviously able to understand him more than Donald could.

" Yeah, I guess," Sora said, looking down on the floor. " Is this all for reals? Or is everything a dream? And if it's a dream…what happens if I wake up?"

He could feel Donald staring at him and looked up. Within a few seconds, the wizard's hand went flying.

" Ow!" Sora tumbled off the chair and fell on the floor hard. He quickly sat up, his left hand touching his left cheek and the other rubbing his back. " Donald, what the hell!"

" You tell me if that's just part of a dream or not!" Donald fumed. " I did not get _my_ ass kicked around for over a year and a half just to have _you_ walk around wondering if any of this actually even _happened_! Does that feel like a dream? Does it? No? Well, I didn't think so, either! Wake up, you palooka, what's wrong with you?"

" Donald!" Goofy exclaimed. " Sora's still a kid. He doesn't understand everything! He's too young…to experience all of this…you know…like the way he did…der…yeah…"

He drifted off, scratching his head in confusion. Sora stared at the knight. He always thought Goofy had a smart side but now he knew just how smart that side was…until the last few words right there.

Not only that, that really is true. I don't know how to handle all of this… 

" You hafta support him, Donald," Goofy managed to recollect his thoughts and continue. " It's never easy being a Keyblade Master, especially someone like him. Mickey was…der…older, right? And...er…more mature…when he got his key."

" True…" Donald mused, starting to regret his action.

" He's still a kid, not like us. We, der, gotta help him through all this. If we find the Door, you know, it's all over, we've won. Until then, we gotta help him. Remember, we're buddies forever. We've got ter support each other, you know. Right now, Sora's going through hard times. That's why we gotta help him out more…"

Both Sora and Donald stared at him while Goofy continued struggling with his words. But the message was pretty clear.

" You're right," Donald sighed. He then looked at Sora from under his blue cap. " Sorry about that, but I hope it was a load off your chest. Zexion warned us of the world on your shoulders. We just wanted to help you carry it."

" He was trying to help me, too," Sora smiled as he got back to his feet, recalling the gloomy man. " He told me there was always a light at the end of the world. Donald, Goofy, thanks. I kinda needed that. The slap and the talk were really helpful."

" Always here to help ya!" Goofy said goofily, standing stiffly and giving him an even goofier salute.

" That's right," Donald nodded, jerking at the zippers on his collar. " We're friends for life, whether you like it or not, Sora!"

The teenager grinned, feeling the old energy return. _Yes…friends for life, friends forever…_

" Remember our little saying?"

Goofy nodded happily. " All for one…"

"…and one for all!" Donald finished triumphantly, while making himself as prim as possible. He then spotted a slowly-spinning world through the glass. " Look!"

The three of them rushed to the front, as the great silver ship roared towards a smoking, ominous sphere hanging in the swirling colors of space.

" That's…" Goofy stared, whispered.

" Hollow Bastion," Sora finished under his breath.

""

_Hollow Bastion. Old Citadel._

Silently and smoothly his hands moved on their own accord, bringing to engines of the small silver ship to life and maneuvering it out of Traverse Town's hangar into the dark skies of the Universe. His eyes seemed to be watching, sentinels on the lookout for threats, as he steered the ship in the direction of Hollow Bastion.

But one only needed to look into his wolf-like bronze eyes and see that he really wasn't seeing at all. His eyes were blank, lacking all emotion, lost in thought and space, and his hands were really moving on their own.

_He's my brother. Sora's my brother! I always thought there was something strange about him…but is it really possible? Was he the brother I heard of? I-I still don't get it, still can't understand it…_

That wasn't the only problem, though.

_I've gone too far, I've done too much. How many lives must I ruin and how many lives must ruin me? How could I have fallen in love with her?_

He sighed, lowered his head. He felt so utterly confused, lost, and totally alone. There was no one he could share his pain with, no one to share his sorrows.

_I'll shatter his illusions of the past and then I'll destroy his dreams of the future. Is that all I'll ever do? Will I continue devastate the lives of everyone close or connected to me? After all I did to Lorien and Kobi…_

Disaster was looming. It was grinning, mocking him. It knew what he feared could happen, what would happen if he didn't make it in time…

His hand reached out and sought a small rectangular red button.

" Autopilot, set course for Hollow Bastion."

" Destination: Hollow Bastion. Confirm?"

" Confirm."

" Confirmed."

He gently let go of the controls and sat back, watching impassively as the ship took control and soared for Hollow Bastion. That left him time to think, to think and to ponder.

_What is the Society going to do? How will opening the gates help them? What's their real purpose? Is Sora just a means to that purpose? Am I?_

Knowing Sora for the few weeks he was with him, he knew Sora was not an easy victim, not easy to bring down. Sora had been fighting far too long to fall prey to anyone. And if Sora hadn't changed any part of him in the gap between then and now, then he knew Sora was way too stubborn to die.

And the Keyblade Master's fought them before. He could fight them again.

_Memories, it's all about the memories, isn't it? After all, the Society changed the whole focus of his adventure, his quest to find two friends and go back home…_

Home…

_He made his way slowly to the white chair, felt intimidated by the purity of the mysterious room. The long white table glared at him, told him of his pathetic position of power in the face of the fair witch who sat at the other end._

_She sat serenely, her pale face studying something in front of her. Absentmindedly she ran her fingers through her locks of blonde hair as her blue eyes skimmed something. Then she flipped the page and continued to study it. That was until Aozora cleared his throat._

_It was one thing to stand before someone in a position of power. It was another to be practically ignored by such a person who was also his age._

_She looked up, slightly startled. Then she smiled broadly and gestured to the chair. " Please sit."_

_Aozora shuffled his feet to the chair and carefully sat down. He was uncomfortable in the deafening silence of the room but hid the discomfort._

" _You know who I am. He sent you here, after all."_

_Aozora studied her as she flipped the pages again. Her face suddenly looked stiff, as she stared at the page she had turned to. Her mouth in a slight downward curve, she pried her eyes off of the page and looked up at him. He shifted in his seat, clearly bothered by her gaze._

" _Who are you?" he dared to ask._

_She smiled at his question. " My name is Naminé, the keeper of memories. I am the one who can make memories…or break them."_

" _How-"_

" _I was born with the magic. When I was young I was sent to a master of mind magic to hone my talents. When I was young my powers were uncontrollable; they could wipe out all memory. With help and guidance, I can change the chain of memories, melting off the links and replacing them with other links, forging new memories. But I can also retain the old links, the old memories. And I can guard them."_

" _Guard?"_

" _Yes. Isn't that what he told you? I guard memories, in particular the 'sky-child.' His memories I must protect at all costs, because the enemy wants his memories. I suppose you wonder why. Why his memories? Hasn't he told you about the 'sky-child'?"_

" _He said I have to find the 'sky-child'. He said this person held the key to destroying the Darkness. And I'm supposed to help him."_

_The witch leaned back in her seat, deep in thought. Then she spoke. " Then you need to know more."_

" _Me?"_

" _There are few who know as much as he does, and I'm one of the select few. After all, I'm the one who could look into his mind and his memories. He is here right now."_

_Aozora stared. " So my search is over?"_

" _No, absolutely not. You are not allowed to meet him."_

_His jaw dropped. " What!"_

" _You are not allowed to meet him," she repeated calmly. " Not now, not here, not yet. Besides, I won't let you. It'll disturb his sleep."_

_Aozora sat blinking at her blankly. _

" _You know about this castle, Aozora. Don't act so dumb. You know what they did to him."_

_He nodded, with some reluctance. " Can't I see what he looks like, at least? If I'm to find him later, I need to at least know what he looks like."_

_She smiled mysteriously. " You don't need to see him. There's reasons why he's called the sky-child but you'll see for yourself in a good year-"_

" _A good year! I've come this far and I've got to wait one more year?"_

_The woman kept smiling, something which irritated him immensely. " You have the patience. You know what this castle was used for, you knew all their plans, and you know what I had to do. And what I must do now. So will you know what you must do."_

_Aozora bit his lip. " That helps me none."_

" _Not yet. You don't know who Crimson is, do you?"_

_Aozora blinked, stared at her. " I'm sorry?"_

_The fair teenager rose to her feet. He followed, hesitantly, as she closed the notebook before her and held it close to her. She looked him straight in the eye and he felt himself flush. " Follow me."_

_He did, staring all around him as she led him through great white halls and up stairs to more halls. He noted scorch marks, scratches, and deep cracks in the walls and pillars. Battles had raged in the halls, just as they had planned…_

_They came to a stop before a set of double doors. Here she hesitated, then turned and looked at him. " Here my brief journey with you ends. Beyond you will learn more of who you are. We will meet again, I know. Until then, good bye."_

" _Wait," Aozora said quickly. " What's your name? I never got it."_

_She smiled as she began to fade, her smile growing wider at his shocked face. " My name is Naminé."_

_He stared at where she once was, then turned back to the doors, puzzled. " So close…yet so far…"_

_He slowly pushed the doors opening, wondering what lay beyond. What would he discover?_

_But faintly she could hear Naminé's voice. She was still speaking to him._

" _I have done terrible things, for the mind is one's last sanctuary. I have played with the memories of the sky-child and even though he understood my predicament, he chose to have his old memories restored and erase me forever from his life. I can't blame him, though. I'm only a shadow of the light within his heart and can easily be brushed aside. He wants his light back, for the light is what holds his sanity. That light…is Kairi."_

The world suddenly lurched and Aozora found himself on his knees, staring at the floor of the ship. His breath was shallow and quick, as abrupt as the wild beating in his chest. He closed his eyes tightly, tried to understand what had happened to him.

_That light…is Kairi._

He couldn't understand what effect Kairi had on him, only knew that the first time he heard that name he treated it with indifference. But now the mere mention of her name sent him reeling, and he struggled to find his own sanity. Kairi was the one who kept Sora sane; Kairi was the one who drove him crazy.

" Why?" he whispered, feeling his heart race, pumping with a violence he never felt before. " What are you doing to me?"

He sighed, held his breath, tried to get his bearing. Then he staggered to his feet, tried to get back to the cockpilot seat but only found himself nearly falling on his face as he made his way to a cot in the back of the ship. He sat down shakily at the edge, stared at his feet, tried to make sense of his reaction. Instead, his mind drifted to what he found beyond the doors…

_He found himself in a blue-white room, the floor marked with curved white blocks. In the center of the room was a great egg-shaped contraption, a very formidable one. And as far as he could tell, it was empty._

" _What is that?" Aozora wondered, staring at it._

" _It returns memories to those who sleep in it…"_

_A man appeared. Aozora stared, realized that he had seen this person before but never so close, never in person. The man seemed to have been wrapped in a red bandage around and around and around, then clothed in red and brown. Belts crossed all over his face; the only parts exposed were his lips and his glowing yellow eye._

" _Memories…but only the original ones. But how far will those memories go?" the man stood there, talking lightly, though Aozora realized who he was._

" _Crimson…"_

_The man smiled, stood before him with confidence. " I am searching for a Champion of the Light, to defeat the Darkness. I believe it is you."_

_Aozora stared at him, his jaw agape. " _Excuse_ me? You're Crimson; what the hell are you talking about?"_

" _A very good question but one I don't care to answer to. Or do you not understand what I'm implying?"_

_Aozora thought for a second. " You're going to destroy me? Fat chance."_

" _Do you think so? I am the one who ordered this castle designed; I know how the castle works. Here I could end your pitiful existence at my own whim. I am the true master of Castle Oblivion and right now the benefactor of a certain child's well-being."_

_Aozora shook. " The sky-child."_

" _Call him what you will but in this castle his life is in my hand. You see, I could end his life easily, simply by yanking free all chains of his memories, rendering him an empty machine like all the others in the Society. Their greatest weakness is his greatest strength, proven dangerous by those who have studied the heart. But I won't kill him now. Oh no, we have grander plans for his demise-"_

" _I won't let you touch him!" Aozora shouted at him, taking a step forward. " I won't let anyone touch him!"_

" _A pity you don't even know what he looks like. He will die."_

" _Never! Not while I live!" Rage blinded him, surged him forward. A Keyblade flashed into his hands and he rushed at Crimson, swinging the blade in the process._

_He sliced right through him, felt himself fly through the laughing red man. He stopped a few feet from the still-whole body, breathing hard. He froze, breathing hard with anger and shock._

" _Wha-"_

" _Look at your weapon, Keyblade Wielder. Tell me what you see."_

" _How-" Aozora involuntarily looked at the handle, saw it was not the Starlight he was used to. The black handle and the gold handles gleamed at him. " How!"_

" _I am a mere hologram, Keyblade Wielder. You cannot hurt me. Nor would you have, had you know who I was."_

_The voice slowly morphed as Crimson spoke, until it became a voice he knew well._

" _Mentor!" he exclaimed, turning around._

_Briefly he saw the tall, hooded man, before the world around his blackened._

" _A test, to test your resolve. You have passed. You may continue. Good luck."_

_And he found himself sitting up in bed, saw Ashita and Orion snoring away in their respective mattresses. He was back at the clock tower and the twilit sky was starting to brighten. Morning._

But what did it all mean?" Aozora asked himself. " Why did I find myself to Castle Oblivion in the first place? What were Naminé and Eldest talking about? Could it be…that they were warning me?"

_The Advocate, the Society, and Ansem will kill Sora. Long ago the Prophet made a gate to seal Light and Darkness. The first King of Light, the very first Keyblade Master, then cut himself with his Keyblade and let the blood spill on the gate, locking it. No key will open the gate and break the seal. Only blood."_

" Our blood…" Aozora whispered, stared at his own hands. " They want our blood…but to what end? What can they gain from releasing Shadowrenis? If they release him, they will release Halocanis as well…and then where will we all be?"

_When the greatest Darkness and the truest Light are freed from their unearthly chains, the earth will roil in death and the veins of the Mother will run with the blood of her Children. The Angels, the last guardians, will perish in the last War, and a New Age will begin, either in hope or death. The gift of immortality will fall away from the immortals and all legends will die._

" What legends?" he wondered, looking up at the ceiling. " The legends that dictate the story of the Keyblades? The legends that the Darkness want to believe? Or-"

_When two people share a paupu fruit, their hearts are bonded for all eternity. But it is only a legend._

Slowly he reached into his pocket and pulled out the star-shaped charm that he had never returned to Sora. He studied its simple beauty, wondered at the innocent hands that made it, and then it hit him.

" It's just like the keychain on my Starlight Keyblade…"

And suddenly he saw in his mind a young redhead girl threading the five shells together while sitting on the beach. Smiling, she showed the unfinished charm to the wild-haired brunet boy who was carrying logs, a string of fish, and a bundle of mushrooms to a makeshift raft pulled high up on the sand. And then a name came to mind.

_Oathkeeper._

He summoned the Starlight but nearly dropped the forming blade in shock as the charm vanished. When the light finally died away and he beheld the weapon in his hand, his jaw went slack.

This was not the Starlight. The colors were full of warmth and mythical beauty, the form slender and strong. The handles were formed of flared white wings and its head was forged into the likeness of a star far more beautiful than the head of the Starlight. And dangling from a chain was the charm, the lucky charm.

Oathkeeper… 

And suddenly he knew how this came into being. The Oathkeeper…the holder of promises…

_The promises that would hold them all together in a circle of light._

Enlightenment came only a few moments later, understanding, as Hollow Bastion, a distant speck in a myriad of colors, grew in presence.

_All our promises to the ones we know, the ones we love, bind us all in a circle of light. Our promises, our hearts, connect us all, and no matter what happens to one of us, the others will continue to pulse with the promise that so many others see in us. _We_ are the promise._

He looked up at the ceiling, saw Kairi's sad smile and felt his heart beat with strength and courage. He knew what he must do, even if it would break his heart – bring Sora back to her, to save them both. And he can only watch from the side, with the love that he would take with him to the grave.

" But so be it," Aozora whispered, rising and walking to the controls as the silver ship melted into the foggy clouds that obscured most of the world it protected.

""

" They come," Marucia murmured, looking out into the cloudy skies of Hollow Bastion.

" That…seemed pretty obvious from the start," Axel snapped back while polishing his Fire and Wind Wheels.

" Both of them are coming," the darker-haired man repeated, ignoring the look Axel gave him. He took to pacing the room where he had his last talk with the Advocate. " They come. Our time has come. We will meet them both head-on but only one will shed his blood."

" And when that happens…perhaps our search will be over," Domitan remarked, striding into the room. Following him was Roxanne. Axel stopped wiping his Wheels for a moment to regard the blonde woman, then continued to scrub his beloved weapons.

" Where are Vexen and Lexeus?" Marucia asked, refusing to meet any of their eyes.

" They're with Xaldon," Roxanne said smoothly. " Analyzing as usual. You know how Vexen is. They don't plan to meet Sora. Vexen, at least, doesn't plan to. It's our job to carry things out now."

" Wimp, is he?" Axel chuckled. " He who knows the most bows out the first."

" That's only because Sora isn't the only one coming," Domitan observed. " Axel, that's your cue."

" Is it, now? Well, this castle as been as boring as fucking hell. Pa-arty! I'd say 'Pin the Tail on the Duck', what do you think?"

" We're not talking about the wizard and the knight, you asshole. Dammit, what do you think?"

" Hey, relax," Axel said calmly, holding his weapon an arm's length away and scrutinizing it. " I've got it all planned out. While you guys get on with things, I'll play around with-"

" There is no time for games. You will kill him if you can," a dark voice hissed as, in a cloud of darkness, another person appeared. Unlike the others, he obviously preferred to keep his hood up. " I'll be watching. Start with intimidation, the psychological factor. It'll shake his foundation. Then while Axel heads off Aozora, Marucia will deal with Sora. Yes, _you_. Don't screw up. If you do…"

" I don't screw up," Marucia said coldly, glaring at the Advocate. " Back at Castle Oblivion, I didn't screw up. It was all planned out."

" Except you weren't supposed to lose," Axel grinned darkly. " That time, you were supposed to whack him into the dirt, then leave him alone for your hologram to wipe his ass out of existence. Instead he's the one who whips your ass. Hey, and guess what? Sora's even stronger now! Isn't that a whole lot of fun?"

" Shut up." Marucia glared at the red-haired man, then looked at the Advocate. " I don't plan to die by his hand, thanks."

" Good for you," Axel nodded, rising to his feet. " Well, I'm done. See you later; I'm going for a walk."

" I don't think so," the Advocate said coldly. Axel whirled around on him but to everyone's surprise, his hackles didn't rise in indignation.

" Whatever you say. It's not like I care…"

The others stared at him as he sat himself down and began to polish his Fire and Wind Wheels again. That was so not like Axel.

There was something very funny about this…

""

" Why is it so quiet?" Sora wondered, looking around.

They had ridden up the platform from Rising Falls, found the whole place eerily silent.

" Why is it so quiet?" Goofy repeated without realizing it.

" Something's wrong," Donald decided, pulling out his staff and holding it out in front of him. " Whatever Lorien and Kobi said was off. I don't see anything here. What army? I don't see any army."

Sora walked forward a few feet, then stopped and crossed his arms. " This is just so…off."

He started walking again. The two had to agree as they followed him down the walkway towards the high doors of Hollow Bastion. They had never remembered the distance being so…long.

" This…is just wrong," Sora was saying, slowing down a bit. A prickly feeling was running up his spine, unnerving him. " There is _definitely_ something wrong with Hollow Bastion. Can you feel it?"

" Of course!" Donald snapped.

" No, not that," Sora shook his head, then felt a need to look up. His eyes widened as he eyed one of Hollow Bastion's balconies. " That!"

He pointed at a tall, hooded figure. It stood motionless, watching them, its arms folded across its chest. The hood was looking directly at them but they couldn't see who was underneath it.

Sora shook as he stared at the unidentifiable being. The person seemed familiar…or at least the aura around that being. He was sure he had seem similar people before…

The person raised his hand and Sora jumped back involuntarily. Then Goofy yelled, " Heartless!"

" What!" Sora whirled around, saw NeoShadows rising, pulling themselves out of the ground grotesquely. He looked back, saw no one there, and found himself quite at a loss.

Aozora would understand this – what am I saying? I can handle this on my own! 

He grit his teeth, then summoned the Keyblade into his hand. He felt Donald and Goofy back up into him, providing support as the NeoShadows twitched, looked at each other, and at them. They were encircled and he could see more Heartless appearing with each second.

" Brilliant," he found himself say. " Bloody brilliant."

Then Goofy initiated the battle. " Come on!"

He rushed headfirst into the horde of Heartless, his shield out in front of him. He plowed into the field but slowed substantially as the bodies gradually inhibited his initial speed.

" Freeze!" Donald squalled, pointing his staff at the NeoShadows. A huge ice ball smashed into a huddle, rendering them into black muck and a cloud of red hearts.

Sora, with a fierce war cry, charged after Goofy, hacking and slashing with the Kingdom Key. Two NeoShadows died instantly, but were quickly replaced by – it seemed to him – four more. He sidestepped one, then whirled his Keyblade around, and jabbed the NeoShadow behind him through the chest. He then somersaulted over another, landed lightly on his feet and, with a sweeping motion, beheaded four Heartless. He then ran forward and jumped right in front of a bedeviled NeoShadow. He _somehow_ landed on the side of the castle with his feet and pushed off, turning his body around vertically. As he soared through the air he unleashed his Ragnorak, instantly annihilating the Heartless that sought to follow him. He landed on his feet and threw his Keyblade. Spinning as it flew in a large half-circle, it found victims from as far as ten feet away, then made its way back into his hand. He quickly switched hands, knocked two NeoShadows over the ledge with the Key's handle, then made a horizontal slice, taking down two.

" Strike Raid!"

Ten NeoShadows were down by the time the Key returned to his left hand. He then bolted, his strides low and long as he blended into the midst of the NeoShadows. Try as they might they could not corner him; he was always moving, slashing and occasionally Dodge Rolling their claws. He quickly joined Goofy, still using the Keyblade with his left hand.

" Sora, you're ambididextrous?" Goofy stammered in amazement before spinning away into a tornado.

" It's _ambidextrous_, you palooka!" Donald yelled. " Force!"

Sora looked down and his jaw dropped. " I don't know!"

Donald raised an eyebrow at the surprised response, then yelled, " Freeze!"

Sora spun around, swiftly switching hands to take out Heartless right and left, but there was one problem: the NeoShadows kept coming at 'em. And he knew they couldn't last long physically.

We need magic! But what? 

He looked to Donald, who had just wiped out a good swarm of NeoShadows with a Firaga. The Keyblade Master felt a devious grin grow on his face.

" Fusion Force!"

""

In the room high above, they could see the blue-clad figure dancing, fire and ice and thunder and wind swirling all around it. Dark gravity and pure Holy continued to blast out the NeoShadows as the force shrunk.

It didn't matter. They could always spare a few hundred, as long as the purpose was served on a silver platter.

The others had left. It was the two of them, keeping an uneasy silence as hatred crackled between them. Both stood at the windows, three windows apart.

" Hm…he's gotten more powerful than I thought," Axel smirked, watching the emotionless Marucia study the Keyblade Master's every move.

_Y'know, after that little pep talk with Pete, he _does_ look like Sora. I mean…it's just there. Well, besides the hair. Same color but his looks more controllable…and duh, the eyes…man, and I thought Ronsend was much too reserved to go run around with women…heh, wait 'till I tell him everything…_

" Yes he did," Marucia muttered, watching as the teenager finally wiped out the last of the NeoShadows with an exceptionally impressive Holy.

" Hey, Marucia…"

The older man cast him a look. _Oh shit, there's that look on his face…_

" What now?"

" Don't you ever wonder…" Axel eyed Sora, who was busy apologizing to an outraged Donald while Goofy was busy rummaging for Potions, then looked back to Marucia, " why you two look so similar?"

Marucia stared at him. " Excuse me? What did you say?"

" I mean, come on Marucia, don't you see the resemblance? You guys just look so alike, right?"

" Axel, are you losing your mind right now? I'm not blond! I'm not Aozora! I'm Marucia!"

" Yeah, yeah, asshole, arse-rag, son of Ronsend, yes, I know it all…"

Now the brunet looked shaken as Axel turned away, acting as though everything he said lacked importance. " What else do you know?"

" Stuff people forgot," Axel grinned madly. " Stuff people never knew. For starters, I looked up the Advocate's stats. Now, I found some funny stuff, including the woman Ronsend bedded and the woman Ronsend married. I'm pretty sure you know the name of the woman Ronsend spent a night with and we all unfortunately know the bitch he married and had kids with. Alara. Yeah, that's right Marucia, the one and only."

Ronsend had kids with Alara? Why does this sound not so good? 

" Now, these two registered kids are pretty interesting. Well, to me they are because they've got the most fucked up names in the whole damn Universe. Who in their right mind would name their twins Shirozora and Kurozora – wait, who'd name their kid Vexen? I take that back. But listen to this: Shirozora's a registered brunet with blue eyes and Kurozora's registered blond with his father's freakish eyes. Funny that you don't got those eyes, too. Hm…anyways, does that ring any bells?"

" Should it?"

Axel rolled his eyes. " Fine, fine, if you want me to get to the point, Marucia. Ronsend's got three lovely sons, all of them kicking and screaming. You are the unfortunate one, being the oldest and illegitimate and therefore lacking power your half-brothers would definitely have. Now the other two-" he jerked his head towards the windows "-are quite alive and breathing and we doesn't even know that. He has _no_ idea who he's up against."

" What are you-" Marucia caught the a lone white and black-clad teenager staggering his way to the great doors of Hollow Bastion. The teenager seemed quite bruised but none the worse for wear. Beyond the chasm he could see smoke rising into the sky.

But that wasn't the point. His face drained of all blood as he realized who the teenager was.

Axel grinned madly, as only the Cheshire Cat would.

" Congratulations, Marucia! You are the most unlucky man alive! You, the leader of this stupid Elite, are half-brothers to our sworn enemies, the Keyblade Wielders and Masters! How does it feel, knowing that your enemy shares the same daddy as you?"

" He doesn't know?" Marucia whispered as he shook madly. " He doesn't?"

" Nope," Axel grinned. " Why, you plan to tell him or something?"

Marucia was at a loss for words. " I…I can't believe this…"

" I suggest we don't tell him anything," Axel said, suddenly stern and commanding and totally breaking the chain of command. " One, that would ruin our whole plan, and two, he'll find out anyways. It's only a matter of _how_."

" _You_ are going to tell him?"

Axel grumbled with frustration. _Blockhead!_ " No, you idiot. Remember the Secret of the Prophet? Or did your ass really screw your head?"

" What the hell are you talking about?"

" Oh right, that was Domitan. Okay, we'll tell you why we're out to kill Sora; you'll be only the third person to know, besides Domitan, and myself. So, we jumped this one airship and attacked. Killed everyone except for this one really pretty girl. No idea what her name was or who the hell she was but she's pretty good. Got me in the face with her foot before Domitan tackled her. We found – or Domitan found – a message she was carrying. I decided to read it on a whim while he dragged her off and had his own little party."

" Oh gods…" Marucia winced, vile images coming to mind. " _What_ did you guys do!"

" He raped her, I didn't." Axel put on a mask of innocence. " So, I was reading the message. Directed to our ol' Squall Lionheart a.k.a. Leon. Apparently this girl found something funny about Hollow Bastion, something about a gateway that the Prophet created long ago, at the end of the Mythic Age. It's sealed by the blood shared by Dragon and Phoenix but it was Dragon that closed it. These two – surprise, surprise – were the original Keyblade Masters. Spill their blood in a certain place and that seal would be broken. Guess who's outta there?"

Marucia looked ghostly. " I don't believe it…Shadowrenis and Halocanis! The Children of the Mother! How-"

" Bingo! So, we kill either one of the brats and we get the baddest guy on our side. I have a preference for Sora; he _is_ the one who's supposed to open the Door of Light."

" Does-does _he_ know of this?"

Axel glared at him. " You think I'd tell Crimson about this? He'd lose his position if he finds out! Hell no! I'd rather he finds out in a more surprising fashion…"

" You're breaking the chain of command, Axel. You have to tell him."

Axel stared at him. " Look, I'm not going to do that crap, okay? It's a waste of time and I gotta go. Supposed to meet up with Aozora, remember?"

Marucia, numb all over, shook his head and waved him off. " Go. Don't screw up, Axel."

" Hey," Axel retorted, pointing his weapon at the other man, " _you_ don't screw up. You fucked it up back at Castle Oblivion; you'd better not do it this time around."

" Point taken. Don't need instructions repeated three times a day. Now get out of here, Axel."

Grinning again, the fire-haired man vanished. Marucia sighed, then strode over to an antique bookshelf to the left and picked up his pink scythe.

" Shit, what's this world coming to?" he muttered, wiping a smudge from the shining blade.

Axel has to be joking, right? 

""

" I don't see anyone…" Sora peered into the dim hallway as Donald looked into various rooms and Goofy inspected each huge put that sat in the castle. " This is strange. No Heartless, no Ansem, no Society members. What's going on here?"

" They're hiding from us?" Goofy suggested as he poked at a suit of armor and cringed at the high-pitched grind of rust on rust.

" But where?"

" And why?"

Sora walked down the hall, followed closely by a shifty and nervous Donald, and a rather oblivious Goofy. The ever-curious knight poked and peeked around as they walked deeper into the belly of Hollow Bastion and uncertain danger.

" Hey, nice room!" Goofy exclaimed, shattering the ominous silence with a loud _bang_ and walking into one.

" Goofy!" Sora yelled, recovering nicely from a ten-foot jump, a 180-degree turn, and a battle stance with the Kingdom Key at hand.

" Well, someone had a fit," the captain noted, his voice slightly muffled.

The others poked their heads in, then Donald pushed in, saying, " Let me see."

Sora saw the shards of glass scattered all over the carpet. They came from a broken mirror.

" Wow, someone did," the wizard agreed, then looked around. " This is a nice room."

" Someone must've been here recently," Sora observed, kneeling down and poking at a glass shard while Donald studied the dusty bookshelves and Goofy sat on the bed. " There's no dust on these. What about the bed?"

" Half and half," the knight remarked, looking around until his gaze fixed on a bedpost.

" Dusty." Donald blew at a shelf and hacked at the cloud of dust that rose from the intrusion. " And nasty!"

" Um…Sora?" Goofy pointed to the bedpost. " I think you might want to take a look at this."

Sora walked over, unsure of what Goofy was talking about. " What? I don't see-"

He stared. It stared back at him boldly, the dusty white wood gleaming through the dark varnish. The name multiplied in his mind as he stared at the word.

_Riku._

" How…?" Sora began helplessly.

" He lived here?" Goofy suggested. " Maybe when he was little, he lived here-"

" Shit, that's bullshit," Sora snapped. " He grew up on Destiny Islands like me; we were the Island boys. Kairi's the only one of my friends who wasn't born-"

" I found something," Donald said quietly, as he flipped through what looked like a large picture book. " Sora, take a look at this."

He held out the book to Sora, who took it with puzzlement. He looked at the title.

" _Bonny's Big Day_ by _James Herriot_," he read aloud, slightly pleased at his reading skills. " Okay, so what?"

He opened the book cover, didn't see anything usual and was about the flip the first green page again when his blue eyes alighted on a huddle of neat cursive. He studied it for a few minutes, then his face paled considerably.

" Sora?" Goofy asked tentatively, seeing shock bloom on the teenager's face.

" I-I don't believe it…"

The book slipped out of his hand, fell to the floor. Sora stared at it, as though he thought it would come to life and strike him dead.

" No…" Sora whispered, turned, and ran.

" Sora, wait!" Donald yelled, running after him. Goofy looked down at the book, decided to take it along, and tucked it in the pocket inside his vest. Might as well read it later on the way back to Traverse Town, right?

He bolted after both Sora and Donald, wondering what Sora read that made him run off. He didn't notice the NeoShadows rising up behind them, their yellow eyes blinking and staring after them. Looking at each other, they melted back into the shadows, and glided silently after them.

' _To Riku with love, from your parents. Happy 4th birthday!'_

''

Gasping for breath, Sora stumbled what looked like the Chapel, though he didn't recognize it immediately. Well, actually, he didn't recognize it at all. It was a dark room, quite huge, round, and bare except for the door doors in the room. One of them he emerged from; the other was across from him, a set of stairs leading from it to what looked like sunlight.

" What is this place?" Donald wondered, slowing down as he entered the room as well.

Breathing hard, Sora turned on Donald as Goofy emerged as well, winded and staggering. " This was Riku's home, wasn't it?"

" I think so…" Donald nodded slowly. " Though…this isn't the home Riku knows. This is Hollow Bastion now, not Old Citadel."

" Wha?" Goofy demanded, suddenly realizing what they were saying.

" Then am I the only one from Destiny Islands?" Sora asked no one in particular. " I mean…Riku and Kairi both came from here, didn't they? But why didn't they remember each other? Why didn't any of them tell me?"

" You do not know the ravages of Time."

Axel stepped from the shadows, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. His arms folded across his chest, he cocked his head to one side and gave Sora a knowing look.

" Shit, you!" Sora backed up into Donald and Goofy, bringing out the Keyblade in the process.

" Yes, shit, me!" the Society member laughed darkly. " Surprised to see me? You shouldn't."

" Why shouldn't I? The last time I saw you, you were fighting Aozora. That was his business, not mine."

" Wrong. You are as much my business as it is his business. We've met before. You know this. You just don't remember when or where, do you?"

" What are you talking about?" Sora demanded, the tremble in his voice betraying his sudden uncertainty.

_There are those who could give you the answer…if you are brave enough to find them._

Zexion's words came to mind.

" What do you know of my memories, my past?" His voice was low, dangerous, threatening, and angry.

" Oh-ho, you want a fight, eh?" Axel laughed, though his eyes were filled with bloodlust. " Well I can tell you a great deal about your memories. I, for one, had a hand in that-"

" What did you do?" Sora screamed, taking a step forward and giving his Key an expert spin. " What did you do to me?"

" Who, calm down!" Axel backed up, holding his hands up. " Hey, listen Sora, we're not so different from each other. Just calm down and let me explain how-"

" We met before…" Sora suddenly realized, his eyes flashing with recognition at the words. " We met before and we've fought."

" Very good, Sora." Axel applauded him. " Now, what else do you know?"

_Thank Naminé._

" Something happened involving someone named Naminé," Sora said slowly, remembering the note Jiminy Cricket wrote down. " Who's she?"

" Who is she?" Axel began to laugh. The unpleasant sound echoed around the room. " She's a memory changer. She can change people's memories at will. And protect them, as she has been trying to protect yours."

" What?"

" She guards your memories so that nobody else could do what she did and tamper with your mind. She is a shadow of the light you are losing."

" Shut up!" The last thing Sora wanted was for someone to remind him of his 'light'. " Just who are you?"

" Your contemporary," Axel smirked.

" You wield no Keyblade."

" I don't need a Keyblade. I have my own weapons. And my heart is not lost. Yes, Sora, I'm not lacking in that area. Unlike others, my heart still remains."

" How are you my contemporary?"

" Ah well…you'll find out sooner or later….most likely later."

" Just tell me what you did to my memories!"

" Oh I wasn't the only one," Axel said coolly, slouching slightly in his stance. " For instance, _he_ suggested to _Vexen_ that we start studying your heart."

" Vexen?"

" Well, we called him 'Vixen' just for kicks, then I wiped him out of the game."

" Wait a minute…"

An angry, ugly face flashed into his mind. " He's the one at Fabled Countryside!"

" Bingo."

" Who's the other guy?"

" Oh, you've met him before, if briefly. He's my friend and good enough to whip your ass."

" Nobody whips my ass," Sora growled.

" Well I mean it literally. His weapon _is_ a whip."

_Domitan._

" Zexion's brother."

Axel crossed his arms and smirked again. " So _that's_ where Zexion went! I was wondering what became of him after an Australian mob saved him from Domitan."

" What?"

" Yeah, we found out Zexion was working for you pathetic lot so Domitan tried to kill him. But after Zexion rambled off some stupid shit about life, a mob stormed Domitan and Naminé saved Zexion's ass."

Then Sora had to ask. " What did Zexion do?"

" He programmed the whole thing. Castle Oblivion was – whoops, didn't mean to let that slip, did I?"

But it was too late. Sora's mind was working quickly, searching for loose links and forging a chain to clip into place between the closing of Kingdom Hearts and the arrival at Twilight Town so many ages ago. A chain of memories was coming into place…

" You-you guys tried to make me forget Kairi and my promise, tried to twist my image of and my friendship with Riku, and take control of me and the Keyblade," Sora accused, pointing his Key at Axel and stepping forward. " You used an innocent girl, Naminé, to make me a puppet of Marucia! But you helped me save her and destroy Marucia and Roxanne! And you killed Vexen when he spoke too much!"

" Well…you _were_ getting it right," Axel remarked thoughtfully, tapping his chin with a finger. " But after that…you just don't understand, do you? Domitan proposed to Vexen that we do something about you, since you were a walking, talking, and kicking time bomb. Zexion created a virtual reality called Castle Oblivion and a friend of ours lured you in. Then we instructed Naminé to begin playing with your memories, erasing those of your dear Kairi and replacing them with those of herself. Your hold on Kairi was very strong, though; we had to work to loosen that hold and make you more susceptible to our will. Using a series of your memories, we created a reality for you, in which you visited each of the worlds and went through all the same battles. But somehow Naminé was warning you. Each character somehow hinted at you about the trickery of memory, of its faults. While that was going on, we got news of intruders. One was dear old Ansem. And the other was your dear friend Riku-"

" He was at Castle Oblivion?"

"If you had asked him, he would have told you everything. Zexion, Vexen, and Lexeus themselves worked to keep him away from you. We gave him a different reality to work through but damn Ansem and King Mickey interrupted every single glorious moment, every singe time we nearly got to him. Also, he wasn't as naïve and stupid as you were; _he_ knew something was going on, unlike you, you stupid boneheaded klutz."

" Hey!"

" Ah right, Axel, don't insult those kind of people because they can't take a joke. Off-topic now, are we?" He paced a bit, while Sora watched his every step. " We had everything planned out, the coordination of all the Heartless and whatnot, even all our dialogue, until Vexen fucked things up by programming his character to let in on a bit about what lay in Twilight Town. So I programmed my character to kill his while our master beat the shit out of Vexen. And that was then I decided to start telling you what was really going on. Also, I hate Marucia. We planned out your path all the way to the 13th floor, where we personally faced you. The mechanized Marucia, just to let you know, was a hologram."

" And what was the whole point of this!"

" Test your heart, study your heart, I don't know, stupid shit maybe? But I learned something…"

He stepped forward and Sora tensed slightly, sensing Donald and Goofy moving closer to him.

" Everything you did to me," Sora whispered, feeling fire burn in his heart, angry at the intrusion into his very being. " Everything you did…you made me choose between remembering Castle Oblivion and forgetting everything, or remembering everything but forgetting Castle Oblivion!"

" You certainly made the right choice," Axel smirked. " Or else you would have made things much harder for the rest of us. Well our master made things hard as well; there was this whole gimmick going on about giving Riku and King Mickey passage into the Society-"

" Excuse me? _Riku_?"

" King Mickey entered the Society!" Donald squalled.

" I honestly don't know shit so don't ask me!" Axel snapped back, suddenly irritated.

" You…you and the whole lot…" Sora snarled. " You lot are going to pay!"

" Well, I'd _love_ to fight you again but sorry. See, I have an appointment to keep – well, two, actually. So do you. So I suggest you take that door-" he nodded towards the door behind him "-and see what the others have waiting for you. There's one in particular you'd want to meet. Especially right now."

" Fine," Sora growled. " But the next time we meet, you won't have a chance to beg for mercy."

" Oh we'll see about that," Axel grinned, fading from view.

Silence. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other, suddenly wondering what had just taken place.

" Der…what do we do?" Goofy asked nervously, looking around.

Sora sighed. " We go out the door."

He pointed to the door across the room and ran. Donald and Goofy, more than unhappy with Axel's words and Sora's decision, sighed, shrugged, and ran after him, their weapons on the go.

They ran up the stairs, Sora taking three at a time, and then they burst into sunlight. Sora staggered for a moment, gave his eyes no more than three seconds to adjust from the gloom to the light, then stared straight ahead at the great balcony ahead of them.

A hooded person stood there. It turned to him and Sora swore it was laughing at him. Then it raised its arms up high and four more shady beings joined him. They stared down at him, unmoving, dark sentinels from thin air.

Sora shook, stared at them, wondered if he was going to have to fight all of them. His memories safely linked in a complete chain, he knew how hard it was fighting each one of them. Could he-could he fight? Could he fight them all?

One of the Unknowns raised its arm and Goofy yelled," Heartless!"

Sora whirled around, saw NeoShadows pulling themselves out of the ground, stretching themselves and eyeing Sora's weapon with displeasure. The trio backed into each other, Donald gulping as they inched towards them.

" What?" Sora gasped as he stared back at the balcony. Only one Unknown remained. And it had its back towards him.

His blood began to boil. It was an insult, as though the Society thought a legion of NeoShadows could easily do away with the Keyblade Master! How dare they!

" Can you guys hold them off?" Sora asked, hefting in the Silver Key in his hands. " I'm going after him!"

Goofy nodded, turned, and charged the NeoShadows, smashing them away as Sora and Donald ran towards the Unknown. Donald slowed at the halfway point, glared at the NeoShadows that escaped Goofy's wrath, and screamed, " Thunder!"

" Donald, not that spell!" Sora shouted a warning.

"A single thunderbolt rushed down from the heavens and fried a NeoShadow out of existence.

" Just go! I can handle them!" Donald shot back. " Fire!"

Sora glared at the seemingly oblivious Unknown as he took his friend's words to heart, and leaped up at it. His left hand was outstretched towards the Unknown and his right arm pulled back, the Keyblade poised and ready.

The Unknown turned around as he approached. Reaching up, it pulled down its hood, revealing a stern face with brown eyes, and brunet hair.

" Marucia!" Sora shouted as, in a flurry of pink petals, Marucia's scythe appeared and he swung at the incoming Keyblade Master.

""

" Where did they go?" Aozora wondered as he ran down the hall. He knew they were here; besides the scars out in front of Hollow Bastion's huge doors, he could see their footprints in the soft carpet. And something was pulling him, tugging his heart in one narrow path. Where were they going?

" Sora? Donald? Goofy? Hello? Anyone!" he yelled but there was no answer.

A pot fell over behind him and shattered into a billion porcelain pieces. Aozora jumped in mid-stride, nearly fell over, and whirled around as soon as he found his bearing.

A NeoShadow peeked back at him, then melted into the shadows. His heart raced as he realized what was following him.

" Shit!"

He bolted, looking back constantly as he followed what he determined was Sora's trail. They were not following him, were instead milling around the broken pottery.

" What's going on?" he wondered, baffled at their unwillingness to give chase.

There must be something ahead that they don't want to near. Yes, that was it!

He focused n the trail and kept following it, until a few seconds later he stumbled into a huge, bare room.

" Well, bare except for two things. There were two doorways and – okay, make that three – there was-

" Axel!" he exclaimed, screeching to a stop in horror.

" Surprise, surprise, Aozora," the man grinned as he straightened and turned to the shocked teenager. " Missed me?"

" Where's Sora!"

" Oh, he's having the time of his life…with Marucia."

" You're going to kill him, aren't you?"

" Not I," Axel smirked, stretching out his arms. " You can blame Marucia. His second chance to get it right."

" No, I won't let you touch him!" Aozora made for the doorway, the only exit and the only path he knew Sora would take.

" Stop right there! Instead of fighting someone else's enemy, why don't you just try and kiss my ass!"

A wall of flame roared from the ground, surrounding the two of them. Aozora whirled on Axel, the Golden Keyblade and the Oathkeeper erupting into his hands."

" Ooh, impressive," Axel remarked. " Looks like the Oathkeeper _and_ King Mickey's Keyblade. What did you have to pay to get a go at both of them?"

"That's none of your concern!" Aozora snarled, spinning the weapons in his hands. The heat was bothering him immensely. " Let me out."

" No."

The Fire and Wind Wheels, finely polished, spun into existence. Axel gripped them and looked up demonically.

" You'll have to get through me first."

" You're going to pay!"

" Me?" Axel suddenly vanished. " Why me?"

Aozora whirled around, throwing up his Keyblades, and blocking Axel's attempt to spike his back.

" 'Cuz you're one of them!"

" Oh, unfortunately I'm not," Axel smirked, vanishing and reappearing at Aozora's right. " How? You'll see!"

Aozora blocked a Wheel and pushed him back. " What are you talking about? You're part of the Elite!"

" I have many allegiances," Axel remarked smoothly as he sidestepped the Golden Key and blocked the Oathkeeper. " As did you!"

Aozora said nothing in return, his whole attention focused now on bringing down Axel. But carefully he maneuvered on the restricted battlefield to stay near the wall of fire. Just one little slip and he'll jump over…somehow…

" Not talking?" Axel swung, the Wheel parallel to the ground. Aozora Dodge Rolled out of the way, then rushed him.

" Bastard!" the other snapped as he pulled away with a gash on his arm.

" Thought you were better," Aozora smirked. " _Illumivisi!_"

He vanished. Axel, now thoroughly pissed, ignored the dripping blood and shouted, " Hiding from me now, you wimp? Thought you weren't chicken! Looks like I'm wrong! Well, I'm not bringing this fire wall down so you can wave your brother goodbye-"

" How do you know?" Aozora demanded. Axel searched out the voice's source and struck. Blades countered his wheels.

" Oh I do my own searching…"

" No, where'd you first get the idea!"

" Hey, it's so obvious. You're obviously a lunkhead. Must run in the family. Anyways, you, Sora, Marucia all look alike. And Marucia's daddy is Ronsend. Of course I'd get ideas!"

" What does Marucia-no! What!"

Axel struck and a spray of blood responded.

" You bastard!"

Axel watched the blood drip with satisfaction. " Gotcha…"

Aozora's left leg wobbled; the wheel had torn through his upper leg. He grimaced but managed to counter Axel's flurry of attacks anyways.

" Marucia's your half-brother. That I figured out. And right now I'm quite sure he's dueling Sora…I wonder what's going through his mind while he gets ready to kill Sora-"

" Axel, where the fuck are you, man? Marucia's fucking it all up again!" Domitan's voice raged from behind the flames.

" Someone's been messing his mind," Roxanne's voice added annoyingly. " He's been acting funny and the only person who could do that to him is you!"

Aozora froze. _Shit…_

Axel scowled, stood up abruptly. " Where do you think I'd be, Domitan, if there's a wall of fire right in front of your fucking face? Well, do something, why don't you? I've got my hands full, idiot!"

" Well, we can't do anything," Roxanne replied. " The Advocate's watching. The wrong move and he's going to get personally involved in this. If Marucia fucks up, the Elite screws it, and he steps in."

" Oh fuck!" Axel swore, his guard coming down faster.

Aozora took the time to back off, letting the Keyblades disappear and reassessing his situation. Well, he could jump the fire but he could burn himself. If he Dodge Rolled the fire and somehow came out whole, he'd end up running into both Domitan and Roxanne, which in itself is very, very bad. He also knew the spell of invisibility was very temporary and could wear off within minutes. Or he could fight Axel, then fight the other two, and find either Sora in deadlock with Marucia or the Advocate, Marucia dead, the Advocate dead, or…

" No!"

" What?" Axel whirled around and realized too late where the trail of red dots was headed.

Aozora closed his eyes, breathed a prayer, and Dodge Rolled into the fire.

" What the-" Roxanne stumbled and fell over as something ran into her legs.

" Out of my way, bitch!"

Aozora suddenly materialized in her face. He stumbled to his feet and bolted, somersaulting over a stupefied Domitan, and rushing out the door and up the stairs. Domitan still stood there, dumbfounded as Roxanne slowly stood up and glared at Axel as the wall of fire died away.

" Hey, I didn't do anything. I just delayed him some," Axel grinned hastily, readying himself for the fire.

" You could've killed him, you asshole, not 'delay' him some!" Roxanne snapped.

" That would take out all the fun! Besides, I just wanna see the look on Ronsend's face when he finds all three of his children outside fighting him and each other."

Roxanne blinked. " What?"

Domitan crossed his arms and glared at his best friend. " There's something going on here we don't know. Care to explain?"

Axel grimaced. " Shit!"

""

The balcony was even bigger than Sora thought. The last time he was here, the platform was a short run; now it was so expansive he didn't even know where it ended.

But that wasn't the point. Marucia was even harder than the last time he faced him and it was taking way too long to bring him down.

There was one problem, however, and a very insulting one. Marucia wasn't even looking like he was focused on the battle; he was staring at Sora with some strange mixture of horror and anger as he continued to block Sora's attacks. He didn't even try to strike.

Sora was battling with all his might but this-this _cheapskate_ was blocking his every move and making it look _easy_!

" Fight, why don't you?" Sora swore, thoroughly insulted, as he swung the Silver Keyblade furiously.

Marucia kept sidestepping and blocking as he stared at Sora's face. Yes, it was there, Axel was right. The resemblance, shocking and subtle as it was, was there…

_You and I_, he thought with absolute horror, _share the same blood…the same connections…the same chance…_

His eyes drifted to the flashing Key, realized that under different circumstances he might have been able to wield such a weapon.

Impossible! 

He could feel the eyes of the Advocate burning into his mind, willing him to start really fighting, to behead the Keyblade Master if he must. But how could he?

_I don't even know the truth! Am I a robot to order about without reason, without explanation? How can I kill, fulfill my mission not knowing what's really going on?_

Donald and Goofy, who had backed up into each other as the NeoShadows converged on them, glanced at the furious battle raging at the balcony.

" Sora!" Donald squalled as the Heartless swelled in number. " Hurry up and finish him off! We need help here!"

Sora heard but did not hear, did not reply. Now he had gotten a good look at Marucia's face and now _his_ face was masked with a mixture of bewilderment and horror.

_He's not attacking me at all_, Sora realized firstly. _Why? What the hell's going on here? Why isn't he attacking me? Why isn't he fighting? What's going on?_

A trap? Impossible…

Then the horror took over the bewilderment as his mind sought to understand why he felt he had seen that face elsewhere-

_His face!_ Sora's attacks began to slow. _His face, I know that face! I've seen it before! It's almost like…Aozora's…face…no…_

And if Aozora's practically his exact duplicate, what would that mean?

_What's going on? The three of us are sharing the same face! What does that mean?_

If the three of them share the same facial features, would that mean they're related? Impossible! They can't be related-

Marucia suddenly flashed to the side, sliding out of his field of vision. Sora snapped out of his thoughts, disturbed by the change of scenario.

" Hey you!" he shouted. " Get back here!"

He Sonic Bladed across the floor to the very center and the Keyblade pierced Marucia on the side before he could reorganize himself.

" And where do you think you're off to?" he growled as Marucia doubled over in pain, dropping the scythe. Blood seeped through his gloved fingers and crimson droplets splattered on the floor. The man bared his teeth in anger and humiliation. He knew the Advocate was watching, his father witnessing his inability to get things done right. He felt a rage come over his senses, a black wave blinding his senses, driving him to maul the Keyblade Master and wring his little neck with his own bare hands.

He stepped forward and a tiny beam of light shot up at his face, catching him off-guard and blinding him.

Sora stared at the tiny pillar of white light, and followed down to the older man's feet. As the blood continued to drip from Marucia's side, tiny beams of light shot up where the blood fell. Pure white pillars soared and disappeared into the heavens and as they gradually faded into a more translucent, glowing light Sora thought he saw color on the floor, edges of some intricate design.

And suddenly it dawned on him that it was blood that released that light, blood that was melting away the tiles that hid whatever lay underneath. Hollow Bastion had a past written in blood.

The Advocate's arm shook and he had to grip the Heart Unlocker tighter, to keep himself from dropping Riku's weapon and letting them both know of his presence. It was obvious things were not going the way they should, and that he would now have to step in.

Ronsend grimaced for a second. He had hoped Marucia would keep his hands free of more blood but this would not be the case.

As Sora and Marucia stared at the beams of light, their match quite forgotten, a strong voice exploded. " Begone you wretched fool! You absolute miserable _thing_, get going, get out! You are no longer needed!"

" Wha!" Sora whirled around and looked up at the source of the voice. Dread suddenly swelled in him, roaring in his ear.

There, on a much higher balcony and well out of reach, was another member of the Society. Taller, much more intimidating, and wielding the Heart Unlocker.

Marucia closed his eyes and bit his lip, knowing the verdict. The Elite had failed again, thanks to him! And now the Advocate had come to finish the job.

_The Advocate_, he thought bitterly, _it's in your hands now._

He sent out a mental alarm to the others, waited for them to understand the order. Then he smiled grimly at the Keyblade Master. " The next time we meet, I won't be so friendly…_Shirozora_."

" What did you call me!" Sora shouted, shocked at the recurrence of the name. But Marucia simply dissolved into thin air, his lingering, mysterious smile lingering just a moment longer than the rest of him. Now Sora was confused. And pissed as hell.

" Coward!" he screamed, whirling around, searching and knowing he wasn't there. " Get back here, you-"

He heard something land on the balcony behind him. Sora whirled around, his senses screaming, and then his reflexes kicked into gear. The Silver Keyblade flew up and blocked a slender black blade, then he parried furiously as the mysterious man advanced on him with long strides.

Sora felt his muscles burn as he fought furiously to gain the upper hand but the man was too fast. He barely had the strength and the speed to block the blade as he led the man around in a circle on the balcony, trying to gain time to plan a backlash.

He managed to catch a glimpse of the man, when the attacker pulled back momentarily. He caught the glimpse of a face, brunet bangs swaying over glowing golden bronze eyes. There was a blue mark under each eye, turning the face half-wild. The eyes of the wolf glared at him. There was hate…and there was confusion.

_Why did Marucia call him Shirozora?_ The Advocate wondered, still slightly stunned by the surprise. _Why was he recalling the past, a past he doesn't know?_

The voice of the Prophet came back to him.

" _The past will never forget you, even if you've forgotten the past."_

Impossible!

Sora heard a sudden, inhuman growl, then the Advocate launched himself at the Keyblade Master again. The teenager gasped as his muscles burned with fury; the man was impossible! Sora had never faced someone so fast, so strong, and so impossibly skillful; most, if not all, of his enemies had at least one weakness that he was able to exploit to his advantage. But this…this man was far more skillful than any he fought, swifter, and much stronger. _Much_ stronger. Each clash of the other blade left his arms jarring, numb from the hard, abrupt blows.

The man kept swinging and Sora, though he continued to block the attacks, kept staggering back, weakening under each blow. His muscles burned; sweat dribbled down his face and his shirt stuck to his back.

Faintly he heard Donald and Goofy shouting for help as they continued to fight the NeoShadows. Help would not come from him; he was too busy, preoccupied with a threat that was becoming more than real.

What was that? Suddenly he heard beating, a regular rhythmic – no, two of them! Two separate rhythms, beating unevenly in his head. One was slow and steady; the other was racing, like his-

The Advocate struck and before he knew it, Sora and the Kingdom Key parted ways. Sora tumbled to the floor, falling on his bottom while the Kingdom Key slid away, spinning as it slowed to a stop. Sora stared at the blotches of color and light shining through the red tiles, then to his right, where the Keyblade sat, gleaming with hope for a counterattack. He started to get up.

A hard boot kicked his left let and he fell back down. He could feel it, the ominous presence as the Unknown walked into his field of vision. He looked up, into the face of the man who had unarmed him with such ridiculous ease.

" Sora, where are you? We need your help!" he could still hear Donald squalling.

" Sora!" Goofy shouted.

" Your friends…won't be receiving your help anytime soon."

Sora stared. That voice, he's heard it before! It was the voice in his dream, back at Australia, the voice that told him of the wanderlust and the sea in his blood. It was the same voice as the one belonging to the man who stood before him with the Heart Unlocker…

_For we may all be different but we share the same sky, one sky…and one destiny._

Ronsend…

" Do I know you?" Sora whispered, his voice barely heard.

The man glared down at him, his glowing eyes filled with contempt and hatred.

" That doesn't matter now, does it? Because one way or another, you'll never reach the Door of Light!"

He pulled up the Heart Unlocker, its sharp head aimed for Sora's heart.

" Ascenti totellum!"

They both froze. Sora forgot to breath, couldn't think straight as his ears rang with those words and the shocked cries of his comrades. He had heard those words before, was present to see its destructive power wipe out masses of Heartless.

A blast of white light soared into the sky, then quickly vanished. Then someone leaped onto the balcony.

Aozora. Wielding the Golden Key and the Oathkeeper.

**Author's Endnote**: And this is why I love cliffhangers. Long reviews and questions are preferred but anything's fine, as long as you had the patience to both wait and read the chapter. Answers to questions and statements in general concerning ALL of my stories are best found at shirozoras-scriptorium. _but_ if I wrote the link wrong…just check the links I posted to my blogs. Once again, no preview will be written. By NOW you should understand why, I hope. Thank you. Oh and one hint: the next chapter is possibly the shortest ever.


	75. Whatever Lies Beyond This Morning

**Author's Note**: For all those people who read _Best Deceptions_, I'm very sorry this story is to be updated before it. I realized that the wait would have been too much, given the seriousness of this chapter. This chapter may actually cost me my life (I'm only joking…for the most part). Because of that, there will be no Author's Endnote. I only hope whoever reads this chapter WILL review once the chapter is finished. I will not play games with you on this one. I have rewritten this chapter and read through it more than a million times over. If there is even one slight mistake, it is all my fault and I apologize for that. 

**Copyrights**: All characters, most weapons, and most settings belong to Square-Enix and Disney, save Aozora, the Advocate, the Prophet's Gate, and the Angel. Anything that sounds remotely foreign or not related to Square-Enix or Disney also belongs to me, Shirozora.

**Song**: This chapter wasn't supposed to have a song, except for the title, which was a line taken from a VERY famous song that you all should recognize, or else I shall damn you to living hell for the heresy. This song was featured in the medical drama on Fox11, 'House, M.D.', and I suggest you all watch that show or else I'll damn you all to hell twice over. And if you don't even listen to the song, I will damn you three times over. (You are free to wonder my seriousness)

**In the Deep** – Bird York

**Secrets of Memories  
** **Chapter 75: Whatever Lies Beyond This Morning**

Silence.

There was an eerie quiet that settled on Hollow Bastion. The NeoShadows were gone but Donald and Goofy could not be heard. Only three people existed in this world…Sora, the Advocate, and Aozora.

Sora stared. Any moment now, he expected the world to fall on his head.

Just where did Aozora get the Golden Key and the Oathkeeper? The Oathkeeper was definitely one thing but King Mickey's own Keyblade!

" I see you've disarmed the mouse king," the Advocate smirked as he looked at the rather angelic intruder. " Excellent."

" Ronsend," Aozora hissed, his voice trembling with rage and fear. " Step away from Sora. Now!"

" I'm afraid not," Ronsend fired back. " I've come too far to back down now! I've waited so many years, so many lives, to finish what I've started. You can't stop me now!"

" Step away from him…" Aozora whispered, his bronze eyes shining with unnatural brilliance, "…_Father_."

Sora blinked. _What_ did Aozora call him? " What!"

The Advocate stared at him, his shoulders heaving. His glowing eyes were locked into Aozora's wolf-like gaze. " What did you call me?"

" You really don't know, do you?" Aozora said softly, his voice nearly non-existent but still carrying over to them. He took a step closer, swinging each Keyblade in his hands.

" It doesn't matter!" Ronsend laughed darkly, though he seemed shaken by Aozora's shocking label on the man. As he turned his head slightly to look at Aozora but keep an eye on his prey, Sora found himself staring at the head of the black blade, at its gleaming darkness.

The Heart Unlocker… 

A violent reel of images tore through his mind, brilliant, faded, reveling in his rising fear as the Advocate refused to drop the weapon and his guard.

_" I wonder…"_

_He plunged into the darkness, into the cold of a Heartless, lost to the Light and all purposes, lost to himself…until a glowing angel held him and called him back to reality._

But she's no longer here. She was lost to him, lost to… 

Sora looked to Aozora but his fury was only half-hearted. Suddenly his anger was gone…and why not? For all he knew, death was looking him in the face-

" If you want to know the truth," Aozora stated slowly, trying to stare down the Advocate, " then you'd better back off."

" You think truth can stop the inevitable?" the Advocate asked, a triumphant black light shining in his half-hidden face. " You think your demands would stop us from freeing ourselves of the most dangerous obstacle on our path to Paradise? Whatever you call me won't stop me; whatever you label me doesn't matter! I came here to finish business and no one will stop me! Everything ends _here_!"

" Ronsend, no!"

The Advocate turned, pulled back the Heart Unlocker, and thrust it forward.

Donald and Goofy, who were trying to catch their breaths after a speeding blond shouted a spell that banished all NeoShadows, jumped up and fell over themselves. A scream ripped through the air, tearing a hole into the sky. A cry of excruciating pain bled in their ears, ripped their hearts and souls apart, and scattered them into a wind dyed blood red.

Unfortunately, they were able to hear the exchange and they were able to recognize the voice. Goofy stared up at the balcony, his jaw dropping. Donald rose to his feet, holding his staff as though it was a club and not a weapon of magic.

" NO!"

" No…" Aozora could feel the Heart Unlocker rip through his heart, as he followed the long, slender black body of the Heart Unlocker…

…to where its head was buried, deep in Sora's chest. As he watched, blood pulsed from the wound as the heart it barely missed beat rapidly, staining the teenager's clothes as it cascaded down Sora's front. Spreading all over his pants, the blood pooled onto the floor and spread.

" N-no…" Sora gasped, trying to fight the pain, as he slowly looked down on himself. Then a violent red explosion ripped through his mind, tore away his sanity, as he twisted to the side and tried to hold back another scream. He couldn't breathe, couldn't taste the oxygen as iron coated his mouth and clogged his ability to speak. He couldn't talk clearly, couldn't say the name of the one person he wanted to see before something like this could ever…could…

" So it is done," Ronsend spoke quietly and with triumph, then pulled hard on the Heart Unlocker.

Sora screamed again as the Heart Unlocker was torn from his body, bringing with it a wave of blood. He fell onto his right elbow, tried to prop himself up, tried to breathe, as blood continued to pool on the floor. Every breath visited pain on his limbs, numbing his thoughts, destroying the last strands of his sanity.

He looked up at Ronsend, tried to feel, tried to think, but he couldn't. He could feel the blood dribbling down from his mouth, could feel it escaping its earthly vessel onto the floor, but his thoughts weren't on what would happen inevitably in the next several minutes. All that echoed in his mind was…

" _Don't ever change."_

Too late… 

" Goodbye," Ronsend hissed, dropping the Heart Unlocker – its head gleaming in dark liquid – in front of him. He turned, then quickly brought up a slender silver sword as Aozora swung with the Golden Key. The bond teenager's face was contorted in an unexplainable emotion as he leaped back from the initial impact, then charged forward again. But what he said, what they meant…

" You fucking bastard! I told you not to – I can't believe you, you real sonofabitch! You're going to kill us all! You've killed your own son!"

" What the hell are you talking about?" Ronsend snapped back, parrying another attack. He didn't even bother to fight, merely raised his sword to deflect another jab at his body. " I have no sons! No family! They're dead, they're all dead!"

" Marucia's your son!" Aozora hissed as he slid backwards, flexed his arms, then charged again. " He's not dead! And your sons aren't dead by a billion years!"

He twisted to the side but was unable to escape the silver sword as it sliced across his face. He came to a screeching stop and wiped the blood on his arm.

" They aren't dead, Ronsend, you hear me?" he gasped, then charged again. He swung the Oathkeeper, then quickly brought up the Golden Key to parry the silver sword. He took a sudden, stumbling step, however, and the silver sword sliced into his left side. That didn't stop Aozora, however; he ignored the dripping blood and ran at him again, his bronze eyes flashing with blinding fury.

" They are far from fucking dead!" he yelled as he locked blades with Ronsend. " Except you-you-"

Light suddenly erupted from the ground, catching them both off-guard and blinding them. The two men stumbled back as pillars of white light soared into the sky all around them. Wherever Sora's blood pooled, wherever Aozora's blood sprayed about, the stained red tiles vanished in an explosion of light. And gradually even the clean tiles disappeared in the eruption, as the light came together in a huge, circular column that pierced through the clouds of Hollow Bastion and soared into space.

" What…what is…this?" Sora whispered as the light temporarily shed him of his earthly pain.

The light became more translucent with each passing second, until finally they were no longer standing on a blinding white circle. The light became transparent, revealing the colors underneath.

" Oh my god…" both Aozora and Ronsend whispered as they dropped their weapons, as they stared at the stained glass circle underneath them, as they stared at Hollow Bastion's ancient secret for the first time.

It was a large mosaic of glass, lit by an ethereal, unearthly light. Like the stained glass of Aozora's dreams, from Sora's first experience with the Heartless, it was beautiful…and devastating.

On the outer rim were random symbols of King Mickey's emblem, a crown, a heart, and a star-shaped fruit. Within were a white wolf and a black fox tearing at each other, twisting in a circle, their backs up against the rim. Around the white wolf was a cascade of feathers; hot black fire roared around the fox. Behind them was a huge keyhole, swirling with the night. And they themselves were behind a figure, a person whose very image jolted Sora down to his core.

A beautiful woman was weeping, her pale cheeks rosy red and stained with crystal droplets that slid from her closed eyes. Her hair was flowing and golden, tossing and tumbling in an invisible wind. She wore a soft white dress with gilt gold and purple bordering, the colors of royalty. She had great white feather wings, outstretched and casting feathers all over the fox and the wolf.

The angel cradled two dragons against her bosom, held them close as if they were her own children. Aozora stared at them, the two dragons, his mind racing with shock.

_If this was the seal the Prophet lay down and Dragon spilt his blood upon, then its creator knew the future well. Too well…_

The dragon on the right had a wild air, with bold sky-blue orbs and an essence of temerity. Around its long white serpentine neck, resting against its collarbone was a silver necklace. Dangling from it was a crown medallion.

_Sora…_

The other dragon had a gentler, more angelic air around it. Its bronze eyes were heavy with the weight of the world and filled with much sorrow and pain. Its slender white neck was bowed in weariness and its horse-like head was pointing to the necklace around its own neck, a necklace of a silver cross with arms of equal length.

_And me…_

Aozora unintentionally looked at the collar of his black shirt. There it was, that same medallion, though here in reality it functioned as a zipper and not as a necklace at all.

He looked up, at Sora, saw thoughts and images race through the bloodied teenager's face. Then Sora looked up at him and their eyes met. And though no one could see it, a fine line ran between them, one filled with crackling energy and understanding. Somehow they became connected, and Aozora began to sense another presence within him, one that was growing cold, its heartbeat faint and fading fast…

" No…" he heard Ronsend whisper. " This…this cannot be…Impossible!"

Aozora turned to the man, saw him holding his own head, saw him staring at the angel's face with horror. No, something more than horror…

" Prophet, Eldest, goddamn you, fuck you! Is this what you meant? Is this my punishment? Is this it? Is it! This isn't the answer! This can't be the answer! Tell me, Eldest, is this what you were warning me of? Answer me, you fucking old man! I've searched for Paradise for how many years and this is what I get?"

" Wait, _you_ know Eldest-"

The Advocate turned to look Aozora straight in the face, then pulled back his hood. Sora looked up, and whatever blood remained in his face drained away.

His face…it was a composition of three separate faces. He could see himself, could see Aozora, could even see Marucia in the strong lines, the glowing eyes, the frown. Under each eye were strange blue marks, making him look half-savage. His hair, like Sora's, was brunet, though without that sun-like hue. And his hair was far more tamer than Sora's, far more like Marucia's, and nothing like Aozora's.

In short, either Ronsend was a composition of the three or they were all simply selected, amplified parts of him.

And then there was the beautiful angel…

" You-you can't be!" Ronsend whispered, staring first at Aozora, then at Sora, then back to Aozora. " This, this is impossible! This isn't right! This can't be it! YOU WERE BOTH SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

The Advocate fell to his knees, his voice fading. " You came back…both of you came back. Is this the price I pay…for Paradise? Lost, it is lost, all is lost…why, Alara, why?"

And in the wind, a sweet sad voice whispered, a voice that awoke sleeping memories long forgotten. " It was time, Beloved. You did not heed the words of Eldest and this is your punishment. It was time for the memories to awaken, for the secrets to illuminate us all. Our children deserve the truth, regardless of who we are now, who we were then, and what has become of us all."

" N-neither of us can change, Alara. It is _over_."

" Is it? You joined the Darkness and assumed the mantle of the Advocate. I chose the Light and this is who I am now, the Angel. Our love still lives, though it was our doom. Our love lives and breathes, even if we ourselves forgot.

" Aros, child, remember what Mickey taught you, what Eldest taught you. Understand…the meaning of Fate. Even Time is subservient to Fate, for Fate controls all. Every choice you made was led by Fate. And Fate…dealt us the wrong hand. Understand…and beware. Be strong. Be brave. You will live to see the horrors visited upon the world with the release of darkness.

" Shirozora, I'm so sorry. My child, we have all failed you…and your bright light will fade into the night. If things were different…but Fate has spoken. It was Fate that led you to this very place, Fate that made your sire your murderer. I'm sorry…that she'll never see your face again. I'm sorry you know the truth now. If only…"

The voice faded away, vanished into the wind, left Aozora staring blankly at the circle, Ronsend trembling at his own doom, and Sora gasping for breath.

There was an awkward silence, though with each second it was shattered by heavy, ragged breathing. Then Ronsend slowly rose to his feet and turned away.

" So be it. I've cast my lot with the Darkness and I won't go back. But all is lost…Paradise is lost…"

The Advocate, the man, the father, slowly walked away, not looking back even once as he began to fade.

Aozora stared after him, didn't bother to strike at his vulnerable back. He was so numbed to the core he felt he couldn't move. And he heard his father whisper something, before vanishing into thin air.

" Alara, my beloved, goodbye…"

Then the numbness shattered as he heard Sora choke, spit up his own blood. With painful slowness, he turned his head to see his brother collapse onto the floor, his arms no longer able to support his failing body.

" Sora!"

_Thought you had all the answers_

_To rest your heart upon_

_But something happens_

_Don't see it coming, now_

_You can't stop yourself_

He ran to Sora's side and fell to his knees. He gently lifted up his brother's body, held it close to him, ignoring the blood that stained and spread through his clothes.

" Sora, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he cried, cradling his brother.

" So…" Sora whispered, struggled to speak. " So…we're brothers, huh? What a surprise…"

_Now you're out there swimming_

_In the deep_

_In the deep_

" Shh…little brother. It's okay, everything's going to be alright," Aozora murmured, feeling the tears come. " Everything's going to be alright…"

" You were always watching out for me, even when I was being the worst jackass you ever dealt with, right?" Sora spoke, grimacing with pain. His hand gripped Aozora's jacket suddenly, then let go, leaving behind blood prints. " Even right now…"

" I couldn't call you a jackass in your face, could I?" Aozora smiled faintly. " After all, that's what an older brother's for, even if I'm older by only a few seconds…I'm so sorry, Sora, for everything…"

_Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles_

_Till you let go_

_Till you shed your pride and you climb to heaven_

_And you throw yourself off_

" Looks like I'm never going back home…will I?" Sora chuckled weakly, then coughed. " I don't even have a home, come to think of it. And…and…"

" I'm sorry, Sora. I'm sorry you never got to find your friends, the king, or the Door…"

_I'm sorry, Sora, for having fought with Riku against the same forces, for seeing King Mickey drink vodka in that little apartment, for kissing Kairi with the same love you have for her. I'm sorry for everything. Please, forgive me._

" At least I found out the truth…" Sora smiled through the growing pain. " At least I know who we really are…"

_Now you're out there spinning_

_In the deep_

_In the deep_

" We should've followed through with our first thoughts of each other," Aozora spoke quietly. " We should've known from the moment we saw each other. And yet we were so blind…until we found out so much more…so much more about ourselves, our parents, our half-brother, who we are…it's just ridiculous, isn't it?"

" Maybe…" Sora whispered, then coughed again. Black fingers were starting to creep into his vision. " Aozora…listen…"

_In the deep_

_In the deep_

" What is it?"

Sora looked up at the blond teenager, his look-a-like, his own brother…

He raised his left hand and Aozora slowly held up his right. They grasped hands.

" Promise-promise me…" he murmured, the pain finally fading away. Now he felt no pain, no hurt, could no longer feel the blood leaving his defeated body. " Promise me…that you'll look after Kairi for me…I told her I'd come back…told her I would never change…but its too late…for me…I promised…but I can't come back…I can't."

Aozora's smile was tragic, as he gripped his brother's bloody hand even tighter. " I promise."

" And…if-if you see Riku again…tell him…tell him that I was proud…to walk in his footsteps…he's still the better one, I think…tell him…to be strong, okay?"

" If I meet him, I'll tell him…" Aozora whispered. Sora's hand was growing cold; the blood of life was weeping from his wounds and he was fading away…

" I'm sorry, Kairi," Sora murmured, looking up at the sky, overcast and gloomy, and at the long pillar of white light that pierced the darkness. " I'm sorry…for changing…so sorry…for breaking my promise…"

" Sora…" Aozora whispered, felt the tears falling from his eyes as he held his brother against him.

" Be brave, Aros, like Mother said. Only you…can face the Darkness now…"

The fingers of darkness were closing in on him fast, and the world was growing darker.

" Whatever lies beyond this morning…"

Sora closed his eyes and Aozora felt his chest rise, then fall.

It did not rise again.

_Now you're out there swimming_

_Now you're out there swimming_

_In the deep_

" Sora? Sora? Sora!" Aozora held him close, felt his tears falling, could still feel his brother's blood seeping into his clothes. " Sora…no…."

Donald and Goofy managed to pull themselves up onto the balcony, just in time to truly see the great pillar of light, the majestic stained glass, and Aozora crouched down near its center. For a moment, they saw a faint, peaceful smile on Sora's pale, stained face, then his body was fading away into orbs of glowing white light. Aozora slowly let go of his lock on a body that was no longer there, and looked up as the orbs climbed into the sky, vanishing among the clouds.

" Sora! No!" Donald ran forward and stopped at the circle. " What the-"

" Oh no…" Goofy fell to his knees, his shield dropping with a loud _clang!_ " No…Donald…we failed…"

" Sora…" Aozora slowly pulled out the crown necklace and the lucky charm. He looked at them, briefly saw it hanging jauntily from a bold and bright teenager, saw it as Kairi passed it to Sora to seal the promise, then looked up to where the orbs of light had vanished. " I'm sorry, Sora…so sorry for failing you, for failing her, for failing all of us…I'm so sorry…"

_In the deep_

_In the deep_

He continued to stare at the skies, as his vision blurred with the fast-flowing tears. Then he saw something white falling down slowly. A white feather.

" Donald, lookee," Goofy whispered in a hushed tone, pointing up at the sky. "A feather…"

" Feathers…falling from the sky…" Donald echoed in the same, faint voice.

As if on cue, more feathers began to fall. Dancing lightly, they fell all around them, the soft tears of heaven.

_In the deep_

Aozora stared as the feathers continued to fall. Through the tears they were glowing in an eerie brilliance, as they fell amongst his tears and the crimson blood that still stained the circle. Breathing heavily, he gripped the necklace and the charm tightly in each hand as images flashed in his mind, from the far past to the moment his brother closed his eyes, never opened them again.

" SORA!"

_If you want to be given everything you want_

_Give everything up…_


	76. White Tears

**Author's Note:** FINALLY! SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT; I WAS BUSY WITH MY THREE OTHER PROJECTS, MY SCHOOL LIFE, MY LIFE, AND KINGDOM HEARTS 2! Utada Hikaru all the way, people! Passion r0x0rs to the m4x0rs. Yeah, I admit it; I actually spent half my time learning how to sing the song. Its worth it, too. Anyways, the story hasn't ended yet. It won't in a long while. I recommend checking regularly for updates in both my blospot and livejournal accounts, and please check my Bio page as well. There is a new update concerning the FAQs website Lena and I are running. 

And unfortunately, all other stories will not be updated in a long while. Rain of Sorrow and Best Deceptions are currently in the writing/plotting/theorizing stages, and Our Last Memories as run into a roadblock of sorts. No matter; they will be updated. Expect Our Last Memories by next week, I promise you that…unless I'm busy working on two Hanukah presents for this two Jewish guys at my high school…

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney, as far as I can tell and remember. The plot remains mine, as well as a certain few characters like Crimson, Ashita, Yuri, and Aozora. Hey, who loves Aozora? Anyone?

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 76: White Tears**

The glowing yellow eye bore into their minds, piercing them as they stood there, huddled, their heads bowed in shame. With dread they awaited his verdict.

All had gone according to plan but something astonishing and unexpected had come out of it. Nobody knew what to make of it. And yet they knew that one amongst them knew the ancient secrets buried in the old kingdom of Old Citadel.

" Call off the attack."

They jerked their heads up, stunned. What?

" Something…unexpected has presented itself. Since we don't know what it is precisely, it is best not to risk it all with an attack now. We're going to have a meeting instead, to discuss it. Don't attack. It's too late anyways."

" Master, are you-"

" Don't question me, Roxanne! I know what I'm doing; I know what I'm saying. We're going to regroup and discuss the next course of action. Some of us messed things up. And Axel…"

" Yes, Master?"

" You fucked everything up. Don't you dare do that again with your little escapades, understand? We were so close…then you had to go and fuck things up! Don't do it again, understand?"

Axel nodded. " Yes, Master, whatever you say."

Crimson, who had gone by other names, nodded with approval. " Get everyone together. There's going to be a lull in the war and we need to use the time right…"

""

" Cheshire Cat!" Alice shouted, running into the gardens. " Your Majesty!"

" Alice, you're back!"

" And about time, too!" the Queen of Hearts sniffed. " Kairi and the others fixed everything up but I still need to talk to you."

" About what, Your Majesty?" the young girl asked politely, twirling a lock of blonde hair in her finger.

" About the Heartless-"

" Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" the White Rabbit cried out as he bolted into the room from one of the side entrances. " Feathers! It's raining white feathers! I've never seen anything like it-"

" White feathers?" Alice gasped.

" Oh my, oh my, oh my, hmmm…" the Cheshire Cat mused thoughtfully. He had that insane grin on his face but for once he was also looking thoughtful. " Wouldn't that mean the Keyblade Master's-"

" Oh geezes, people, can't an old man have his rest!" the Doorknob yawned and shouted from where he was locked onto the door Alice went through.

Alice whirled around and screamed at the door. " Doorknob, quit your sleeping! White feathers are falling! Sora's dead!"

""

" Oh Tarzan?" Jane smiled, hugging the warrior for the first time in half a year. " I've missed you so much, especially after everything we've gone through…"

" Me, too, Jane," he whispered into her ear.

" And your English, who taught you-"

" Oh, people I know," he smiled mysteriously. They rubbed noses, then shared a rather long kiss. That bothered Terk and Tantor, who happened to be nearby and watching.

" Geezes, you people take a long time saying 'hello'!" Terk huffed while Tantor shied away and yelped, " Is that even allowed in the jungle!"

" Relax, everything's alright, Tantor," Jane laughed. The cheerful sound drifted through the eaves of the forest, then was abruptly cut off.

" Jane, what's wrong?" Tarzan asked tersely, as her laughter froze at her throat and she began to pale rapidly. " Jane!"

" T-Tarzan," she whispered, pointing a shaking finger at Tantor. " L-look at t-that!"

" Me?" the poor elephant pointed at himself.

" No…" Jane pointed up. " Feathers, Tarzan. Above Tantor. Thos are white feathers…"

The four of them looked up, as white feathers slipped through the empty spaces among the treetops of the dense jungle.

" Wow, there's a really big bird shedding up there," Terk observed, scrutinizing a white feather she picked up. " Hey, since when did feathers glow like this?"

Tarzan and Jane knew much better. They had to.

" Oh no…" they whispered as one, looking at each other with fear.

" Sora…" Tarzan added quietly.

""

" Well, that takes care of that!" Aladdin grinned proudly as he wiped his hands free of any remaining grit, dust, and grease.

Thanks to the Genie, he and Jasmine had created a stand to place the great red gem that the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders had given them in exchange for that mysterious sculpture the Sultan had in his keeping.

" The Red Eye is finally in place and we can pa-artay all night long!" Genie cheered, dancing around in circles.

" Oh my, oh my, this is wonderful!" The Sultan rushed over to study the great gold and ivory stand. " This is marvelous!"

" Isn't it?" Genie agreed cheerfully, hugging the three people. Abu jumped onto Genie's head and chattered loudly while triumphantly waving around a banana. He was followed by an indignant Iago.

" That's _my_ banana, you monkey brain!" he screeched.

The others began to laugh, and even Iago was forced to join in. The cheerful frivolity abruptly ended, however, when in the other room, something fell over and shattered violently.

" Oh my," the Sultan gasped. " I hope that's not the vase your mother-"

The Magic Carpet rushed into the room through the doors, its tassels spinning around frantically.

" Hey Carpet, what's wrong?" Aladdin asked at the unusual behavior. Genie released the three people and stepped back, scratching his head. He then stretched his neck at the Carpet.

" Al, I think we have a problem here…"

The Carpet lay flat on the ground. Jasmine gasped.

" By Allah!" she whispered, then rushed out to the windows. She leaned out and looked down on the people in the bazaar and the streets. All movement had ceased as people shouted and pointed up, not at her, but the clouded sky.

" Dear," the Sultan began, eyeing the three white feathers on the Carpet's back, then turning to his daughter and the feathers falling outside. " What is it? What's wrong?"

" Jasmine," Aladdin began slowly as he joined her at the window. " Didn't you say something about feathers falling from the sky?"

" Unfortunately yes, I did…"

""

" Ariel!" Flounder shrieked, rocketing through the waters wildly. "Ariel!"

" Flounder, what's wrong?" Ariel asked, turning around quickly.

" Yeah, what's going on?" her dark-haired young daughter Melody added, as the two were returning from a visit to King Triton.

" Look up!" the yellow and blue fish yelled, swimming back and forth wildly in front of his best friends. " Look up, look up, look up!"

" What are you-" Ariel looked up to the surface of the sea, then began swimming towards it.

" I don't get it…" Melody pouted, confused by her mother's and Flounder's odd behavior. She followed her mother and Flounder, though.

" I think I do…" Ariel whispered. Her voice was laced in uncertain fear.

" What's going on? What's with the racket?" Sebastian demanded as he began windmilling towards them from afar. He was apparently following them.

" Sebastian, there's something funny going on up at the surface!" Flounder gasped out; he was done hyperventilating and was now trying to catch his breath. " Something-something really funny! You won't believe it!"

" Let me see…" Sebastian grabbed onto Flounder's tail and the fish pulled him upward. At the surface, he popped his head out of the water and immediately sputtered under a soggy white feather. He managed to shove it to the side, though, then looked around.

All across the water's surface, as far as he could see, feathers lay all about. It was as though a whole flock of seagulls had molted and he spoke what he thought.

" Well, the seagulls were shedding quite a bit today," he remarked, misunderstanding the look of horror on Ariel's face, and the look of confusion on Melody's.

" I don't get it. What's going on, Mother?"

Ariel looked up at the sky, as the white feathers continued to fall down gracefully onto the blue waters of Atlantica. She then turned to her daughter and, quite unexpectedly, reached out and hugged her tightly. Melody remained still, but could still feel what seemed like a teardrop fall on her shoulder.

" Melody…I'm so sorry you have to live through a time like this, but we're at _war_…he's dead…"

""

" Snow!" Jack Skellington laughed as he twirled around in circles. " Dr. Finkelstein, this is snow! How I love it. Don't you, Zero?"

Jack's ghost dog barked cheerfully as the trio reached a signpost that read: Christmastown.

" It's very nice, I agree, but I'm shivered a bit," Dr. Finkelstein muttered, poking at a mound with his finger. " Quite cold, I must say."

" I think it's wonderful!" Jack exclaimed, then fell backwards into a hill of snow. E waved his arms and legs about. " Look, a snow skeleton!"

" Indeed," Dr. Finkelstein grumbled, not at all liking the colors of the homes nearby. " This place is much too cheery for me…"

" Then we'll have to bring Halloween into it, don't we?" Jack said. He reached into the snow, felt about, then pulled out a branch. " Zero, fetch!"

He threw the stick and Zero, yapping all the while, flew after it.

" You know," Jack began slowly, looking at the brightly lit houses, " I think this would be an improvement over Halloweentown. I was starting to get tired of place, trying to think up something new to bring to the people every year…but I will miss it sorely. Halloweentown…"

" So you say…" Dr. Finkelstein looked around, then up at the night sky. " I need to build another laboratory, but without Sally here…"

" I wonder where Sally is…" Jack wondered, agreeing. He had nearly forgotten all about her. Then something cold landed on his bare head. " Oh look, it's snowing!"

He looked up, laughter on his face as a snowflake touched upon his nose. " So much snow!"

" You call this snow!" Dr. Finkelstein grumbled. There was something in his voice that made Jack hesitant.

" What are you talking about? Isn't this snow, doctor?" Jack Skellington asked, looking at the man in the wheelchair. " Wait a minute, that's a feather. Where'd you get that?"

" Well from the sky, what do you think? I didn't just pick this up from the ground, wherever that is!" Dr. Finkelstein snapped. The cold was clearly dampening his mood. He then studied the feather. " What a beautiful feather it is, though…of such wonderful make…how lovely…"

" Dr. Finkelstein?" Jack looked up at the sky again and this time his usually fearless voice was filled with it. " It's not snowing."

" So I've surmised," Dr. Finkelstein replied hurriedly, intent on examining the feather. " I don't feel anything cold, either."

" That's not the point…"

Dr. Finkelstein, upon hearing the growing horror in Jack's voice, looked up. " Oh, what's with you-"

A feather landed on his face. Another brushed by his head. A few decided to rest on his lap. As Dr. Finkelstein looked about, he saw feathers falling. Beyond, in Christmastown, there was a commotion as people streamed out of their homes, to shout and point as feathers continued to fall from the dark sky.

" Feathers…"

Jack and Finkelstein looked at each other. " White feathers are falling…"

""

Another evening had fallen and they had come out to the high hill and the tall lonely tree that overlooked all of Hundred Acre Woods. Every night since Pooh came back from nowhere they had come to this special hill, watching the stars, counting and hoping to find a shooting star to make a wish upon.

" Say, Pooh, tell us exactly where you've been, hm?" Tigger questioned with unbound curiosity.

" Yes, yes, I must agree. All I can guess is that your journey is most spectacular. Wandering out of the Hundred Acre Woods, imagine that!" Owl agreed.

" Well…" Pooh thought. " Do you remember Sora?"

" S-S-Sora?" Piglet stammered. " Oh yes, oh yes. I r-r-remember him."

" Well, I met one of his friends, see," Pooh began. " His friend was looking for Sora, I think. I can't remember; everything became…what's that word…crazy? But he was looking for Sora, so I decided to help him. I thought," Pooh, maybe you can find your friends, too, if you follow him." After all, he was Sora's friend. His name was Riku."

" I don't like this 'Riku'," Rabbit decided automatically. He crossed his arms and frowned for emphasis.

" Oh, be nice, Rabbit," Roo remarked as he leaned against Tigger and relaxed.

" I'm sorry, his name just sounds-"

" He's really nice, actually," Pooh said, coming to the defense of the teenager's honor. " He did bad things before, Tarzan told me-"

" Who's Tarzan?" Tigger interrupted. " Don't sound like a tigger to me!"

" He's human, like Sora, like Riku, like Christopher Robin," Pooh explained, then stopped. " Have you seen Christopher?"

The others shook their heads.

" Haven't seen him in a long time," Eeyore remarked gloomily.

" Oh…" Pooh was speechless for a moment. " I wonder where he's gone…"

" H-hey, everyone! L-look, a sh-sh-shooting star!" Piglet stuttered and pointed and jumped madly, all at the same time.

" Wow!"

" Amazing!"

" Make a wish, everyone!"

There was a sudden silence, as each bowed their heads, and wished with all their might. The silence, though, was abruptly shattered, when they heard a clear whistle.

" Don't mind if I interrupt a little something here?" Mole demanded, bursting out from the ground next to Roo. " Got a little something here you oughta see!"

The others turned to their good friend, who was holding something white in his hands. " Fell on my head while I was scouting around a little ways back. It's like a wave comin'-would you look at that!"

Mole gave a clear long whistle and pointed up. Owl, who had been staring at the thing in Mole's hands, then said, " Why, it's a feather…and another…and another…and another…I've never seen anything like this!"

They all looked around, as slowly clouds covered the sky and brought along white feathers with them. Pooh was silent, while the others bustled about, shouting happily as they tried to catch as many feathers as possible. Somewhere deep in his good heart he knew something wasn't right.

" A white feather, hm…think, think…"

""

Laughing, Peter Pan bowed to Jane, who returned it. Tinker Bell, a little distance away from the two children, huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face.

So far, all Peter Pan and Wendy's daughter, Jane, had been doing was fly around Big Ben. They had been dancing across the sky for hours, playing tag and all things young children "should" play.

Of course they also had a tussle with Captain Hook when he tried to come back to Neverland. With help from the others, in particular the crocodile, they had sent Captain Hook packing…again.

In the process, Tinker Bell had become jealous. As usual, of course. Pity Peter Pan was so oblivious to that.

" Catch me if you can!" Peter Pan called out, then shot up into the sky.

" Get back here, you!" Jane flew after him, somersaulted over him, and snatched off his hat in the process. " Tag, you're it!"

" Damn, Jane, you're getting good!"

" What's the worth of a little practice?" she grinned, tossing him back his hat.

It was obvious that something evil was going through Peter's mind, as he had a scheming grin on his face. That was interrupted, however, when they were both dumped by a flurry of white feathers.

" Tink!" Peter Pan shouted. " That wasn't funny!"

Tinker Bell flew up in his face, her face contorted with outrage. She gestured to herself furiously and blinked in rapid succession.

" Peter, I don't think that was her fault…" Jane realized, then pointed up.

" What the!"

Feathers were falling from a suddenly clouded sky. As they watched in wonder, the rapidly moving black clouds rolled across the moon, throwing London into darkness, save the lights of the city below. And following the black clouds were feathers.

" Amazing…"

Below they could hear the Londoners shouting and pointing up, their lives halted by this incredible display…

""

Pocahontas sighed, as she sat down against a tree on a rocky cliff overlooking the bay. It had been weeks since John Smith left, months since Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora had gone, a long time since she had found Grandmother Willow dead, lifeless, as a black blight ate her away.

" Hey, Meeko," she whispered with a smile as her friend raccoon approached her tentatively, gripping a golden cob tightly in his hands. " Hey, Flit."

Her other friend, a hummingbird, settled on her shoulder, taking a break from the stress of caring for a family of hummingbirds. " How are you?"

Flit buzzed a bit, while Meeko gnawed the kernels off the cob.

" I wonder what everybody's up to right now…" she murmured, as she looked out to the sapphire sea. Oh how she wished she could go back to the time when she climbed up Grandmother Willow to see those strange white clouds again-

She blinked. A single white feather had interrupted the beautiful view. It fell to her feet, as clean and pure as snow.

" What's this?" She picked up the feather and looked at it closely. It seemed to glow in its own little light, pulsing in her hand.

She felt Meeko tug at her arm furiously. Chattering, he pointed out at the bay. Pocahontas followed the finger out to the bay and gasped.

Feathers, feathers everywhere, falling all around her, all over the bay, in such a magical way…

""

" Wow…it's been so…quiet, hasn't it?" Mulan remarked as she kept a tight hold on the reins. Khan had been a bit feisty; he had a splint in his left hind leg and was cooped up in his stall for weeks. Being a warhorse, that wasn't the best thing for him, and he was a bit too eager to rush out and run once the splint had healed.

" Besides Khan nearly breaking his leg, yeah," Shang agreed. " It's been a bit too quiet, actually…"

" Makes me all jittery," Mushu grumbled from his sat on Mulan's shoulder. " We need some action here!"

" We must be too used to warfare," Shang laughed, as they tried to enjoy the scenery in the mountains near Mulan's village. Truth was, the beauty of the trees and bushes that were in bloom, and the butterflies that floated all around them was a bit too…_boring_. But they had nothing to do; after Shan-Yu's demise at the hands of Mulan and Mushu's friends, the world of China, the Land of Dragons, had healed and life was now filling in the late spring that had crossed the ancient empire.

And yet, something was still amiss…

As black clouds suddenly rolled across the sky, Shang's white mare snorted and half-reared.

" Easy, girl, easy!" Shang exclaimed as she came to an abrupt halt and started stomping and snorting at the white feather lying in the middle of the path.

" What's wrong, Shang?" Mulan asked. She was ahead and had to wheel around a reluctant Khan to face him. She then saw the outworldly white feather. " Where'd that feather come from?"

" I don't know," Shang responded, scratching his head in confusion. The white mare was now calm but her antics were still puzzling. " But wherever it came from, there's more coming."

" What?" Mulan and Mushu both looked up at the overcast sky through the canopies of the trees.

Cri-Kee chirruped as he hopped onto Mushu's head from who-knows-where.

" Hey, now where in hell did you come from?" Mushu grumped.

" Mushu, what's going on?" Mulan asked, as more feathers began to fall.

" Why you asking me?"

" Because you've been to more places and you just seem to know more. You're also older, wiser, and did one forget you're a dragon _and_ one of the guardians of Mulan's family?" Shang explained.

" Well, sorry, but I don't know what's going on this time…except…I heard that feathers had something to do with Sora…"

""

He knew where to find the fiery friar. Every since he and Marian had come back from their honeymoon and put their world into good order, Friar Tuck had periodically gone off on his own to the mysterious lake deep in Sherwood Forest. Being a member of the Order meant that communication was very important, especially constant communication across several worlds.

" Well, Friar, how are you today?" Robin Hood asked cheerfully as he jumped down from the last tree to join the portly monk.

" Quite busy and quite worried, Robin," Friar Tuck admitted, scratching his head. " We haven't had any news from some people…"

" You mean those four people, two being Sora and Aozora? Who were the other two again?"

" Riku and Kairi. Riku's safe in Twilight Town, doing things with Cid, and Kairi is being very well protected in Traverse Town. But we've had no news from either Sora or Aozora since they both departed for Hollow Bastion…and that's a very bad thing, I'm afraid."

" What, that King Richard just exiled Prince John instead of beheading him?" Little John asked cheerfully, joining the two.

" Nope, Johnny," Robin Hood replied. " Something more serious that that…"

" Lady Kluck, admit that you're shedding!" they could hear Marian exclaiming back at the camp.

" My dear, I'm not shedding, I've told you seven times already! And I don't fly, so these feathers are not coming fro me."

"…Oh my goodness! When where are they coming from?"

Friar Tuck gasped. " Feathers!"

Robin looked up, saw black clouds rapidly shrouding the sky. Little John, in the meantime, asked the friar, " Why, what's wrong?"

" Robin, Robin!" Marian called out. Her voice was fearful. " Please come here! I don't like the looks of this!"

" She has a right to feel that way," Friar Tuck murmured as Robin dashed off, shouting for her to calm down, as he bowed his head and pulled on the hood of his frock. " She most certainly does…"

A feather floated down and gently rested upon the surface of the lake.

""

" Phil!" Eucletes shouted as he lugged an amphora of grape wine imported from Sparta into his little stand. " Phil, I could use a hand here!"

" Right, right, right!" the satyr grumbled, wiping his hands clean as he rushed over to help Eucletes fill up his new stand next to the temple. " Wow, from Sparta? I gotta taste this-"

" Not until you help me move this over there!" Eucletes grumbled. " And you're only getting half a cup! This is for profit, as you should know! I am a merchant!"

" Kids," Phil snorted. " Don't know how to repay their elders-"

" Don't be such a freeloader, Phil," Hercules laughed as he carried in more amphorae. " Where do I put these?"

" Over there," Eucletes mumbled, pointed in a random but opposite direction. " Careful, though; if the seal breaks, the fish is going to rot faster."

" Aren't they both salted?"

" Well, not the one with the "Do Not Break Seal" seal on it."

" Oh, I see."

Meg and Pegasus, who were out exploring the bustling market, rode up to the stall, watching the two men and the satyr organize the shop. As she slid off the horse's back, she studied the food, the wares, and the occasional dagger scattered throughout.

" My, my, aren't you busy?" she smiled.

Pegasus snorted and opened his wings, throwing feathers out everywhere.

" Hey, hey, what did I tell you about shedding?" Meg reprimanded while rubbing his nose.

Bowing his head in shame, Pegasus closed his wings and scratched at the ground with his right foreleg.

" It's okay; just don't do it again," Meg smiled and produced a hidden apple. She raised it up to Pegasus, who snatched it.

"…and the tournament's in a few days!" Phil was grumbling as Eucletes scooped out half a cup of wine. " Where's the kid anyways?"

" Maybe he's busy ," Hercules suggested, shrugging.

" And maybe someone can explain to me why there are still feathers falling from the sky," Eucletes remarked casually, gesturing.

" Pegasus, did you-" Meg began accusingly, turning on the white horse. Instead, she froze, turned her head to the sky. Her face became chalky as blood drained away.

" Meg, are you alright?" Hercules rushed out of the stall, while Eucletes and Phil, who was draining his little wine sample, leaned out of the stall and looked up at the sky.

Feathers, feathers were falling from the sky…

" By Zeus Almighty, what's going on here?" Phil demanded.

" By the gods…" Meg whispered.

" Meg, are you okay?" Hercules asked worriedly as Meg grew paler by the second. " What's going on? Tell me."

" We-we failed, Hercules. Aozora failed…"

She slumped to the ground.

""

The last day of school was here and so Andy was not home. He had been invited to an end-of-school-year party by a friend and would be coming home late. That meant the others could celebrate.

" Yeeha, got you again, Buzz!" Jessie laughed as she beat Buzz again at chess.

" Uh…yes, yes you did," the Space Ranger replied, blushing. Truth was, he wasn't even paying attention to the chessboard.

" Any word from out there somewhere?" Woody asked Bo Peep as he leaned out the window. The shepherdess had been looking more and more forlorn as the days passed by and he knew this had something to do with the Order.

" Nope, not a word," she sighed. Her sheep inched to the hem of her dress and one of them mournfully wailed, " Baa!"

" Not a single word," Wheezy agreed as he waddled up to them. " It gets me worried."

" I know…it scares me, Woody," Bo Peep whispered as she leaned against her staff. " This silence, it frightens me. Its not normal for things to be so quiet…"

" I hope they're not having any trouble," Buzz remarked as he left the chessboard and walked over to them. " Whoa there!"

He sidestepped a sheep, then was nearly broadsided by Bullseye, who had been galloping about, ridden by the Alien Squeeze Toys. They pointed at him.

" Oooh, Buzz!"

" Okay, let's not go there…So, what's going on here?"

" We've got no word from the Order about _anything_," Bo Peep explained softly. " Usually we get news from Friar Tuck every three days but for the past week, we've gotten nothing."

" Not even a word from that king of yours?" Jessie asked as she skipped over to them.

" Nope…nothing," Wheezy sighed as he shook his head. " The last time I saw him, he was readying himself for a journey he wouldn't specify. The others, too, they've been oddly quiet. Either there's nothing to report…"

"…or they're too busy to report," Bo Peep finished.

In the silence, they could hear Bullseye snorting about as the Squeeze Alien Toys continued their rather annoying droning and chants of, " Oooh, Buzz!"

" Oh will you give it up!" Buzz finally cracked, and turned around. " Here I am, the almighty Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger from Star Command. How may I help you?"

" Rescue us."

" Yes, rescue us."

" From war."

" Yes, terrible, terrible war."

" Dark times are coming."

" Very dark times, indeed."

" Be…"

"…very…"

"…ready."

Buzz stared at the three toys, obviously wondering if they lost their minds. Bullseye simply snorted. Then Hamm shouted, " Hey, look, it's snowing!"

" What!" everybody down below shouted back.

" Snowing? It's only June! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, snow out of season! I'm loving it!" Rex yelled gleefully as he, Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, and Mrs. Potato Head followed Hamm up on top of Andy's bed and onto his desk.

While the toys below created a wave of talk, the group they met on the table was strangely silent.

" What's barking up your tree?" Slinky asked Buzz as they slowly approached their friends.

" Rescue us."

" Yes, rescue us."

" From war."

" Yes, terrible, terrible war."

" Dark times are coming."

" Very dark times, indeed."

" Be…"

"…very…"

" Will you just shut up!" Mr. Potato Head cried out.

Bo Peep and Wheezy were looking at each other. Dreaded thoughts flashed back and forth between their eyes. Then Wheezy nodded and turned to Woody and Buzz.

" Sheriff Woody? Buzz Lightyear of Star Command? We need to talk."

" What?" Woody turned around, surprised by Wheezy's serious tone.

" What's going on? Somebody tell me something," Buzz ordered.

" But first, you two need to make an announcement to the other toys in this room," Wheezy interjected quickly. " Before you start asking questions."

" You'll need the Sarge as well," Bo Peep added. " You must make sure the others understand what's going to happen to us."

She gestured to the white feathers falling outside the window, while her sheep baaed mournfully and the Squeeze Alien Toys mumbled amongst themselves.

" Woody, Buzz, I need you to tell the others that this world isn't safe anymore," Wheezy sighed in defeat. " We're at war. All of us."

""

" What of the defenses?" Queen Kidagakash, otherwise known as Queen Kida, asked sternly of the kneeling man in front of her.

" We're near completion, Your Majesty. However we need to ask this: do you want us to barricade against the entrance of the volcano?"

Queen Kida looked at Milo, who shook his head.

" No, keep the entrance to the volcano open. If we need help, our allies can reach us through the volcano and help us. If they need our help, we can go out that way and help them. And there are few amongst us who will have to leave once the defenses are completed."

The kneeling man was no longer looking at the ground but somewhere off to the side. His eyes were wary but he did not hesitate as he said, " As you wish, Your Majesty. By your leave?"

The queen nodded and the man stood up, turned, and left at an unusually quick pace. She smiled, knowing why.

" We've no attacks in a while, Kida. Not only that, we've got no news from the others. This is starting to worry me," Milo said thoughtfully after a moment's silence. He then nearly lost it when a voice behind them spoke, " Well, I've something you can worry over."

" Whoa! Where'd you-"

" That's not the point. Simba, what's wrong?" Queen Kida questioned, turning in her seat to look at the golden lion. He had a stern frown on his face, his eyes flashing.

" I need to go to Traverse Town _immediately_," Simba answered, pacing out from behind the shadows and around to the front of the throne. He refused to sit as he usually did, but paced back and forth. His tail whipped about as he continued to speak, " I've kept the workers away from the entrance to the dead volcano. I was exploring it, was planning to discuss building a landing base with Milo once I was done surveying, but something's happened. You know the reason why it's been silent?"

" No…" both Milo and Queen Kida replied.

" Well, something's happened, something you two need to see…_now_!"

He suddenly whirled around and bounded away. Queen Kida and Milo looked at each other, then Queen Kida picked up her spear and the two ran after him. Milo held onto his glasses tightly as possible while they followed Simba down the streets of Atlantis, over the minor stone bridge, and into the walls that surrounded the city. Up ahead they could see the light shining down from the mouth of the volcano, yellow sand, peculiar burn marks, and…

" Look!" Simba shouted, coming to an abrupt start and throwing up sand everywhere.

" Oh no…" Queen Kida whispered, stopping as well as she stared up the towering walls. " Oh no…"

" Wait….wait…wait for-for…me…" Milo gasped, staggering in and falling on his face. He didn't move for a few seconds, then picked himself up. He blinked, then realized that it was snowing… " But, that's impossible. It can't snow here…"

" It's not snow," Simba said coldly. " They are feathers. White feathers."

Milo blinked, then looked straight at Queen Kida while brushing sand from his face. " Wait, didn't you say something about feathers?"

She didn't answer him. Instead she stood there in the sunlight that shone into the belly of the volcano, her arms outstretched, as feathers fell all around them.

" He's dead…the time as come for war…"

""

" Hey, Dad, look what I can do!" Nemo yelled as he spun in a vortex through the waters.

" Alright, Nemo!" Marlin shouted. " High five, son!"

He held up his fin and Nemo had no trouble doing the same with his small fin.

" Uh…is that safe for children?" Dory asked worriedly.

" Nope, not at all," Mr. Ray chuckled, reassuring her. " I'm so glad he's getting better at controlling his little fin so…no worries."

" Oh okay…is that safe for children?"

Mr. Ray pat her on the back sympathetically.

" I wanna do that!" Tad shouted.

" You can't, you're a sea horse," Pearl countered.

" Yeah, only _real_ fish can do that!" Sheldon agreed emphatically. " Watch!"

He, too, pulled off a perfect vortex.

" Phooey," Tad muttered.

Nemo grinned, then vortexed again. This time, though, he bumped into someone.

" Oh, sorry! I'm sorry-" Nemo began.

" It's okay, Sharkbait. Glad to see you're getting better with your little fin," Gill smiled as the Tank Gang materialized behind him.

" Bonjour!" Jacques shouted, wheeling towards the clearing around the coral reef.

" Hey!" Bloat boomed.

" Yay, they're here! Where's Flo? She _must_ say hi, too…" Deb said, looking around worriedly.

" No…bubbles?" Bubbles whimpered, backing up into Gurgle, who then shrieked, " Germs!"

" Gill, this is my dad, Marlin. And that's Dory, our friend. She helped him find me!" Nemo exclaimed, as the Tank Gang congregated in the clearing with Marlin, Dory, Mr. Ray, Tad, Pearl, and Sheldon.

" Ah, so you're the one Nemo talks about all the time," Mr. Ray remarked. " A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mr. Ray, this teacher."

" Same to you, Mr. Ray," Gill replied gruffly. He had the air of a veteran.

" Wow, so you're _Gill_?" Tad asked.

" The one who cut his fin trying to escape the _tank_?" Pearl added eagerly.

" And helped Nemo escape Darla the Fishkiller?" Sheldon whistled.

" That's right, kids," Gill smiled. He then muttered to Bloat, " I hate fame."

" He's a hero, alright!" Bloat chucked out loud, banging him on the back.

" Awesome, we're all here!" Nemo giggled, weaving in and out and around his friends.

" Wait, aren't we missing someone here? I think his name was Nemo or something…" Dory mused when three shadows suddenly fell over her. " Ah, here they are! And your names are?"

" Bruce."

" Chum."

" Anchor."

The three sharks bowed. " At your service!"

" Oh yeah, hi, we're just having a little party here. Seems like Bob's brought home some new friends-"

" Actually, we're looking for Gill," Bruce explained. " Some moonfish came to us asking if he's jumped the tank yet."

" As a matter of fact, I did," Gill announced as he swam over to them. " What's the news, Bruce?"

" You guys know each other?" Marlin gasped in shock.

" Whoa…" Nemo whispered.

" Oh yeah, we go back ages," Anchor replied. " He's a real hero."

" Told us what it's like not to eat fish!" Chum agreed, with a rather hungry look in his eyes.

" Okay, boys, spit it out. What's the news from the moonfish?"

" Well, they got their news from some pelican named Nigel. Nigel's reported some nasty storm coming our way."

" Oh really, Bruce? And…?"

" The clouds are black, fast-moving," Chum added.

" Oh yeah, and its raining," Anchor agreed with a nod. " Raining feathers."

" FEATHERS!" Gill barked.

All traffic in the Great Barrier Reef stopped.

" What about the feathers? Its raining feathers? Black clouds, they're coming from black clouds? Are you sure – what the heck, let's go!"

He shot for the surface, followed closely by a group of baffled fish – Nemo, Marlin, Dory, Bruce, Chum, and Anchor.

" Oh my…" Marlin gasped as soon as they surfaced. Dory sputtered as a feather stuck to her face,

Feathers. White feathers. Snowing everywhere. Then Gill dived down and took a deep breath of fresh seawater.

" Oh no….this bad, this is real bad. We're not ready for this…"

" Ready for what, Gill?" Nemo asked worriedly, and with a bit of fear.

Gill eyed him not without sadness and pity.

" War."

""

" Now what?" Lumiere asked tiredly as he plopped down on the edge of the dresser next to Cogsworth.

They looked around at the debacle left after clearing out both the Heartless and the villagers.

" We're going to need a lot of help," Mrs. Pott determined as Chip hopped towards her from the top of a pile of broken wooden dressers.

" We're going to clean this up," Belle decided as she pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear. With her was Beast, his chest wrapped in bandages. Babette and the foot stool followed them, the foot stool yapping all the way. " With Gaston gone, everything will get back to normal…in this world at least."

" Well, we're going to need to clean up the rose garden, too, then," Babettle called out as she hurried up the stairs and peered out the windows. " Someone's opened up all the mattresses and pillows upstairs and dumped them outside.

" What?" Mrs. Pott yelped.

" Not my best pillows!" Cogsworth wailed as everyone rushed up the stairs. They peered out into the rose garden, where a few rose bushes could be seen under a faint moonlight. Then the only light came from the castle as the moon was clouded over by black clouds. What was really glaring, though, were the white feathers, falling like the rain that came during the deadly fight. There was only one problem, though.

" Momma!" Chip exclaimed, jumping up and down on top of the foot stool. " Look! Look at the sky!"

And suddenly it was so clear where the feathers were coming from.

" Oh no…" Belle whispered. " This can't be happening…"

""

" Have we had any news from him recently?" Daisy asked curiously as she dusted the books in the great library of Minnie's out of boredom.

" Just one," the queen sighed. " He said he was off to the Order's H&Q…and that if anyone mentions him drinking, it's all a lie."

" Oh boy…" Daisy sighed; she could hear the tension in her voice. " You know, Minnie, sometimes a guy does want to get his mind off of things. A guy does want to drink. Then again, once in a while we all like to drink."

" You know what I've been through when I was young," Minnie sighed, looking at the crinkled note on her rosewood desk.

" Not all men are the same," Daisy said gently, walking over the Minnie. " I should know. If Donald was anybody else, I don't know what I'd do. And besides, at least he had enough sense to write that note."

Minnie laughed. " I totally forgot-"

Metal screeched as something made of steel crashed to the floor outside the library. Then Pluto bolted into the room. He screeched to a stop a few feet in, looked around, then spotted Minnie and an indignant Daisy. Within seconds, he was barreling his way towards them, yipping all the while.

" Pluto? Pluto, what's wrong?" Minnie asked worriedly, kneeling down to scratch him on the head and under his jaws. He calmed down slightly, smiled a bit.

" Whoa, what happened to the suit of armors over there!" Chip and Dale Dalton yelped as they rushed in after Pluto. " Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Your Majesty-"

They skidded to a stop at the look of fury on Daisy's face. Luckily, that was mostly directed at Pluto.

" Pluto, what did I tell you about reckless bounding through hallways lined with suits of armor?"

The yellow dog whimpered, bowing his head and tucking his tail between his legs. Then his eyes caught something behind Minnie and he was off yelping again.

" Pluto, are you hurt? What's wrong?" Minnie repeated her question. She had never seen him so agitated before and Pluto was far too smart to do something dumb and hurt himself.

Hopefully. He _was_ a peculiar dog.

" Whoa, check it out!" Dale rushed to the window. He squashed his huge red nose against the window. " That has got to be one big bird! Totally shadowed everything and its shedding like crazy!"

" No, you dolt!" Chip smacked him on the head. " There is no bird that big with feathers that tiny and its just clouding over! And besides, there's no birds up there! Or anywhere for that matter!"

" Good point," Dale agreed emphatically. " Okay, then, where's all the feathers coming from-"

Minnie screamed, and Pluto abandoned his whimpering and started barking.

" Minnie, what's wrong?" Daisy asked tersely; the queen was leaning against her desk, a look of utter shock on her face. She was breathing erratically as she stared at the white feathers fall right outside the windows.

" Mickey warned me…of those feathers…" she gasped. " That…that means…_war_…"

""

Twilight Town was unusually quiet. Maybe it was because of the gloom surrounding the world; hours earlier the beautiful twilit sky had gone dark as black clouds rolled over the horizon, darkening the world.

It was a peace granted by the gods, sure, but the clouds were ominous, portending something. Perhaps it had something to do with the sudden silence of the Heartless, perhaps not.

Riku knew this. Blind or not, he knew something dangerous was going to happen.

" Riku…" Yuri sighed as the teenager kept twitching. " Can you _please_ calm down and _tell_ me what's wrong?"

" I-I told you, I don't know," he replied rather rigidly, his fingers fiddling. " Ashita, where's the radio?"

Ashita, who was sitting in the 'communal' dining table and was enjoying a late-night snack, glared at him and said, " You are _not_ going anywhere near the radio."

" Why not?"

" With fingers as twitchy as yours, you're going to break it for sure."

" I won't."

" I bet you will."

" How much?"

" Fifty munny."

" What, that's it? Fine, fifty munny, a hundred gil, and I'll throw in two gold doubloons."

" Doubloons?"

" Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

" Where'd you get the doubloons?"

" You think I'm gonna tell you? Either agree or I'll go there myself and find the radio. Who knows, maybe I'll stumble over something precious to you in the process and _accidentally_ make it break-"

" Oh knock it off," Yuri interrupted, rolling her eyes. " Ashita, c'mon, give him the radio."

" Fine, fine…" Ashita sighed, dug his teeth into the half-eaten apple, then turned around. He mumbled something incoherent as he fished out the small handheld on the kitchen counter, then tossed it to Yuri. She caught it, then handed it to Riku while Ashita took a bite and pulled away the apple.

" Why do you want the radio?" she asked curiously as she sat closer to Riku.

" I don't know. I just have a feeling I should see what's up…" he murmured then turned to her. He could see perfectly now; being with Ashita and Yuri for a few days had somehow refined his senses to crystal-clear precision. He just didn't bother to tell Ashita that. He loved to screw over the other boy.

" Music?" Yuri questioned as his fingers worked the dials swiftly. Ashita, though, wasn't paying attention, and wasn't able to realize he could've played Riku one over by proving he was betting while lying about his abilities.

" Maybe…." Riku leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. He then pulled back and returned to the radio. " Or…something's happened and I don't know it."

" Mr. Busybody I suppose," Yuri rolled her eyes, though she was flushing. She then leaned against his shoulder. " I wonder how the others are doing…"

Riku nodded. " Exactly…"

Ashita, who was busy biting as close to the core of the apple as possible without hitting anything sour, suddenly jolted, banging his feet on the floor. He stared at the window, at the three white feathers falling erratically. He saw faint white dots in the distance as well, glowing in the light of the buildings. He then turned to Riku and Yuri, who were getting far too close for comfort. He decided to ruin the moment anyways.

" Hey, guys, I think you might want to check this-"

" Wait!" Riku interrupted abruptly. He then twisted some knobs. " Something's come up."

Yuri peeked over the couch at Ashita and shrugged. She then turned to Riku again, waiting for him to say more.

" Something about Yuna…"

""

" Are you sure you want to do this?" Tidus asked once more as he sat on the bed in the Red Room and watched Yuna check herself in the mirror one last time.

" Yes, Tidus, I'm sure. You know me. I want to cheer people up, especially in times like these," she replied, looking back at him and smiling. She then hid a giggle and turned back to the mirror as Tidus's face flushed. " Even if it's going to be embarrassing…"

" Of-of course not!" Tidus grinned. " I think it's a great idea!"

Yuna laughed. " And you just asked if I should do it!"

She then took a step back from the dresser, and reached into her pouch at her belt. From within she pulled out a tiny glowing blue sphere with gold speckles shimmering all over it. She held it close to her chest; the gold speckles turned to a shower of gold dust that fell all over her, changing her clothes. She was now wearing airy purple clothing with white ruffles and a black skirt. Her boots had turned black as well, and there was a mike at her waist where her gun holsters were.

She looked at the mirror, twirled around for a few seconds, then looked at Tidus with a smile. " See? How embarrassing can that be?"

" I don't think it's embarrassing," Tidus replied, getting off the bed and approaching her.

" Hm…you know," she said, as Tidus came to stand in front of her. " Whenever I…I use this sphere, I always feel that there's someone…watching me, in the back of my mind. Weird, huh?"

" I guess…" Tidus answered, not really paying attention to her words at all. " Didn't you say this dressphere belonged to someone a while back?"

" Yeah…she died…months before Sin struck Zanarkand and took you up and away…" Yuna whispered, suddenly no longer giddy. She sighed and looked at the floor.

" Hey," Tidus said softly, touching her chin and lifting her face up. He studied her mismatched eyes, then said, " It's okay. Everything will be all right. You're going to pull off one heck of a performance…and I'm going to see it. You're not embarrassing…you're going to be great. And beautiful."

He pressed his lips against hers, held the position for a good moment, then pulled back. The smile returned to her face and she hugged him tightly.

" Thanks."

Outside, they heard someone rush into the Hotel's hallway.

" Yuna, hurry up! The crew's ready and the people are ready to rock and roll!" Yuffie shouted.

" Front row, okay?" Yuna said with a smile. They kissed one more time, then she broke away and headed for the door.

" I'll be there. Go get 'em."

''

" Kairi? Kairi!" Selphie shouted as she dashed ahead of the cluster leaving the Hotel. Tidus, Yuffie, and Leon remained at a respectable distance; Cloud and Aerith had already gone to help out Cid and the hired crew, and control the crowd. " Kairi, are you coming?"

The slender redhead was leaning against the railing that overlooked the courtyard of the Second District. She seemed rather intent on a certain spot in the courtyard near the fountains. She said nothing, only shook her head as she shifted slightly on her feet and refused to look at them. Tidus studied her, knew what was going on through her mind. Then she spoke, at a bare whisper.

" No, I'll stay here."

" Are you sure? C'mon, we can't have you miss all the fun!" Yuffie asked tersely; Leon elbowed her. " Ow! Leon-"

" Are you sure about this?" Tidus said quickly. " Are you okay with it?"

" I can hear everything; I don't need to see everything," Kairi sighed, still keeping her back to them. She was now looking at the overcast sky. " Just go on ahead…Yuna's waiting for you, Tidus. You know it."

" Oh…right…heheheh…" Tidus blushed and rushed ahead, avoiding the others' questioning looks as they left Kairi alone to her thoughts.

Tidus reached the doors first, but as he pulled them open, he looked back once, to Kairi. All at once, his mind overflowed with the memories that changed his childhood friend drastically; ever since she ran into that mysterious blond teenager on Celt Circle, she turned from a cheerful girl to a solemn teenager. And what he saw in that courtyard the other day…well… As the others neared him, he saw her shoulders shake slightly, heard her muffle her sniffing. He sighed, then proceeded to push the doors open.

He knew she was crying.

**Author's Endnote**: Must I make it any more obvious what the next chapter's going to be about? Anyways, we've got about four more chapters after this, then its on to a nice long break and, as some people have already requested and I have planned for a year and a half, a sequel. Yes, _Kingdom Hearts: Secrets of Memories_ is finally coming to an end. It's been a wonderful three-year run and I thank you all for your support prematurely. I'll ask again when we actually _do_ reach the end. In the meantime, do check the Bio page for updates concerning this story and all other stories I am currently writing, including my AU work and my two 'pet projects'. Long reviews and questions are most welcome but any review will do. PASSION!


	77. A Thousand Words

**Author's Note**: I felt that this chapter had to be updated as well. Chapters 76 and 77 are interconnected and you have to read them both for things to be perfect. I think this one's really sad…

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney except for Aozora, Ashita, and Yuri. The plot is mine.

**Feature Song**: A Thousand Words, by Jade from Sweetbox. A _must_ listen, especially for this chapter. The lyrics explain why.

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 77: A Thousand Words**

The crowd was boisterous as the minutes dragged on. Louie, Huey, and Dewey were making fast business selling snacks and drinks; those capitalist minds were always on the go. A whole variety of people were there, including refugees from a wide range of worlds. Simba's family was waiting for him to return from Atlantis while the survivors of Halloweentown were anxiously waiting for news from Jack and Dr. Finkelstein, who had gone off on an excursion to discover what new world had taken place of their beloved Halloweentown. There were other people, too, survivors from lesser known worlds and the people who originally lived in Traverse Town.

" Too many people…" Cid grumbled while one of the hired hands finished wiring the lighting.

" Hey, these people need something to boost their morale," Buddy said with a grin as he finished setting up the cameras and speakers. He had come from Spira to help Cid set up the impromptu concert; the performance was to be beamed all over the Universe by radio, screen, projector, and sphere. And stadium, as is the case of the famous stage in Luca.

" You think Yuna can do it?" Cloud questioned as he and Aerith weaved their way through the crowd. " I mean, it is a bit sudden for her, after all that shock she's had in the last few…"

" Finding Tidus could be the best thing that ever happened to her," Buddy informed. " Especially after everything _she's_ gone through. And besides…"

"…this is typical of a summoner like Yuna," Cid agreed. " My cousin's brother-in-law would do anything to help people, and so would Yuna. More summoners choose their profession based on who they are. They are the ones willing to lay down their lives for other people."

" Oh…"

They could see Tidus weaving through the crowd, followed closely by Selphie, Yuffie, and Leon.

" What about Zexion?" Cloud wondered. Aerith tugged on his arm, then pointed at the café, which was practically overflowing with people, too.

The blue-haired young man was lounging in the chair he had designated as his ever since he came to Traverse Town. He was twirling around a wine glass of water in his fingers as he watched the crowd. He met Cloud's eye, nodded, then looked over to where Tidus and the others were clustering, up near the front.

Cloud was more than amused when Zexion's eyes suddenly widened and he dropped the wine glass. Nobody heard it shattering nor did Zexion even realize it was spreading all over the tabletop and dripping onto his lap.

_What's wrong with the guy?_ Cloud wondered, but ended up distracted when Louie came running.

" Yuna's backstage!"

''

_Cid's beaming this all over the place. Everyone's going to see it, everyone all over the world…how embarrassing…_

Yuna smiled to herself, chuckled a bit. She's done embarrassing things before, like run around in a Moogle suit, but this, this was personal.

_Not personal. This isn't my problem. This is everybody's problem. This is for everyone. I know it is, and that's why I've got to do this._

As before, she could sense something, a presence hovering in the back of her mind. It was glowing with sorrow and yet with approval. Was it glad she was doing this, for everyone?

" Yuna!" Buddy stuck his head in behind the stage. " You're up!"

She closed her eyes, took one last deep breath to banish the butterflies. Then suddenly the presence enveloped her. She gasped in surprise but it was gone as suddenly as it came. And with it went…fear. She was no longer afraid.

" Um…thank you?" she said aloud, tentatively.

_Don't screw up, Yuna. The heart of the Universe rides upon your shoulders. Good luck._

She blinked. It _talked_. And not did it just _talk_, it spoke with the voice of a…girl, a young woman, like her.

The roar of the crowd interrupted her, just as her mind began to grasp the meaning of the presence. She knew she was up.

" Don't screw up, Yuna. You heard…her. Don't screw it up…" she murmured as she willed her feet towards the stage.

And then she was there, on the stage, out in front, looking upon the faces of the people and the creatures gathered to hear her performance and see her in person. Cameras were stationed all around the outskirts, and some were positioned on the outer rim of the stage, to capture her and send her to the other worlds.

She smiled nervously, waved, and the people roared with joy. Yuna was surprised. How could they be so ecstatic to see her, when so much was happening out there?

Because of who she was. Because of what she was about to do.

She looked around, scanned the faces, saw Tidus up in front, with Selphie, Yuffie, Leon, Cloud, and Aerith. She could see Louie, Huey, and Dewey moving through the crowds, still selling, while Zexion watched from the café, ignorant of the broken glass on the coffee table next to him and the water dripping into his lap. She saw, to her right, Cid ordering the hired hands here and there, while to her left, Buddy was readying the stereos and the speakers. And out there, she could see _them_, the refugees, the tired people who wanted to go back to their homes, far from war, far from the Heartless, far from the Nobodies, far from the Darkness…and then she could see _them_, faces hovering, mingling, melding, though they weren't there. But they were, in the hearts of the people, and the hope they carried, hope for their homes, the peace everybody wanted.

_This is for you, Sora. Tidus. Riku. Kairi. Aozora. Shuyin. Lenne. Cid. Rikku. Paine. Everyone. This is for all of you, for everyone…_

" Hey, everyone."

They clapped, cheered, called out her name, pumped their fists into the air. Some knew her, some didn't, and they all cheered her on. They wanted a bit of happiness, in an ominous time.

_They're out there. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Aozora…they're out there, at Hollow Bastion, ready to end all of this. _This_ is for them._

She cleared her throat, reached down automatically for the mike on her waist. Someone was directing her movements, knew better than she what to do.

Wait, where's Kairi…? 

" I know these are hard times for us, for each and every one of us. Some of us lost our homes, some of us our loved ones. Some of us have reunited-" she looked at Tidus "-and some of us are still waiting-" Kairi's sorrowful face came to mind "- and all of us…all of us are waiting for this nightmare to end. I thought…I thought it was best for all of us to…smile a bit. Something to brighten the mood a bit. I've never really done this, but, here goes nothing… This is for everyone."

""

I know that you're hiding things  
Using gentle words to shelter me.  
Your words were like a dream.  
But dreams could never fool me  
Not that easily.

I acted so distant then,  
Didn't say goodbye before you left.  
But I was listening.  
You'll fight your battles far from me  
Far too easily.

""

She wiped the tears from her eyes, bit her lip to keep from crying. Kairi looked up, at the overcast sky, bit back a sob as she heard Yuna's words. She sang so beautifully…and it hurt her heart so badly…

" Sora, Aozora…please be safe…please…" she whispered as the tears continued to stream down her face.

""

Yuna felt her heart strum to the beat, to the song as it came forth, poured from her heart. Each word was true, each word vibrated with emotion, as she kept singing. Then there was a shower of gold dust, and suddenly she was the watcher, the presence, as the one in her mind took her place. Long dark hair swirled, heavy beads brushed against her top, as Lenne finally came forth and opened her painful heart to the whole world.

""

" Save your tears cause I'll come back."  
I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door.  
But still I swore  
To hide the pain as I turn back the pages.  
Shouting might have been the answer.  
What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to part.  
But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart.

""

Words murmured around him, voices, as people gasped, and cried out in astonishment. Right before his eyes, Yuna had transformed into a woman from ages past, one he had seen before.

" Lenne!" Tidus yelled.

""

Kairi turned to the doors, stunned as the voices changed slightly, the people cried out in astonishment, and Tidus shouted a foreign name.

" Lenne!"

""

Though a thousand words  
Have never been spoken,  
They'll fly to you  
Crossing over the time and distance holding you,  
Suspended on silver wings.

And a thousand words,  
One thousand confessions,  
Will cradle you,  
Making all of the pain you feel seem far away.  
They'll hold you forever.

""

Off in the Thunder Plains, everyone gasped in awe as the hologram of Lenne held a hand to her heart and sang, unseeing, to the storm clouds that ceased to rain.

" It's not raining!"

" What's gong on?"

" What's happening?"

Rikku looked around, ready to pounce but Paine steadied her.

" Wait."

""

A huge map of Zanarkand blocked out the world. A maze of high towers and bridges, the ancient city in the mountains took hold of everyone's hearts. Tidus swallowed, stared at the place he had called home.

" Zanarkand…"

""

The dream isn't over yet,  
Though I often say I can't forget.  
I still relive the day.  
" You've been there with me all the way."  
I still hear you say.

""

Glowing spheres detached themselves from the panorama, swirled all around the jaw-gaping spectators. Voices hummed from these spheres, faces appeared from the dreams that died when Sin died.

But one came shooting from the panorama…and dove into Tidus's chest. He gasped at the explosion of fire inside, and doubled over as slow flames reached out through his limbs. It was blinding him, deafening him, made him insensible to the world.

" Tidus?" Selphie asked worriedly, turning to her friend.

He straightened up, and looked straight ahead, at the woman with the long hair on the stage. She gasped.

" Who-who are you?"

""

" Wait for me, I'll write you letters."  
I could see how you stammered with your eyes to the floor.  
But still I swore to hide the doubt  
When I turn back the pages.  
Anger might have been the answer.  
What if I hung my head and said that I couldn't wait?  
But now I'm strong enough to know it's not too late.

""

As she took a breather before continuing onward, Lenne looked down upon the crowd. They were foreign to her, strangers from far, far away, but she could feel they were united under one banner, under one cause, under one purpose. And she could sense the dreams floating around her, the people she once lived amongst.

_Where is he?_

That blond man, the one she had seen several times before, the one Yuna loved, had doubled over. She watched him, wondering why. Or really, it was Yuna watching him, worried sick over his strange actions.

There was a shower of gold dust, and then the man stood up straight. They locked eyes. Lenne felt her knees go weak. But Yuna knew who he was.

_Shuyin…_

""

Kairi buried her face in her arms, felt the hot tears stream down her face and soak her arms. She leaned against the railing, tried to regain composure, but she couldn't. Her knees shook, weakened, and she couldn't stand up. The words pierced her heart, over and over again. They taunted her, spoke to her, spoke for her, and she could do nothing more but listen.

_Sora…Aozora…please, where are you? Come back…come back…_

""

Cause a thousand words  
Call out through the ages.  
They'll fly to you.  
Even though I can't see I know they're reaching you,  
Suspended on silver wings.

Oh a thousand words,  
One thousand embraces,  
Will cradle you,  
Making all of your weary days seem far away.  
They'll hold you forever.

""

And suddenly Yuna was standing there, the words lingering at her lips, at the mike in her hands. People were gasping, at the strange man standing where Tidus was standing, at Tidus who was sitting on the floor staring up at him, at Yuna, who had suddenly materialized before the panorama of Zanarkand, and at Lenne, who was smiling sadly at the strange man.

" I love you…" she saw Lenne mouth to the strange man, Shuyin.

" I love you, too," he whispered in return.

Tidus rose to his feet, staring at Shuyin and Lenne. Then he saw the panorama change. " Look!"

The panorama was no longer Zanarkand. It was Hollow Bastion.

Zexion, who was standing on the café and stepping on the broken glass, nearly fell over. There it was, the glaring image, shattering his mentality into a thousand pieces.

" No…"

Aerith screamed.

And a white feather fell inches from his nose.

" No!"

""

Riku jolted, dropping the radio onto the floor. It broke, sending wiring and pieces all over the floor. Ashita swore, scrambled for the pieces, but Yuri stayed him with her hand. She looked at Riku, who was trembling, shaking. Then he rose to his feet and ran out the door to the balcony.

" Riku!" Yuri yelled, running after him. Ashita, who was on his knees ready to cry over his precious radio, looked up, and then followed them.

She found him standing at the very edge of the balcony, his arms outstretched. In his left was his blindfold. He was staring out…at the white feathers falling all around them.

Yuri looked up at the sky, saw what had happened in the projection into the sky. It was Yuna, Yuna and another woman with long hair and beads, looking all around them at the white feathers falling. Behind them was a panorama, a panorama of…Old Citadel.

" That's Aozora!" Ashita shouted. " Hey, what's he doing-"

Yuri jabbed him viciously in the side with her elbow, then rushed over to Riku.

" Riku, what's wrong-"

She stared. His eyes! What was wrong with his eyes-

" He's dead, Yuri. He's dead. It's all over. He's _dead_…"

There, in the strange panorama behind Yuna and Lenne was a beautiful circle pieced together with stained glass. And there was Aozora, crouched in the middle of it, splattered with blood. He was holding something in each hand, was looking up at the sky, at the white feathers as they fell. Donald and Goofy were on the outer rim of the stained glass circle, defeated. Goofy was holding out a hand to catch a white feather while Donald threw his hat onto the ground.

_He's dead…_

" You mean…" Ashita whispered, holding his side and staring up. He realized someone was missing.

"…Sora…" Yuri finished softly.

""

Kairi lifted her head up quickly, turned to the doors of Second District. Was that Aerith? What was going on?

" No!"

That was Zexion!

And then people were murmuring, crying out, weeping. Something was happening, something had happened!

" W-what's going on? What's happening?" she whispered, wiping her face with her arm. Then she froze.

Through her blurry vision she saw something white float down in front of her face. She rubbed her eyes, looked down at her feet.

Glistening, glowing, it lay where, perfect and pristine. A white feather.

" Please let it be from a bird, please…" Kairi whispered, not even wanting to think about it. " Please…please…they're safe, they're alive, they're together, they're coming back…coming back to me…please…please let it be that way…"

And another feather, next to the first. She gasped, shied away from the two feathers, then looked around.

All around her, feathers were falling. She pulled away, pressed her arms against her and muffled her cries with her fist, as she found herself surrounded by white feathers.

" No…no, no, NO!"

""

Selphie tried to tear her eyes away from the imagery but she, like everybody else, was glued to the haunting glowing circle, the stained glass image that spoke volumes and yet held its own mystery.

And then she heard Kairi scream.

" _When white feathers fall," Leon sighed as he paced the rather empty Accessories Shop, " that means Sora has died. And if Sora dies, we either drown in an endless sea…or go to war. Pray it is war, if the worst comes to worst."_

" No…Sora, no not you, no…"

""

Oh a thousand words,  
One thousand embraces,  
Will cradle you,  
Making all of your weary days seem far away.  
They'll hold you forever.

Oh a thousand words  
_A thousand words…_  
Have never been spoken.  
_Oh yeah…_  
They'll fly to you.  
They'll carry you home  
_Carry you home…_  
And back into my arms,  
Suspended on silver wings  
_On silver wings…_

And a thousand words  
_Oh…_  
Call out through the ages.  
_Call out through the ages…_  
They'll cradle you,  
_Oh yeah…_  
Turning all of the lonely years to only days.  
_Only days…_  
They'll hold you forever.

""

" Sora…I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Kairi sobbed, falling to her knees. She looked up, at the blackened sky, as the feathers fell about her gracefully. " I'm so sorry…so sorry I never told you…"

_" Kairi!"_

" _Sora!"_

" _Kairi, remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you, I promise!"_

_" I know you will!"_

She slowly swept up the two feathers, held them close to her.

_I'm so sorry I never told you how much I loved you. No matter what the time, no matter the distance, no matter the changes, I was always yours. Always…_

The bronze eyes watched her from the back of her mind. What had happened to him?

" _Whatever happens, I'll bring him back. We'll tell him everything…and maybe the rift will mend. There's always a way. Always a light. Always a hope. And we will be whole. Sora will find the Door of Light…and Peace will be ours."_

She cried, cried for Sora, cried for Aozora, for Riku, for Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Leon, Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Yuna, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, for everyone out there who were watching Yuna, for everyone in the Universe where her performance was being broadcast, for her home on Destiny Islands, for her old life in Old Citadel, for everyone…for the only two people she truly loved.

" I love you…forever…in my heart…"

""

Ohhh…

A thousand words…

**Author's Endnote**: For all of you people eager for AK moments, the next two chapters will be chock full of that. But first, a moment of silence. Either the sea will come…or it will be war. Please review. Anything will do, especially for this chapter.


	78. Fragments of Hope

**Author's Note:** FINALLY! I'm so sorry, people, but I got caught up in school and homework and family and house and getting ready for the holidays so I couldn't update anything for quite a while. We just got new windows and a new door so everything in the house had to be reshuffled. My laptop also got hit by the nasty Trojan.vundo, most likely picked up from KHInsider so I recommend you don't go there, unless you want to kill off your computer by picking up a virus. In any case, the only other story that could be possibly ready for updating is _Our Last Memories_, though I guarantee that will be a very long chapter as well. _Rain of Sorrow_ and _Best Deceptions_ are going to take longer to update because I haven't found the time to finish the chapters. I am reoccupied with two of the most evil holidays to exist in the life of a busybody – Christmas and Hanukkah. I leave it up to you readers to figure out why.

Passionafterbattle just came out so I recommend you listen. It's very unusual, compared to the other version, and is easily imaginable with credits for reasons I can't even begin to say. That song gives me the shivers, honestly.

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney, except for Aozora, Lorien, Kobi, and a minor character near the end of the chapter. The plot is mine and I will bite you if you try to steal it!

**Author's Note 2:** Have edited the original version after discovering just how caught up I was in _Our Last Memories_. Unfortunately, none of the other stories are near readiness for updating, therefore I am revising and re-uploading this chapter instead. Enjoy.

**Secrets of Memories** **Chapter 78: Fragments of Hope**

Feathers...it was snowing feathers…

Yuna fell to her knees and closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. Beside her, she heard Lenne whisper, " So the time has come…"

" No…it couldn't have….it can't be, Lenne," she whispered, shaking as tears streamed down her face. " It's not over…it's not over…it's not over!"

She screamed desperately, but for naught. The disturbing phenomenon, these white feathers, the horrifying imagery that played out throughout the song, the screaming, they all told her enough, _enough_.

Buddy and Cid had her performance – and ultimately, Lenne's performance, too – broadcasted throughout the Universe. _Everyone_ knew what had just happened.

There was no hope. War. Or an endless sea of sorrow.

""

The light was gone. The glowing, entrancing light of the gate had vanished, taking the stained glass with it. There only remained a floor, stained with blood.

He stared at it, at the clotting dark liquid. A tentative hand reached out and touched the sticky fluid with stained fingers. There was nothing magical about it, no intangible tingling, no sense of connection. It was real blood from a body that no longer existed.

_A body that no longer existed…a person that was no longer alive…_

It was as though someone was squeezing his lungs, crushing them with the heavy cruel weight of reality. His brother was dead. The one who was supposed to open the Door of Light was dead. Death awaited them in the murky waters of the foretold sea.

Any moment now, he expected the world to shake underneath him, cave in, as waves roil and spill into the chasm between the castle and the Rising Falls. He awaited, fearfully, the coming of the Sea of Sorrows and the end of all things.

What came wasn't a violent tsunami. It was the head of a club. A mage's staff.

" You! You miserable brat, you lousy, no-good son-of-a-bitch, you bastard, you coward, you-"

The first blow jarred his head; the next was sure to leave behind a blotchy bruise on his shoulder if it didn't fracture it first. He didn't even bother to defend himself; he understood the irrational anger immediately. Donald may be hot-tempered to begin with, but this was beyond him. Donald never attacked someone important to the cause with as much violence as he was now.

" Donald!"

The blows came to a sudden halt and he could hear the wizard squalling at the top of his lungs.

" Let me go! Let me at him! Let me at the bastard! You bloody no-good piece of shit! You failed us! You've failed us all and we're all going to die because of you! You failed us, you failed him, you failed your duty, you failed the king, even-"

" Donald! Stop it!"

" I hate you, you know that?" Donald was running out of breath, puffing, but wasn't finished. " I hate you, you son-of-a-bitch! If you tried any harder to get things done right, none of this would have ever happened, would it? Now we're all going to die, thanks to you, you dirty, pathetic, worthless-"

" Donald. Stop it. _Now_."

He tilted his head slightly, keeping his left eye shut as he felt warm liquid run down the left side of his face. He saw the tall knight trying to pull the wizard even further away from him. Goofy had good intentions, but Donald was right to attack him. He, Aozora, _deserved_ it.

_I deserve to die._

But suicide wasn't the answer. He knew that and he knew that painfully.

_Promise me…that you'll look after Kairi for me…I told her I'd come back…told her I would never change…but it's to late…for me. I promised…but I can't come back…I can't._

He turned to Donald and Goofy again. Goofy had let Donald go, was now talking to him with an uncharacteristic intensity. He even stopped using his usual laidback slang.

" We're going back to Disney. We go back, ask Mina and Daisy where Mickey is, and we'll go to him. If we _can_ stop this-this ocean thingy…then we might as well try."

" It's useless!" Donald hissed. " There's nothing we can do. If Sora dies, feathers fall and everyone drowns in the sea. The Prophet told us already and there's nothing we can do!"

" But we aren't dead yet. We still have hope. Might as well go back and find things out."

" Sigh…okay, fine. But what are we going to tell Cid, Leon, Cloud, and the others?"

" Gwarsh…what if we run into Riku? Or worse…Kairi?"

Donald shook his head at their hopelessness. " No choice. We have to tell them the truth. Then we're leaving. I'm not staying at Traverse Town for even an _hour_. We'll refuel immediately, discuss the situation, then go home."

" Okay, then…when are we leaving?"

Donald glared at him. " _Now_."

He stormed off towards the door in the far back that Aozora saw was there. He slowly rose to his feet, staggered a bit, then called out in a shaky voice. " Hey…wait…"

Goofy, who was hesitantly following Donald, stopped and turned around. Donald kept marching forward. Goofy looked back at the wizard. " Der…Donald, what about him?"

He was still walking. " Leave him alone. He's not part of it anymore. Let him figure things out for himself. We're _leaving_."

" But…." And Aozora winced, recalling the smoking wreck of a gummi ship at the bottom of the aptly named Rising Falls. " I…I crashed my ship…"

" _Tough._ You're on your own."

" But-but you don't understand!" Aozora cried out. His heart pounded furiously. " I have to go back!"

" You will," Donald retorted angrily. " On your own. By yourself. There will be no one to help you, except for yourself. You deserve no one's help, so you're not going to find any from me or Goofy."

" Huh?"

Donald didn't bother to clarify for the knight; he strode off down the hall. Goofy was helpless; he looked back sorrowfully at the stunned teenager but followed Donald out of his sight. Aozora stared after the knight, until the clumsy footsteps finally faded away. And then there was silence.

He stood there, his clothes, arms, hands, and face caked with blood. His blood. His brother's blood. The water of life was splattered all over the ground around him, remaining a grotesque reminder of what had taken place. It didn't seem real…but the blood spoke. And it spoke loudly.

Aozora stared at his hands, clenched them into fists and felt the dry dark mask crack. Dried blood fell from his hand and into the soft winds that caught them and scattered them all around Hollow Bastion. He stared at his hands a little longer, clearly thinking, contemplating, fearing.

_Donald just abandoned me. He isn't going to forgive me. He'll never forgive me…so what does that mean about the others? Are they…are they going to hate me, too? What about Kairi…_

The world suddenly lurched and he staggered. Then the ground swayed, making his horribly dizzy. A violent pain burst into his mind and Aozora winced, pressing the palm of his hand against his temple. The world jolted again and he staggered, nearly fell.

" What's wrong with-"

He collapsed.

""

Once he saw Aerith quietly leave the Blue Room with an empty bowl of soup at hand, he rose from his seat at one of the couches in the lobby of the Hotel and quickly strode towards her. He stopped halfway, wincing as his boots creaked noisily on the wooden boards, then continued walking, albeit a little more slowly and with more weight on the balls of his feet.

" How is she? How's Kairi?" Leon asked tersely

" Sigh…I don't know," the brown-haired young woman admitted. " She…she won't talk. She'll eat, alright. She'll eat, drink, sleep, wake up, shower, visit the bathroom, everything but communicate. She's cut herself out of the world, Leon; this reality has nothing to offer to her anymore."

After Yuna and Lenne's powerful performance, Selphie and Tidus rushed into the Second District of Traverse Town, looking for the red-haired girl. They had found her, on the ground, sobbing. She had looked up as they approached, her face glistening with a torrent of tears, as she held up, shakily, two beautiful white feathers. Then she collapsed.

" Nothing to offer? That's…pretty harsh," Leon said softly, staring at the door of the Blue Moon. " Especially for her."

" This is a hard time for all of us, Leon," Aerith said as she strode into the lobby. " If…if the others come back, we'll find out what really happened."

Leon followed her into the lobby and sat down on the couch again. He heard Aerith putting away the soup bowl and the spoon, then looked up as Cloud strode in.

" Leon," he said, his voice quiet and full of steel.

" What?"

" Here. You should read this." Cloud tossed him a folded up piece of parchment paper. " But don't start a commotion, no matter what."

He stared at the blond man as he leaned over and picked up the piece of paper. He unfolded it, smoothing out the crinkles and began to read.

" Cloud?" Aerith entered the lobby, wiping her drying hands on her pink dress. " How'd everything go? After the concert, I mean."

" Yuna's going to be fine," he said, walking straight to her and taking her hand in his. " She's…trying to reconcile with the other woman, I should say. They're talking with Tidus and…the other one. We're trying to sort out the mix-up because the other fellow just won't go away. Yuna and that woman both seem to know that man so it's really quite a mess-"

" That's bullshit!"

Cloud and Aerith quickly whirled around to Leon, who was on his feet, glaring at the paper in his hands. They were shaking; so was he. Yuffie, who was half-in the door, stared at him in shock.

" Squall? What's wrong?"

" That fucking didn't happen!" Leon shouted, throwing the note onto the floor. " That did not just happen!"

Cloud bowed his head, his eyes closed. Aerith and Yuffie looked to him; they were in the dark and they wanted to know what could possibly piss Leon off.

" It's about her."

Leon murmured, " That's why she was taking so long. That's why she didn't come as she said she would. They attacked her ship…"

" This is about Rinoa, isn't it?" Aerith asked of Cloud. " What happened to her?"

" Rinoa's airship was attacked," Cloud began in a low voice. " Intruders, people nobody knew, came onboard in the middle of nowhere – you can't exactly jump ship with airships in the middle of space – and started killing off everyone. She fought them…tried to save the others. Everyone on the airship died…except her. They overpowered her…and…"

" Wait," Aerith said thoughtfully. " Wasn't she coming here with her report on the-the secret of Hollow Bastion?"

Cloud nodded, while keeping an eye on Leon, who was busy crumpling the paper into a ball in his fist. " One of them took the report and started reading it. The other…."

" He _raped_ her," Leon hissed, letting go of the ball of paper. It fell flatly and rolled on the floor slightly. " He was too strong for her…she couldn't fight him off. There were two of them. Both Society members."

" What!" Yuffie yelped. " _Society_ members!"

" Why don't I like the sound of this…" Aerith murmured, her green eyes wide with horror.

" She was unconscious when they left. The ship was…drifting. Filled with dead bodies. A Heartless ship could easily blast it into oblivion and there was no way they could avoid an asteroid. But somehow…Rinoa managed to wake up…and take the airship to Spira. She sent the message from there. Now she's coming…but why didn't she tell me what happened? Why was she trying to hide that from me? Why-"

" Oh my freakin' god!" Selphie screamed, barging into the lobby and not noticing just how dead serious the air was a second before she interrupted. " Oh my god! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

" What? What? What?" Yuffie started freaking out.

" You know," Aerith said to Cloud, " those two could be siblings…"

" Selphie!" Leon barked harshly. She froze, her mouth open, the scream frozen in her throat. " Selphie, what's going on? What's this commotion about-"

Then Selphie stood up straight and spoke, with all due seriousness, " An airship's docked at the gummi garage. It's Rinoa-"

" What!" Leon made to go for the door but the teenager's next words stopped him.

" The log registered an airship from Spira and a gummi ship from Hollow Bastion," she continued in a much higher voice, her green eyes glistening. She opened her mouth to speak again but this time nothing came. Everyone stared at her, even Leon, though he fidgeted impatiently. Then Selphie finally regained her composure. " Donald and Goofy came back…alone."

" Alone?" Aerith gasped, staring at Cloud, then Yuffie, and lastly the spot where Leon was a moment ago. " Only two came back?"

Selphie nodded solemnly. Before she knew it, she threw herself out of the way as the three other people, led by a very hyper ninja, stormed out of the lobby. In the process she rammed into someone, knocking them both onto the floor.

" Ow!" She sat up on the floor, rubbing her head. " Hey, watch it, you-"

" Oh, sorry," the other person exclaimed apologetically. " Here…"

Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. " I'm really sorry; didn't really see you there-"

" Well, watch it next time!" Selphie snapped, not quite taking into account that it was _she_ who ran into him, not the other way around. Then she looked at the person and blood rushed into her face.

He was obviously older than her by a few years but he looked incredibly young. His silvery eyes studied her worriedly, curiously, while his bluish hair fell over the right side of his face and carefully hid most of the remnants of what could only have been a nasty injury. He was wearing a dark blue dress shirt over a black shirt and dark jeans. His frame was lean but he obviously had some muscle.

_Wow, he's hot_, was the first thought to cross her mind.

" Um…hi?" he asked.

They continued to stare at each other.

" Oh, um…yeah, hi," Selphie managed to squeak, then smacked herself mentally. _Wow, why don't you go and sound like an idiot there?_

" So…"

" How come I've never seen you around?" Selphie asked rather suspiciously.

" I've noticed you," he admitted. " You're….her friend, aren't you?"

It suddenly dawned on Selphie that he might have been the person Kairi was meeting several days ago. She told Selphie that she was off to meet someone who might know where Sora, Riku, and that other boy, Aozora, were.

_That must be him…how come she never told me how hot he was?_

" Yeah, I'm her friend. Who are you, anyways?"

" I'm Zexion. And you must be Selphie, I remember now. She told me tons about you. You two must be very close."

" Yeah…we are…"

They both fell silent for a few minutes. She shifted nervously on her feet, then noticed how he was shifting on his feet, too. He was just as nervous around her as she was around him. Then he spoke again.

" So Donald and Goofy came back?"

" Yeah…and Rinoa."

" I'm more worried about Donald and Goofy. Let's go see what the problem is," Zexion suggested, heading for the door.

" Um…sure," she stammered, blushing as she followed him out of the Hotel.

""

She stared up at the blue ceiling, feeling the warm soup settle in her stomach. It was so quiet her heart seemed to pound in her ear. It beat irregularly, furiously, to the point she thought she was going insane.

Though she remained in the Blue Room, Kairi heard everything that was taking place in the lobby. She heard Leon's questions and Aerith's answers, heard Cloud come in and give Leon a message, winced at Leon's furious outburst, and muffled a gasp as Selphie came in and told the others that Rinoa, Donald, and Goofy had come to Traverse Town.

" _Donald and Goofy came back…alone."_

" Alone," she whispered, pulling the blankets up to her neck. " They came back alone…"

The horrid word echoed in the silence as her blue eyes began to water. She couldn't bear it, wished Selphie had said that three people came back, not just Donald and Goofy.

_Where's Aozora? Where is he? Did he…_

"…die, too?" she spoke, her voice barely above a murmur, as the tears came. " Did he die, too? He didn't die, did he? Oh please, please, at least spare him. I can't lose him, too…he has to be out there, somewhere…"

She closed her eyes tightly as the tears flowed down her face and drenched the pillow.

" Come back…" she sobbed. " Come back…I need you, Aozora…please, come back…come back…come back…"

She buried her face in the pillow and began to cry.

""

" Let me ask again. WHERE is he?" Cid barked, swinging the cigarette around in his mouth.

" Let me answer again: I don't know!" Donald growled back. " And I don't care!"

" How can you not care!" the pilot shouted at the magician. " What the hell's wrong with you?"

" There's _nothing_ wrong with me!" Donald squalled back. " You should ask that of _him_!"

A distance away, Leon held Rinoa tightly as they both cried over her ordeal. Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Tidus, Yuna, Selphie, Zexion, and Goofy stood between the two people, feeling the pain and the anger flow. The three groups stood in the town square in the First District and they were the only ones there; Louie, Huey, and Dewey had left for Disney Castle days before and all the regular inhabitants of Traverse Town vanished as soon as Donald and Goofy walked through the huge double doors.

"…just left him there!" Cid continued shouting.

" He failed us all, damn it! I don't give free rides to failures! Don't you have any idea what he had just done!" Donald yelled back, stomping his foot on the floor.

" Godfuckingdamnit!" Cid swore as he pulled out his cigarette and tossed it to the side. " I don't _care_ if he failed or not! He's the only one left amongst us who can use those goddamn Keyblades, including the king's! _And_ there's someone here who needs him right now! Hell, we all need him right now! And you just had to go and be brilliant and just leave him there with no way of getting back-"

" Der…who needs him?" Goofy ventured to ask as he scratched his head.

An awkward silence followed as Cid faltered in his tirade, hemmed, and hawed. The others shifted on their feet, with some choosing to look away. Donald glared at them questioningly. His face read: _Hypocrites!_

" Not me! Nobody needs him, including me!"

Lorien came barging out of one of the local medicine shops. Her blue eyes were cold and her face grim as she strode past them and towards the Third District. She was gripping a knapsack tightly in her hand. She stopped, though, to stare at Donald, Goofy, Leon, and Rinoa. She studied the woman curiously, then shook her head to clear aside her red bangs.

" I'm leaving. Don't expect me to come back!"

She breezed past them and opened the doors into the Third District. " If you see Kobi, tell him I'm in the Third District!"

The doors slammed shut as she walked in, leaving the people even more flabbergasted than before. Donald and Goofy didn't exactly understand the relationship between that young woman and Aozora, but they knew trouble had been brewing in town.

" What happened?" Donald demanded, turning on Cid.

" I prefer we don't clarify," he replied with a grunt. " By the way-" he pointed at the blue-haired man next to the brunette in the green and blue dress "-that guy there was the one we were looking for when you guys where here. He's met the guy, or so Kobi's told me. Name's Zexion; ran off from the Society."

Selphie flushed pink as the attention now landed on her and Zexion. He glared at Donald coldly, but gave a nod to Goofy, who nodded in return. Donald made a sound, then turned to Cid. He looked ready to leave.

" What happened to Aozora's gummi ship again?" Cloud demanded suddenly.

" He…der…um…he said he crashed it or somethin'!" Goofy exclaimed. " Which was probabably why he wanted-"

" _Probably_!" Donald corrected instantly. " It was his own damn fault for crashing the gummi ship; it's his problem getting back here."

" Just what happened between you and Aozora, huh?" Yuffie demanded.

" What happened?" Donald retorted, his voice rising furiously. " What _happened_? I tell you what happened: Sora was beating the crap out of Marucia while Goofy and I fought the NeoShadows! There were too many of them and we were going to get overwhelmed when Aozora came running! He yelled out some random words and the Heartless all went blasting away! He then charged up to where Sora was. Next thing I knew, there was shouting all around, including some man I've never heard of! And then…and then…"

Donald suddenly broke off, shaking his head. Goofy finished for him.

" Sora screamed. Aozora was there…but Sora died."

" Of course," Aerith murmured. " He was the _Guardian_. He was _supposed_ to protect Sora…"

" Exactly!" Donald barked, coming back to life. " And that's why I didn't offer to take him back here! You think that bloody bastard should take a step into the King's ship? He's got his brother's blood all over him; I won't let Sora's murderer touch the damn ship-"

" That's not what the situation is-" Tidus suddenly broke in and with sudden fury.

Selphie suddenly looked up; Zexion and Yuna followed her gaze to the stairs, where Gepetto's shop was.

" Kairi?" Selphie called out, interrupting Tidus and shattering the tension.

She leaned against the wall, her face sickly and pale. She looked horribly gaunt and fragile; it was amazing the arm she was using to support herself didn't shatter under her weight.

" Where-where is he?"

" Where's who?" Donald demanded quite irritably but Goofy kicked him. " Ow! What's the big idea, you palooka-"

" That's not it!" Goofy hissed.

" Kairi," Tidus began slowly, just as Cloud opened his mouth to answer, " I'm sorry. He's not here right now, because some idiot decided he wasn't worth bringing back. Just…just hang in there, okay?"

Now Goofy was confused. He thought Kairi was talking about Sora, but obviously he was off the point. " Wait…wha?"

Donald was just as befuddled. " I don't get it; who's she talking about?"

Yuna looked at the wizard and smiled tragically. " You really don't need to know."

" Wait…" Donald studied Yuna closely, then leveled his gaze on Tidus. " Who the heck are you two?"

" This is Tidus, one of Sora's childhood friends."

" Oh…"

Goofy was now staring at Kairi. He then looked quickly at the others, though he ignored Leon and Rinoa, who were now sitting on a bench by themselves, lost in their own little world. He quickly focused on Cloud and Aerith. " When did this happen?"

Cloud shrugged but Aerith replied, " A while back. It was quite unexpected…and it still is. Who knows where it will take them…"

" Does Riku….um…know?"

Aerith shook her head. " Unfortunately, no. We don't know what will happen once someone tells him-"

" Ooh, ooh, me, me!" Yuffie jumped up and down excitedly. " I'll tell Riku! I will, I will, I will-"

" Yuffie, do you even _know_ what we're talking about?" Cid demanded.

" Nope! Why?"

Cid sighed. " This is hopeless."

Yuffie pouted. Cloud sighed, too, then looked at Donald. " Go to Hollow Bastion and bring Aozora back. We need him right now-"

" There is no way I'm letting him on the ship unless someone explains to me what the hell's going on-"

" You are not going to be told anything!"

Everyone froze, then slowly turned to Leon and Rinoa. The woman looked solemn, her eyes bright with tears. Leon was glaring at Donald, his eyes shining as well. " You're not going to make things better by knowing more than you should. Go back to Disney Castle and find King Mickey's whereabouts. We're going to have to do something that hasn't been done for hundreds of years, and he's going to need you two to help him."

" Hey, I need to know what's going on here; I'm the court magician and you're just a soldier!" Donald snapped, taking a step forward but Goofy held him back.

" Donald, he's right. There's nothing more we can do here. Let's go home."

The world reverberated in the night air.

_Home…_

Donald threw his staff on the ground and suddenly sat, watching the two broken pieces roll off in different directions. The others now had their eyes on him, but he no longer cared. He took off his blue hat and crumpled it in his hands.

" I…I can't believe he's gone. He can't be gone…can he?"

Selphie heard Kairi stifle a sob and saw her sinking onto the ground, her hands covering her mouth. Tears were streaming down her face as she bowed her head.

" I'm sorry," Zexion said quietly. " But he's gone. All we can do is wonder why the Sea has not come upon us, and prepare for war. That's all that's left now…war. No ocean to swallow us in its dark depths but the fire and destruction of war."

" War…" Rinoa whispered; her voice was barely heard but it was there.

A heavy silence hung over the people, filled the First District with it.

" How soon?" Aerith asked fearfully, holding Cloud's hand tightly as she spoke.

Zexion shrugged. Then everyone looked beyond Donald and Goofy as Kobi walked out of the munny exchange building. Ansem's son froze momentarily as he took in the spectacle – Donald and Goofy were confronting Cid, Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Tidus, Yuna, Selphie, and Zexion while Leon and Rinoa were sitting on a bench a little distance from them, both crying, while up the stairs, Kairi sat on the ground against the buildings, silently crying.

" Oh, you two!" Kobi approached them but quickly stopped as the others tensed. He stared at them, momentarily stunned at their defensive reactions, and quickly backed off. " What's going on here? What did I miss?"

" The Society was going to strike, Kobi," Zexion spoke loudly. " They're not striking when we are at our weakest. What do you suppose happened?"

Kobi shrugged, ran a hand through his silver hair. " Well…maybe something messed up in their plans? Or somebody was injured or died while tussling with…them, at Hollow Bastion. Or Crimson decided to jerk our chains by not attacking and later ambushing. I don't know anymore, and neither do you. And by the way, where's Lorien?"

Cid jerked his head towards Third District. " She's in there – wait, you're leaving, too?"

Kobi looked at the pack in his hand, then met the older man's eyes. " Yeah. We're going to the train station. She's going to Spira; I'm going to Hollow Bastion. There's a few things I need to sort out."

" We understand," Aerith spoke softly.

The teenager's eyes were troubled and cold. He was clearly not happy going to his old home but he was going nonetheless. He slung the pack over his shoulder and stalked past the people. He did have one last thing to say, though, and kept one of his eyes on Kairi while he spoke.

" You did the right thing leaving him behind. He doesn't deserve to live."

He walked into the Third District and the doors slammed shut behind him. Donald and Goofy stared at him, both incredulous. Donald, in particular, was stunned. He had his anger, yes, but he never expected those two people to show hatred more intense than his. And what more, he knew they were his friends, so what could have happened for them to butt heads?

They heard footsteps rushing up the stairs, then the doors of Second District slammed shut with a loud groan. Kairi had disappeared.

""

Three days drifted by with painful slowness. It was the fourth day, morning. The skies of Traverse Town were a little lighter; once you lived in Traverse Town for several days, you quickly adapt to the night sky and its subtle ways of announcing morning and evening.

" Morning…" Aerith murmured, leaning against the window sill and staring out at the Second District as Cloud approached, sipping – no, more like sniffing whatever was in the steaming mug in his hand. " I miss the sun…"

" Well, we could always go somewhere where there's plenty of sun," Cloud remarked. " I know we can always go off to Agrabah, since the Red Eye's been recovered. It's always sunny there, right?"

Aerith couldn't help but roll her eyes. " Cloud, it's a _desert_ there."

" I know," he remarked. He closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh aroma of coffee. " Gods, I love this stuff…"

" Don't get addicted now," Aerith warned the man. " You've seen Leon, haven't you? Takes five caffeinated cups in one sitting to wake that man up…and that's only the start!"

She shook her head, smiling at the quirks of the man, then suddenly found Cloud's arm around her, pulling her up against him.

" Oh I'm already addicted to something…or should I say some_one_?" he smiled, putting the cup down on the windowsill. He turned her around and pulled her even closer. " Addicted to _you_…"

He lowered his head and gently kissed her.

" Blegh, get a room, you two. It's only eight and you guys are at it already?" Yuffie crinkled her nose at them as she strode past them with a bowl of cereal.

" I have to agree with her on this one," Selphie added as she carefully balanced two plates of fresh authentic Moogle-made pancakes. One was piled to tipping. " Men and bottomless stomachs…I'll get Zexion one of these days, I swear…"

She disappeared down the hall and kicked at a door at the far end of the hall of the Hotel. Zexion stuck his head out of the room and grinned cheerfully, and mockingly, before she barged in with their breakfasts. Zexion turned his head towards them and raised an eyebrow at the intimate embrace. He then grinned, winked, and closed the door.

" I love spoiling people's mornings."

" That's only you…"

Leon then strode by, talking into what could only be a voice recorder. " Donald and Goofy left for Disney Castle. We'll be expecting a message from either Queen Minnie or Lady Daisy on their whereabouts, as well as the king's. Lorien and Kobi are set to depart for the World Train Station through Line 4. Simba and his group have gone back to Pride Lands. Wonderland's fully returned so Alice has gone as well. Christmastown's reported habitable so the Halloweentown survivors left an hour ago – guys, seriously, get a room."

Cloud smirked through a purposeful second kiss. " What did I say? Spoiling mornings is my thing…"

The brunet man shook his head at them. " Cloud, you're mad…"

He clicked a button on the voice recorder and then went to the Green Room. He gave two raps, then opened the door. The two could hear the lock click into place. Cloud studied the Green Room for a moment, heard murmuring voices before it all became quiet.

" How's Rinoa?"

Aerith slowly broke the embrace and sighed, running a hand through her large bangs. She shook her head. " It's the trauma. She's okay now…but she's still trying to recovering mentally."

" Can't wait the beat the shit out of the guy who did this to her," Cloud growled.

" I'm just glad Leon's taking care of her. He's the only one who can help her right now. So it's best if we keep out of their business for a while…but, I'm more worried about…"

A door creaked open.

" Oh, morning, Kairi."

The frail teenager was wearing a pale orange sleeveless dress with a red belt. The dress was rather short; typical of her. She was wearing new shoes that matched the dress; unlike most other shoes, these did not cause the floor to creak as she silently approached the lobby. Her eyes were lifeless but she smiled weakly at them before opening the doors of the Hotel and disappearing into the Second District. Through the window, Cloud and Aerith watched her slowly wander towards the First District.

" She doesn't look too good this morning…" Cloud muttered, pulling Aerith back into a tight embrace.

She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. " I know…I'm so worried for her. Her heart's sick, Cloud…and that shouldn't happen to a Princess of Heart. If she loses the light inside her, who knows what would happen…. I wish Aozora was here. She needs him now, more than ever…because the days are growing darker…"

""

Line 4 was steaming into Traverse Town's train station. People stood up, as Line 6 departed and Line 1 appeared from the opposite direction.

One of the locals, Rupert, had been assigned by Cid Highwind to take a careful log of the number of people and the type of people coming and going from the trains. Cid must've recognized Rupert's incredible memory; the young teenager had an uncanny ability to literally take snapshots of a scene and recall it with perfect clarity in memory. He was able to take a glance at the people entering one train, and quickly jot down the kind of people and the number getting off Lines 1 and 4.

The light brunet suddenly found himself distracted, though, when he suddenly noticed two out-of-place teenagers walking towards Line 4. One of them was very slender, and was dressed in a pink and green shirt, and dark jeans. The other wore a blue vest over a yellow shirt, and dark blue-green pants. Both wore identical boots, carried identical black jackets, and carried similar knapsacks. The one in pink and green had long red hair; the other had silver hair. The redhead had a huge sword while the silverhead was carrying a staff. They were conversing with each other as they approached one end of a compartment of Line 4.

From the other end, people were streaming out. He tore his eyes away from the two and studied the new arrivals. He counted out five men, seven women, eight children of various ages, three Moogles, and a white owl.

_A white owl?_

While Rupert wondered whether or not to note that, he suddenly found the urge to keep watching the other end. Just as the two unusual people walked into the train with others, someone _staggered_ out of the train compartment. Rupert found his mind jolted violently, and he dropped his pen and packet of logs onto the floor. He suddenly understood why the people in that compartment left the train so quickly. Who'd want to remain around someone like _him_?

The teenager was absolutely out of place, with blond hair rising madly to one side and bangs that shrouded parts of his face. He was wearing a white jacket over a dark turtleneck and ripped pants. The teenager looked incredibly pale, even paler than what would be considered normal; he actually looked gaunt, starved. His oddly shimmering eyes were blank; Rupert imagined unmistakable pain in them, when taken as a whole with his face.

But what made Rupert blanch was the _blood_. It was like the teenager had been bathing in it. The dark crusty blood was flaking off his skin but it clung to his clothes stubbornly. Given that his pants were mostly cream except for the upper one-third, which he decided was very dark brown, and the white jacket, the blood stood out starkly against him, a clear warning to others that he had been through something very dangerous. Or maybe it was _him_ that was dangerous, and he had come to Traverse Town to hide himself.

_Who the hell is this guy?_ Rupert grumbled.

The teenager suddenly fell to his knees. Everyone stared at him as he slowly pushed himself back up and continued to walk towards the entrance/exit of the train station.

That was when somebody screamed.

" Oh mah gawd, what's she doin' on da roof!"

And suddenly everyone was running towards the exit of the train station, towards the gummi garage. The bloodied teenager and Rupert found themselves swept up in the tide as people stampeded up the stairs and out into the night sky of Traverse Town. People were streaming out of the gummi garage as well, blending in with the train passengers to form a mass that made it dangerous for incoming and outgoing gummi ships to land and depart. Now gummi ships were cruising to a stop a fair distance from the gummi garage while other ships sat with engines burning within, the pilots all gone as they joined the masses in trying to figure out what was going on.

Rupert found himself brutally pushed and shoved and tackled, until he found himself bumping shoulders with the strange teenager. He instinctively shied away but soon found himself studying the teenager curiously. Rupert knew a fighter when he saw one.

_This guy fights! And he's only a few years older than me! Is he returning from some great battle with the Heartless and Nobodies? Is that why_-

" What is she trying to do?"

" Haven't we gone through enough already? Must another person die in all this madness?"

" If she falls, I will kill myself!"

" Oh don't you start the mass suicides!"

" Who is she?"

" I don't know; I just got here."

" Wait a minute…that's the Princess of Heart!"

" What!"

Rupert saw even more blood rushing out of the teenager's face as he looked up. Rupert turned and stared up to the roof of the gummi garage as well. He could barely make out the pale figure sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling. The person was looking down on them; that much he could tell besides the red hair flowing against the violent wind. She seemed so frail; Rupert wondered if the wind could be strong enough to actually throw her off the roof.

" Hey, you think you could-" Rupert turned to address the young soldier.

He was gone.

""

He didn't know where he found the energy to run. He was so exhausted, after making the trek to Neverland by following the train tracks from Hollow Bastion to London. Arguing with the train conductor of Line 4 tired him even further. And the fact that they only agreed to let him on the train, without the full benefits of food and beverages to the paid passengers, weakened him further. He was just lucky some of the more sympathetic people handed him cups of water, wine even, and bits of food from their breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Most others had shunned him for his bloodied state but it seemed very few even had an inkling as to who he could be.

Aozora was thankful nobody could recognize him. He couldn't bear having people pointing fingers at him and saying he was the brother of the Keyblade Master, the one who died.

_Sora…I'm so sorry…_

And he had come to the Traverse Town train station, nearly fell from exhaustion, only to hear someone scream that there was someone on the roof of the gummi garage. He then found himself pushed and shoved as people rushed out to see what was going on.

It was only when people around him started talking that he pulled himself together and looked up as well. He found himself suffering from double vision but once his weary ears picked the word "Princess" his eyes focused. And then it hit him, hit him so hard he felt his blood run cold.

Now he had bolted into the gummi garage, past the gummi ships with running engines, pilots and passengers who were too afraid to venture outside and into the mob, tripped past wires and tools and buckets of grease and oil, and found the stairs at the far back of the garage. He pulled at the red double doors that separated him from the stairs. They wouldn't budge; in his fury he summoned a Keyblade and smashed them open. He stared at the Key for only a second before banishing it; the alarm that went off as he opened the doors jarred his head and he could care less that he was wielding the Silver Keyblade. There was someone up he had to find; he had no times for questions.

He started up the red-painted stairs, two steps at a time. He gritted his teeth as his legs screamed with pain, as his feet pounded against the steel stairs, as his hands gripped the railing tightly as he pulled himself up the many flights of stairs to the top. His lungs cried for more oxygen and he found himself gasping loudly as he neared the red door at the very top. Sweat dripped from him, liquefying the red blood. Faint red liquid was now dribbling down his face as he neared the top; he could feel the wounds in his thighs and side reopen as he reached the last flight of stairs. His foot suddenly slipped and Aozora slammed against the stairs. Groaning, he pushed himself back up, fighting his body's protests and staggered up the last flight of stairs. He reached the door, pushed it open, and found a violent wind blasting against him. He nearly fell again but hung onto the red door. It was terribly windy at the top of the gummi garage and he felt himself go cold as the sweat he had worked up climbing up the stairs quickly evaporated in the brisk breeze.

Aozora looked up and his heart froze.

She was there, sitting on the edge of the roof, staring off into the night sky. She was wearing a pale orange dress with a red belt; it seemed to compliment her long red hair in a way that left his insides squirming, despite the exhaustion and pain he was feeling right now. She looked incredibly frail and light; it was as though the only way she couldn't be blown away by the wind was her hanging onto the edge with her hands.

He could hear the people below roar and cry and shout but the winds were blowing away their voices, muffling their protests to what seemed to be a suicide attempt. Aozora didn't know if she was trying to kill herself; he could only wonder at the pain within her as she tried to cope with Sora's death. Was it enough to drive her away from the desire to live, to live and to fight for the Light? Or was it something more…

_She's waiting for me…to come back to her._

He couldn't help but smile, as he slowly took a step towards her.

_Kairi, turn around. I'm here…I've come back…like I said I would. I'm only sorry…that I couldn't bring him back either…_

He could see her shiver, rub her arm in an attempt to stay warm in the cold breeze. It hurt him to see her suffer like this; it was more than the cold, than the wait, that made her suffer. It was the pain, the understanding that she could never see Sora again. She had waited over a year, had gone on a journey to find him and help him, and yet she never met him. And now…he was dead.

_Oh gods…_

Aozora felt his legs finally give way and he fell to his knees, sobbing. He couldn't help himself; the pain hit him as a bullet would, piercing him through the heart. He had lost the last real member of his lost family, was reunited with his brother for only minutes before the death blow. And here, in Traverse Town, his love was waiting for him to come back...and in Twilight Town, his best friend was waiting, too…

Sora had left behind his brother, his love, his best friend. He died leaving behind the people closest to his heart. And with his death, all hope shattered, the shards scattering across the Universe.

They were only fragments of hope, in a time when hope was needed the most.

He didn't know Kairi had turned around at the sound of his tears, didn't hear her approach him. It was only when he felt her arms around him that he realized she was there. She had fallen to her knees beside him, had pressed her head against his, was crying and whispering his name over and over again.

" Kairi…" he murmured, shifted so he could see her face.

The tears were streaming down her face from the tearful blue eyes as they looked at each other. He slowly raised a hand to her face and wiped away the tears but they kept falling.

" Aozora…" she whispered painfully. " You came back…you came back…"

He looked into her beautiful face, made more beautiful by her sorrow, and felt an emotion rush through him in a way he never felt before. He pulled her to him and held her, as they both began to cry.

" Kairi…I promised...I promised I'll come back to you…and I promise…I promise I'll always be here…with you…for you…always."

She nodded, pressed her head against his shoulder.

" Thank you…"

""

Eldest sighed as he stood silently next to the great Neoclassical ivory double doors.

For hours he heard things crash against walls, heard things thrown to the floor, heard massive things fall over, heard _him_ just swear himself out to the point of exhaustion. Hyper little body he had, yes, but sometimes the body was _too_ hyper.

" Your Majesty?" he called out, assessing his energy levels.

" Leave me alone!"

Eldest sighed again, then turned and walked down the long marble halls of the headquarters. He nodded slightly to the Moogles and imported brooms cleaning the rooms and making ready for the dreaded Council but didn't stop as he made his way to the functioning cafeteria. He needed two cups of water; one for himself and one for his former student. He could tell Mickey was going to calm down from sheer exhaustion.

Sometimes kings just crack. And there's nothing you could do but wait for them to tear the fury out of their systems.

And it's best to let them do it in whatever way suited them best.

**Author's Endnote**: Unfortunately, if it's going to take this long to update _Kingdom Hearts: The Secrets of Memories_, I can't even _begin_ to imagine how long it would take to update one of my favorite chapters. It's going to take a long time, because I've rewritten this chapter twice and am still unsatisfied with it. I'm very picky; I only want the best for you readers. Please check my Bio page and web pages as listed for further information and updates and news and whatnot. And, of course, please review. I enjoy long reviews and lots of questions but I will accept anything as long as it doesn't flame anything. Thank you.

Nearing the end of the story….


	79. Tell Me What the Rain Knows

**Author's Note:** Okay, _Our Last Memories_ WILL be updated before the end of the week. I'm also hoping to return to _Best Deceptions_, though I can't say the same for _Rain of Sorrow_; something complicated popped up in that chapter and I might as well have to thank Sunami for that, damn it. (Y'know, the one officially called Oret/Orette) My laptop's been acting weird so its not very easy typing on Word anymore but voila! I did post a warning on both blotspot and livejournal about the coupling dealio but there still are surprises waiting in store for this REALLY long chapter. And I hope you enjoy the dialogue. 

**Copyrights:** All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney except for Aozora, Lorien, Kobi, Ashita, Yuri, and the surprise minor character Rupert. Maybe he WILL play something big in the sequel…but we'll never know. The plot is DEFINITELY mine, as you will soon see.

**Notes about the Chapter**: I've been warning people about this chapter for a while now. I'm not sure if I did publicly warn you but I do know some readers are aware of what may take place in this chapter. This chapter was supposed to be rated M but that turned out to be only the first two takes. This is the third rewrite and it's a bit more mellow than expected, meaning it's still rated T. But for those who have big IMAGINATION (Spongebob Style everyone!), you can safely rate this as M. Be my guest. But I warn you, I WARN you…if you're adamant on SK, don't flame this chapter once you're done reading. Instead, be polite, withhold your anger, and wait patiently for the sequel. You'll know why in good time.

**Songs:** The last half of _COLORS_ by Utada Hikaru, and the amazing _Endless Sorrow_ by Ayumi Hamasaki. By the gods, you MUST not only listen to the song but watch the music video! There is a reason why there's actually a site dedicated to the music video of that one song. Listen to both songs, please!

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 79: Tell Me What the Rain Knows**

Two weeks. Two damn weeks.

And nothing had happened. No tsunami, no giant black wave of doom, nothing. It was silent on the war front, and silent at the heart of all worlds. Nothing had happened. Nothing was going to happen, not for a long time. It was as though Time had stopped and the same things kept happening over and over again.

How Riku hated it.

" Goddamn it, I'm bored!" he snapped to himself as he stormed inside the Bell Tower. Fuming, he sat down on the only couch in the room that lacked clutter and crossed his arms tightly across his chest.

" Please don't tell me you've gone insane already!" he heard Ashita exclaim in one of the other rooms. " You know, talking to yourself?"

Riku smirked. " And so the chicken said to the egg, " _I_ laid you, therefore _I_ came first!" The egg, of course, couldn't talk so it ran over the chicken. And _that_ is why the egg came first-"

Ashita yelled in the other room and Riku fought the urge to laugh maniacally. He smothered his mirth with his hands when he heard Yuri enter the 'living' room.

" You are evil," she accused jokingly. " And after all he's done for you-"

" What, besides these?" Riku remarked, poking at the shades sitting on his nose.

" Well, yes, that," Yuri smiled as she sat down next to him. " And I _still_ can't believe you did that…that other thing."

" What other thing?" he asked innocently, cocking his head towards the broken door near the bedrooms. " Oh…_that_ thing! Well, he did seem intent on keeping these shades as far away from me as possible. The guy obviously wanted me to remain blind and handicapped forever-"

Ashita shouted something unintelligible but Yuri burst into a fit of laughter anyways. Riku sat, watching her with a smile until she regained control of herself. Taking a deep breath, she then turned to him. The smile was suddenly gone from her face.

" I-I've never lived somewhere other than the Tower for such a long time…this city's been my home for ages, Riku. I-I've never…never dreamed I would end up elsewhere, you know? I mean, its like you've been torn away from the only place you've ever known your whole life…"

" Well, we always did have Old Citadel," Riku pointed out, making her remember the faded memories of a wondrous kingdom and a kind king. She sighed, looked dejectedly at the veins in the wood paneling on the floor.

" That…that was then. I hardly remember any of it."

" You guys were living in a castle," Ashita snorted as he carried out a huge knapsack. " I was living in some stone cottage just outside of some tiny town by the sea. At least the twins were nice…"

Riku and Yuri stared at the blond teenager. " What twins?"

" Well, when I was tiny – maybe the same time you two were little – I was best friends with the craziest brothers ever. Well, at least one was crazy. The other wasn't…they were like opposites, you know. But they were cool…except when the crazy one tried to tell us what his pet fish was saying. _That_ made no sense. Fish don't talk, period – what? What did I do?"

Riku was staring at him, his mouth agape. " That fish was Gill. You were friends with Sora and Aozora."

" I was?" Ashita demanded. " How – I didn't even know Aozora when he saved my ass from Shanks!"

" But you said he seemed kind of familiar, didn't you?" Yuri recalled thoughtfully. " Aozora thought you were weird but later on he said that you seemed kinda similar, too. Like you two met before."

" And the puzzle fits," Riku announced. " Well, let's not piss off Cid by being late to his shop with all our stuff, eh? There's an airship to catch, and the headquarters to call home."

" The headquarters of the Order of the Hearts and Souls," Ashita muttered, hefting his bag. " What are _we_ to do there? We're just teenagers…and they're…well…not teenagers."

" Teenagers can do many things," Riku said seriously, rising to his feet and adjusting his sunglasses. " And teenagers grow up. Welcome to war, Ashita."

" War…" the blond teenager sighed, then opened the door and began his slow descent down the stairs that spiraled downwards from the rooms on the top to the floor.

Riku watched until the door closed. Then his senses told him turn around. As soon as he turned to the couch, he found himself enveloped in an embrace, as Yuri pressed her cheek against his and whispered into his ear, " Is it true? Are we really going to war?"

He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. " It's inevitable. Right now the headquarters is the safest place in the Universe. Twilight Town won't be safe anymore. The Heartless and the Nobodies know that Cid's here, so he's going to move out, too. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine are going to stay behind for the moment, until we find the back-up so that Yuna can follow us to the headquarters. And they'd be looking for me. They know who I am…so they'll be hunting us all."

Yuri sighed, seemed to accept their fate. " If that's the way things turn out…"

She pulled back, looked at his stern face and its uncertain smile. " At least…at least that ocean didn't drown us. Sometimes, sometimes I wonder why. I heard so much about how it would destroy us…yet nothing happened. Why?"

" I don't know," Riku whispered honestly. He didn't know himself. " All I care now, though, is that we're all alive. And that's how things should always be."

He leaned in and gently kissed her. Before he could pull back, she had pulled him down to the couch and pressed her mouth against his. He smiled through the kiss, glad that something so simple as an expression of love could exist in a world ripe for chaos.

""

" We are now leaving Besaid Island. We will be reaching Luca in two hours. Thank you."

Lorien sighed, leaned against her chair as the train lurched, then pulled out of the new train station built on the outskirts of the main island village, the home of two great former Summoners. One was dead; the other she left behind at Traverse Town with her lover from another era.

She pressed a finger against the glass pane, stared at the oily mark it left behind. She then drew a long, wavy line across the length of the window, sighing and feeling depressed all the while. Her heart felt so painful; its every beat hurt her in ways she couldn't even begin to imagine.

For five long years she had suppressed her emotions, crushed them so well she couldn't feel as Kobi did. She had killed – yes, she had killed – and felt nothing for those who died under her blade. Anger and cold laughter were the only reactions she had to the world around her…then suddenly Aozora had stepped back into her life, shattered her so completely she couldn't recover.

And she still couldn't. The image of Aozora and Kairi in that incredible, impossible, profane embrace left her dizzy and filled with a rage that burned away all the love she had carried for that blond teenager with the lonesome bronze eyes. And the fact he had kissed her left Lorien feeling murderous. She still wondered how she was able to pass by random strangers on the streets of Traverse Town that day and not strangle each and every one of them out of sheer spite and jealousy.

_Jealousy…I'm jealous…_

She rocked in her seat, sighing. It was a new feeling, something she had never sensed before. It was poisoning her mind, that she knew, yet she really couldn't do anything about it. It was there to stay, there as long as she continued to play that horrid image in her head-

" Yo, yo, yo, whattup? Why are you feelin' down, eh?"

Lorien jerked, backed away from the rough, cheerful voice. She found herself staring at a teenager not much older than herself, with bright red hair spiked up wildly, and huge sunglasses perched on his nose. He was slightly brown, perhaps from the sun, and he had piercings on both ears. He was wearing a gray and black shirt over some baggy black pants, and he had a blue and brown satchel sitting at his feet. She had been so lost in her thoughts she never even knew he was there until he had greeted her in that odd way.

" Uh…what are you doing here?" she demanded, feeling embarrassed and furious at the same time.

" Well…let me see…" he said, fishing into his pocket and yanking out a train ticket. " Motsu. Seat G9. Destination is…Luca. Well, since you're in G10, I guess this is my seat."

" Great…lovely," Lorien sighed, leaning against the window. " And why are you going to Luca?"

" I heard this one music producer guy's searching for someone to sing. Ever since Lady Yuna did the crazy singing weeks ago, people have been searchin' for singers, yo? So I thought " Why not try out for it, eh? People say you can rap so why not?" So here I am…"

" Rap?"

" It's like…I don't know how to explain it but mostly you go pretty fast and there's rhyming and rhythm to it...supposedly. I dunno…why are you going to Luca, anyways? You definitely don't look like you've been from around here."

" That's because I've been all over the place," Lorien sighed. " Been all over, seen much, heard much, talked much, did too much…but its all behind me now. Luca's where I'm going to remake myself."

" Ah…running away from some shitty life, aren't ya? Well, same here! Hey, why don't you try out singing, huh? Wouldn't that be awesome?"

" Singing? I don't sing…"

" You've got to come with me! We can do a duet! What do you say?"

Lorien sighed. She really didn't know what she was getting into, but then again, she never knew what she was getting into the day she ran into a toddler with wild blond hair and bronze eyes back home so long ago. From that moment she loved him…but Aozora never knew. And now she had lost him forever.

A smile came to her face.

" Sure, why not?"

Motsu crowed, leapt to his feet and danced. As soon as she realized just how much attention he was bringing to himself, she reached over and yanked him back into his seat.

""

" Life really was so simple so long ago…" Selphie sighed, propping her head up with her hands as she sat on the steps of the stairs in the Third District. " I wish I was back home again…then I wouldn't have to worry about fighting…killing…getting hurt…dying…"

" I wouldn't say much about fighting and killing," Zexion remarked thoughtfully, staring up at the night sky, " but I would definitely have something to say about getting hurt and dying. Everybody's bound to get hurt, one way or another, mentally, physically…and we're all going to die."

Selphie made a face. " Don't be such a pessimist. That's depressing."

" The truth hurts. Deal with it."

She scowled, punched him on the shoulder. " Shut up!"

" Hey, hey, hey – _ow_ – I didn't really mean it – _ow_ – that hurts! Help, Selphie's assaulting me-"

" Rawr!" Selphie launched herself at him and knocked him against the wall. Then they were falling down the stairs in the most ungainly fashion, landing in a painful, awkward heap at the foot of the stairs.

" Ow…" she moaned, trying to pull herself together. She rubbed her head; she had hit it on the ground only seconds ago.

" _Now_ can I file charges for assault?" she heard Zexion chuckling softly inches away from her. She tilted her head towards his voice and saw him lying flat on his back, obviously talking to the faint stars in the sky. " You're like a little tiger, you know that? Playful and all but when something pisses you off, you jump at it...or in this case, me. Which would make me a 'someone', not a 'something', right?"

" You're impossible," Selphie remarked as she slowly got to her feet. The world spun as a headache exploded in her mind. " Oh, my head…"

She sank back to the ground, then felt him right besides her, helping her stand up. She leaned against his shoulder, seeking respite from the pounding headache in the warmth of another person. She also blushed; she couldn't help it but whenever she was around him, she always felt…awkward.

Selphie could still remember the days on Destiny Islands when she so romantically talked about paopu fruits to Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tidus, Wakka, anyone who was there when she was in the mood. Her dreams of a knight in shining armor sweeping her off her feet and carrying her off into a tropical sunset didn't quite materialize the night she suddenly found herself in total darkness. And she knew things were never the same the day she found herself sitting on the beach of Destiny Islands again, wondering what the hell happened, and finding Kairi _standing_ in the waterfall, crying.

"…and if you're the supposed knight in shining armor, I might as well kill myself…" she found herself muttering as he helped her to the bottom step. She sat down and clutched her head before she realized what she had just said. That could probably explain the suppressed laughter radiating from the person next to her. She turned red with embarrassment, then snapped. "Shut up! That's not funny!"

Zexion burst into insane laughter, enough to drown out her headache. Finding her head suddenly clear, she decided to plan on her next course of action.

_Calling me a tiger, eh? Well I'll show you…_

Selphie still had her nunchuks hidden in the pocket of the shorts Yuffie lent her. Grinning darkly, she watched him carefully, waiting until she knew he had totally lost himself in the laughter, then swung out her nunchuks, intent on knocking him upside the head for laughing at her old, dead dreams.

She staggered back, shocked, as she stared at the black line of energy wrapped around the end of her nunchuks. She followed that line to the cord wrapped tightly around Zexion's right hand. She slowly looked up at his face and the rather evil smirk he had.

" Nice try. If we're going to battle the Society, I might as well let you in on what Lesson One will be: If a Society member is right in front of you, don't expect to catch him or her off-guard. That's impossible."

_Great, I totally forgot he ran away from that stupid, stupid Society…_

Feeling humiliated beyond reason, she yanked at her nunchuks.

_Might as well teach him not to mess with me, either!_

Selphie still didn't know what happened but what she knew was that for one moment she was savagely yanking back her nunchuks from the grasp of his rather intimidating whip, then the next moment he had pressed her up against the wall, _kissing_ her.

She dropped her nunchuks.

""

Kobi sighed, shifting the knapsack on his back as the train tracks ran on endlessly. He was growing incredibly bored of the same sight but he just couldn't find a train that would take him to Hollow Bastion; every person at the train station in London said no one would dare even conduct a train there. And some had told him of a stranger that appeared on the abandoned train tracks from that haunted world, a stranger bathed in blood and with odd metallic eyes.

_Aozora…that damn idiot…_

But Kobi could no longer find his anger. He had lost it, lost it in the long ride from the World Train Station to Neverland, lost it in the last minutes he shared with Lorien before the inevitable separation. He had also lost whatever he had left of his crush; since Sora died, everything else died for him. He had broken away from Aozora completely and now that he and Lorien had separated, the friendship between these three childhood friends had disintegrated.

He knew it had happened. The deafening silence between the two had spoken enough. Lorien had refused to talk, left Kobi to mull in his own thoughts.

He still couldn't understand why the others had gone into defense mode the moment he appeared in the town square and approached Donald and Goofy about what had happened at Hollow Bastion. They seemed intense around him, perhaps even a bit angry. He never understood why. Perhaps he never will.

But then again, the view of the Universe had changed since Yuna's concert. No longer could you easily find peace and sanctuary in many of the worlds. All those refugees from the other worlds would find themselves pursued, haunted by the ghosts of war, as world after world explodes into the fire that had long threatened the stability of the order of the Universe Dragon, Phoenix, and the Prophet created eons ago.

" War has come," Kobi whispered to himself as he felt a drop of water on his nose. He blinked, stopped for a moment, then looked up at the skies. He cursed; the skies had darkened over. Kobi wasn't close to Hollow Bastion and it was starting to rain.

He yanked out his black coat and pulled it on, then slung the knapsack back onto his back. Kobi then began to run, cursing the weather all the while. He hoped fervently that the towers of Hollow Bastion would loom into view, so that he wouldn't die miserably of hypothermia.

Thing was, if Riku was right, would he find someone there? Would he find…

_Naminé, are you there?_

""

…karaa mo iro aseru keikoutou no moto  
Shirokuro no chesuboodo no ue de kimi ni deatta

(…colors fade under a fluorescent lamp  
On the black and white of the chessboard, we met by chance)

Bokura wa hitotoki mayoi nagara yorisoutte  
Are kara hitotsuki oboete imasu ka

(The time we lost our way, we nestled close  
Do you recall that month?)

""

Cid nodded to the song, humming as he took note of the stock in the store. The hired hand had done well but he still preferred that other kid, Rupert, who had that insane memory.

" Hey, Cid!" he heard that kid yell in the storeroom. " What do I do with these Protect Chains?"

" Have you counted how many boxes of them we have?" he bellowed.

" Oh…"

Well, Rupert had to learn how to run a store, unlike the other hired hand.

""

Orenji iro no yuuhi o tonari de miteru dake de yokatta no ni na  
Kuchi wa wazawai no moto  
Kuroi fuku wa shisha ni inoru toki ni dake kiru no  
Wazato makka ni nokoshita ruuju no ato

(Watching the orange colors of the setting sun with you was wonderful  
Your mouth was an origin of catastrophe  
Black clothes are only worn when praying for the deceased  
The mark of rouge leaves behind deep red purposely)

""

" Cid, you are crazy," Yuffie declared importantly as she dropped in from the Moogle Shop upstairs. She then cartwheeled to one of the couches and stretched out full on the three-seater. " Major crazy."

" Shut up. I don't need your opinion, do I?" Cid snapped back as he chewed on the end of the toothpick in his mouth. " And where's Merlin's book? I swear it was on the counter a moment ago…"

" Oh sorry," Rinoa said sheepishly as she entered the store with Leon. Cid raised an eye when he saw how tightly Leon was holding her hand but she was practically dragging him all over the place. She led him to the counter, waved the book in Cid's face, and said, " You don't mind me finishing this book, do you old man?"

Cid scowled. " Did he teach you to call me that?"

Leon smiled. " Sorry, old man."

" Bah, youngsters these days. Don't know nothing about respect…"

Rinoa laughed, then pulled Leon over to the couches. Yuffie decided it wasn't very proper to be sprawled over the couch she was occupying and sat up quickly as they sat down on the couch opposite of hers. She eyed the couple evilly but Leon caught on.

" Don't you dare…"

She pouted. " Darn you, Squall. Just when I had the best prank in mind-"

" My name's Leon!" Leon retorted.

" Yuffie, put that materia away!" Cid yelled from the counter. " I saw that!"

" Why do you want people to call you Leon, anyways?" Rinoa asked curiously as she flipped a page. " Your name's Squall."

" I know but-"

The doors opened again. He stopped and they all turned to see who had come in.

" Um…do you know where Kairi is?"

" Hey, Aozora!" Yuffie shouted. She sat on her knees and peeked over the backside of the couch at the blond teenager. " Where have you been?"

Cid decided now was not the time to tell her she was unbalancing the couch. He made a sound in his throat, then spit out the toothpick and looked at him.

""

Mou jibun ni wa yume no nai e shika egakenai to iu nara  
Nuritsubushite yo kyanbasu o nando demo  
Shiroi hata wa akirameta toki ni dake kazasu no  
Ima no watashi wa anata no shiranai iro

(In myself, I see no dreams, like unpainted pictures  
How many times must I fill this canvas?  
I'll abandon time as I hold a white flag overhead  
I am your unknown color now)

""

Aozora was wearing a thin white dress shirt over a black shirt, and his cream-and-brown pants. His other shirt and jacket were so bloodstained Aerith couldn't get them and finally threw them away. He had been quite unnerved for the last several days; wherever he went around Traverse Town, people pointed and whispered to each other about him. A disproportionate number of young women were eyeing him, too, which totally threw him off. He didn't quite get it, though, until Yuffie dragged him into a corner of the First District and told him – well, she _tried_ to tell him but she kept laughing, so it took a good hour and a half before he could finally string together what the hell she was trying to say.

And that was embarrassing. For a while he had been wondering if people knew who he was and what he had done weeks ago but really they were admiring his _looks_. And before he could insert some choice words, she interrupted him by saying that she's overhead all those young women talking about his _body_, which his shirt was practically showing off for the whole world to see.

That was when Aozora turned bright red and started yelling something stupid. And that was when Yuffie knocked him upside the head to shut him up.

" You know what your problem is?" Yuffie had remarked right after he tried to yell at her for the hit. " You seem perfect on all levels but you just have that one minor problem – impulse. Sometimes you just do whatever comes first to your mind and that really turns people off. Well…no, that's not what I meant! I'm just saying, I heard the whole story of how you jumped at Sora that day at Twilight Town and…oh…that's the wrong thing to say, isn't it?"

" Yeah, it fucking is!" Aozora screamed at her before storming away.

Luckily, Yuffie wasn't one to take a hit and nurse it for days. She, just like Selphie, was so bouncy it was like nothing could ever affect her. Aozora just couldn't say the same about some others he knew. And one was them was…

" _I just can't help it! I want to love you and I want to hate you, too! You gave me so much…and you took it all away, too! Don't you get it? Can't you understand? I-I can't love you, not the way both of us want to…at least the way I want to…"_

" Hello, Traverse Town to Aozora! Wakey, wakey! Who were you looking for?"

" Huh? Oh…" Aozora laughed nervously, scratched his head. " I'm…looking for Kairi."

The atmosphere darkened instantly. The smile slid off of Yuffie's face. " Oh…"

He nodded miserably and decided to stare at his feet. " I…I just want to talk to her…about something…"

" Exactly _what_ do you want to talk to her about?" Leon demanded.

" Leon – I mean, Squall – I mean, never mind…" Rinoa gave up deciding on what to call him. " Well, don't be so rude!"

He glared at her. " I'm not being rude. I just want to know."

" It's just…" Aozora sighed. He fell silent, leaving the others silent as well. They couldn't even hear Cid's hired hand in the storeroom. It was all quiet, until Aozora stomped his foot on the ground. " Just tell me where she is! I want to give her something, something I've been meaning to give to her since I can't give it back to my brother! He's dead, after all! So _now_ will you tell me where she is?"

They stared at his sudden explosion. Yuffie then turned to Leon and pointed an accusing finger at him. " Your fault! You – whoa!"

Cid could only sigh as the couch fell on its back, taking Yuffie with it. " Yuffie, Yuffie, Yuffie…"

" Ow…what, old man?" the ninja asked as she staggered to her feet.

Aozora fumed, huffed at the bangs shrouding his face. He had been wandering around, looking for her, but she had disappeared completely. He didn't try the Third District, though. Just as he was about to enter, he heard who could only be Zexion laughing something evil. And since he had not seen Selphie around and about either, well…he just left it at that and searched elsewhere.

" Aozora?" Aerith said softly as the doors behind him opened, and Aerith and Cloud stepped into the store. " Aozora, she's at the Sewers."

" The Sewers?"

She nodded. " A year and a half ago, she gave something to Sora, along with a promise that he would give it back to her. It was there that they made a promise…and connected their hearts. No doubt she would be there now, looking for the lost connection."

" Lost connection?" Aozora echoed.

" Aerith, are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Cloud questioned. " You know what you're inferring-"

" Hush, Cloud. Don't meddle into affairs like this," she said with a smile. " Go to her, Aozora. We know what happened…but she needs you. She's lost…and so are you. Go to her…and give it back to her, as was promised a year ago."

Aozora nodded, then went around the two people and out the doors. Yuffie, who had been busy righting the couch, dusted her hands of debris, and turned to them.

" So…what did I miss?"

""

" The Sewers? But why the Sewers?" Aozora wondered aloud to himself as he ran up the stairs to the Second District. He threw open the doors, continued running, and jumped over the railing. He landed on the ground, then turned to his left, where the door leading to the back of the Hotel would be. He practically ran into the door, pushed it open, and stumbled into what he thought was the oddest part of town.

He leaned on his knees, waited until he had caught his breath, then sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. It was night, true night, and the stars were flickering faintly. But there were clouds moving, dark clouds that were slowly blotting out each star. Rain was coming.

" Rain…to cleanse the world, to heal all wounds…" Aozora whispered, recalling a book he once found during his stay at Disney Castle ages ago. " But…but can it heal…me?"

" _Kairi, why are you avoiding me? Why won't you look at me?"_

" _Just…just don't, Aozora. Just don't."_

" _What are you talking about? What did I do? Tell me, please."_

" _I don't know, Aozora! I don't know! Oh gods, just leave me alone!"_

" _Kairi-"_

" _When you came back, I thought maybe things would get better. Maybe my heart would stop hurting so much. Maybe I could stop crying myself to sleep each night. But nothing changed. Nothing changed! He's still dead, he's never coming back, nothing will ever return to normal, he's never…just leave me alone! Whatever happened between us never did happen! Oh I don't know…I just don't know…"_

" What did I do wrong?" Aozora shouted. " What did I do? I didn't kill him! I didn't kill him, goddamn it! I…I don't know…all the promises broken…the war…everything…dammit…what am I doing? Am I going crazy?"

Then something hit him, a sudden wave of sorrow that enveloped his mind. He staggered against the wall, leaned against it, breathed heavily for a few minutes, and then the feeling passed.

_What was that?_

Slowly Aozora let go of the wall and made his way down to where the water from the sewers ran. The stars had all gone from the sky; rain was going to fall.

And yet, and yet he knew something else was at work, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something was going to happen tonight, he knew, but he didn't know what. He couldn't exactly explain it in kid terms with sparkles and shimmering stars but it was like something oddly 'magical' was going to happen.

But what could possibly happen to a teenager whose long lost brother died in front of his eyes and was spurned by the only girl he ever truly loved?

He stepped into the waters, shivering at the icy blast as the water flowed around his shoes and the ends of his pants. For a moment he found himself insanely curious about the contents of the water – this was the sewers, after all – but decided against it.

_There are just some things we really don't need to know, do we?_

He slowly sloshed his way through the waters towards the ominous opening deep into the underground of Traverse Town. He listened to the rippling water, found it soothing, then realized that no music was blasting out in Traverse Town. Had Cid turned off his radio? Was the man losing his mind?

" I thought he already did," Aozora snorted aloud. His voice was lost in the water as he continued upstream into the cold, damp sewers. Leon showed him the place days ago, explaining that he usually came here to practice his moves and keep his muscles well-toned.

" Kairi?" he whispered tentatively, as he came to a standstill and listened to the water dripping from all around. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found himself standing on the shores of a rocky little bit of land that led to a hovering platform. Leon and Yuffie told him it led to the place where Merlin lived, but Aozora wasn't exactly interested in that.

There was no answer, except for the echo of his voice. Aozora was alone.

" Where could she have gone?" he asked himself as he sloshed ashore. And then he saw the orange and white shoes perched on a particularly large rock. He froze and stared at them for several minutes. He really couldn't think of any reason why the shoes would be sitting there like that. He also couldn't understand why she would take them off.

_I mean, if she suddenly decided to go out for a swim, this wouldn't be the best place to do it…_

His eyes strayed to the far wall. The waters were shallow; he could see the faint outline of the stones near the wall but there was something about the mural that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Well, besides the glowing, that is-

_The freakin' mural's glowing. What the heck?_

Aozora waded into the waters again, shivering as his pants soaked up the coldness. He was in cold water halfway up his lower legs when he finally came face-to-face with the mural. He studied it curiously, wondering what the heck the sun and the moon were about.

_What am I doing, staring at some stupid mural! I've got to find Kairi-_

He whirled around and his foot – very convenient for this to happen – slipped. He braced a hand against the mural to steady himself and got a shocker when he found his hand going through the mural.

" What the!"

Aozora yanked his hand back and stared at the rippling effect that created. He held his hand, stared, poked, and prodded at it, but it suffered no ill effects. Other then the fact it just went through a wall.

" Is this…some sort of hologram or something?" he wondered suspiciously. He poked at the mural and pulled his finger back when he felt something odd clinging to it. As he pulled back, the mural continued to cling to his finger, producing some very strange rippling effect. At a certain point the sticky bit let go and it slammed back into the mural. He found himself staring at a distorted sun and moon.

" Maybe Kairi's on the other side…"

He took a deep breath, then pressed both hands against the mural. They slid through quite easily, so he decided to push on and let himself pass through the wall. Well, it wasn't really a wall if it didn't keep him out, right?

Whatever it was, it felt strange as he passed through it. It wasn't exactly a hologram and it definitely wasn't solid. It felt like he was walking through very sticky water, if that was even possible with water. He found he couldn't breathe and Aozora briefly panicked.

Whatever Yuffie said about his ridiculous, impulsive nature was right; he charged through the odd wall and suddenly found himself waist-deep in rather cold water. That was enough to shock his eyes open.

It was like the sewers continued beyond the mural, though it was obviously hidden by the mural. The water was cold and impossibly clear. Water dripped from overhead; it was now practically a tunnel, a tunnel with an end – or was it a beginning? – that Aozora could see. And that end was glowing. He decided to head towards it.

_What the hell is this place? How come nobody told me about it? Did they even know this place existed? Why the hell's a mural _not_ a mural?_

He sloshed his way to the glowing light against the flow of the water. For a moment, he almost burst out laughing at the insanity of things – there was a light at the end of a tunnel and he was walking towards it. He was going to die.

_Maybe I'm just going crazy._

He didn't find the light at the end of the tunnel. He had to turn left.

His foot slipped again and he found himself sputtering as he swam up to the surface. The ground had unexpectedly given way, leaving him to slip into the cold water. He gasped as he broke the surface and slowly but surely swam his way away from the entrance. Every few seconds he tested for solid ground, then found it a good distance from the 'deep end'. He stood up, steadied himself, then shook his head. Water sprayed everywhere as his hair shed itself of the heavy weight. He then wiped the excess water out of his eyes and opened them.

He was standing in the middle of what looked like a lagoon. High rocky walls surrounded this huge cove but the roof was gone; he was staring up at the clouded sky. Water was seeping from crevices in the walls as miniature waterfalls, pouring into the lagoon with gentle, soothing sounds. Behind him, several feet away, was an island of stone, with a lone willow tree rising from its very center. Its long weeping arms reached out all around it, seeking to touch the clear water. Aozora stared at the graceful tree and the island it lorded over; _this_ escaped the eyes of every inhabitant in Traverse Town? They didn't realize the mural hid a tunnel that led to some totally outlandish world that really didn't fit in with the bright lights of Traverse Town?

The ripples in the water changed. It was odd how he was able to sense the change but it was there. It was enough to tell him one thing. He wasn't alone.

He whirled around, looked about wildly, but saw nothing. He then slowly inched his way around the island, until he had made it a fourth of the way. Then he stopped, staring at the waterfall that fell from meters up. It was beautiful, a crystalline fluid flowing from the mouth of bluish-gray slate into the clear waters and throwing up hazy bluish white mist. It was an image he just couldn't forget.

Movement. He could feel it. Aozora slowly turned his head and his heart froze.

She stood there, waist-deep in the waters, facing the waterfall. She was dripping from head to toe; she probably didn't expect that drop when she first walked into this hidden cove. Her arms were outstretched, her fingertips touching the water's surface. Her orange dress clung to her body and her long red hair streamed over it, dribbling water down her back.

Aozora opened his mouth. Nothing came out and he closed it. He shifted on his feet, suddenly didn't want to face her. Truth was he wasn't looking for her to give her back the lucky charm; that was secondary. He just wanted to see her again. He just couldn't tell the others just how much he was in love with her.

But she had turned him aside. He knew she was miserable, lost, confused, and that meant she couldn't face him, either. Maybe it was because of what Aerith called 'lost connection'. Sora and Kairi were connected. But the connection was destroyed one day two weeks ago. Nothing was the same since.

But he wanted her to stop suffering, to stop feeling pain over the horrendous loss. He just wanted her to be happy, because he had never seen her happy. The only times he ever saw her, she had that longing look on her face. That was until he came back; the look was replaced with black despair.

" _A Princess of Heart with despair in her heart is dangerous. What were you two talking about? Don't you have any idea what you probably did to her? Sora being dead is one thing; if a Princess of Heart loses her light, it's another-"_

" _Don't talk about Sora!"_

" _Stop denying it, Aozora! He's dead and you know it as well as I! I know it's harder for you because you just found your brother from your incredibly defunct family and he died in your arms, but that doesn't mean you keep pushing away his name whenever it's mentioned! What do you think would happen if you refuse to hear his name? Or have you forgotten the meaning of 'memory'?"_

" _You think I'm going to forget him? Leon, are you insane?"_

" _Not as insane as you! Stop acting like an idiot and-"_

" _Shut your fucking hole, dammit! I've had it already! Everything I had, everything I want, its all gone! Everything's gone! My family, my friends, they're all gone! I've lost everything!"_

" _There's Kairi. What about-"_

" _She's never going to love me, Aerith. She won't. The only person I could ever love doesn't want to love me. So…I've lost everything."_

" _You haven't lost everything! You're still breathing!"_

" _If we lose the damn war, then I will have lost everything! I'd be dead! So shut up!"_

Aozora took in a sharp gasp as his vision blurred. He rubbed his face with his sleeve, tried to rid himself of the tears. Then he sighed, and looked up.

" Kairi…I'm sorry."

She froze, her palms flat on the surface. Then she let her hands sink into the waters, and slowly turned around.

" A-Aozora? What…what are you doing…here?"

Her face was wet but not with water. Her blue eyes were bright with tears that streamed down her face. It stung him and yet it entranced him. There was something about her sorrow that made her so incredibly beautiful and he felt himself drawn to her because of that. He tore his eyes away from her and settled on the waterfall instead.

" I…I was looking for you."

The water seemed to sing. It was entrancing.

" Why?"

Her voice was cold, colder than the water. He shivered at the pain and anger it carried, felt his heart breaking as the word echoed continuously.

" Because…because I wanted to tell you I was sorry."

Kairi brushed aside her bangs and stared down at the surface of the water. She bit her lip. He saw a teardrop fall, watched as it hit the water's surface, then found himself staring at the area of impact, as faint bluish white light began to glow. He looked around, suddenly realized why there was a light near the end of the tunnel. Kairi had been crying, and there was something in her tears that made the water give off that eerie bluish glow.

" I…"

Aozora looked up at her, as she slowly looked at him as well. The tears were fresh, flowing down her face. They dripped into the cove as her lips trembled.

" I…I thought Sora would be here. I thought I saw him…"

""

Tatoeba hitorikiri de  
Nani mo mienaku natta toshite  
Tatoeba sore demo mada  
Mae ni susumou to suru no nara

(Even if for instance you  
Are blinded and alone  
Even so, if you just still  
Try to go ahead)

""

Kairi covered her face with her hands, felt the hot tears seeping through the cracks between her fingers. She couldn't understand why the tears made the water glow, couldn't understand what it was that made her come to this lagoon, couldn't understand why Aozora was standing in front of her…

_Just admit it; you love him, too!_

" Kairi…"

" I thought I saw him," she whispered through the tears. " I thought he was beckoning to me, at the mural, so I came to him. And then…I was walking through the mural. And he was standing there…like his old self, smiling and laughing. I thought he was here after all, that he came back for me."

She knew it sounded ridiculous, that it seemed like she was dreaming it all, but she really did believe he was there, gesturing for her to follow him.

" He…he took me down the tunnel…to the very end. He was smiling the whole entire time…and then he took a step to the left. I followed him…here…"

She felt the water ripple, and was able to sense Aozora inching towards her. She instinctively took a step back. But that was only one step, and he was coming closer.

"…and he took my hand…and led me through the deeper part of the cove…to the waterfall. He held my hand…and told me he was sorry…sorry he couldn't come back to me. He was sorry for not keeping his promise, for breaking it…and I told him I was sorry, sorry because I found myself…"

She hiccupped, couldn't continue speaking. She didn't want to say it, but it was too late, she had already spoken too much, and she knew Aozora was waiting for her to finish, no matter what.

" Kairi…" she heard him whisper. She looked up, shivered at the sadness in the bronze eyes she had always loved. He raised a hand, dripping with water, and gently brushed aside her bangs. Somehow the touch gave her the courage to finish talking.

"…I told him I was sorry because I couldn't wait…I couldn't wait for him. I told him I was falling in love with you…I told him that…that I couldn't. I was falling in love with you…but I still loved him. I told him I could never love someone else…"

She cried openly, could no longer even try to finish. The tears fell into the waters steadily as she shook with the pain and the sorrow and the loss and the despair rushed through her body, pounding at her mind and her heart and her soul. Then she felt his arms go around her and she collapsed into him, sobbing into his wet shirt. He held her, stroked her wet red hair, as the tears began to fall from his eyes, too.

""

Koko e kite kono te o

(Come here, and take my hand)

""

It was raining. He could feel it, the cool raindrops sliding off his skin and soaking the shirts he was wearing. The soft sound of raindrops hitting the waters of the cove matched the waterfall in the soothing smoothness, lending a strange magical air to the small world that enclosed them and excluded the greater world of Traverse Town, as well as the Universe.

" Kairi," he whispered, " Kairi, I'm sorry."

He knew what he should do, what he had to do.

He slowly pulled away, left her sniffing, wiping the tears from her face. She looked up at him, her hair streaming, as the rain fell all around them. " Where are you going?"

He had turned half-away, was beginning to move towards the entrance into the cove. He looked at her with a sad smile on his face. " If I stay here, I'd confuse you more. Your heart won't be able to handle the despair within you any longer…and if I'm here, I'll speed along your breakdown. I-I can't let that happen…even with all that I promised to Sora, I can't have the Seventh Princess self-destruct. So I'll step out of your life…and see what life will do-"

" No! Don't go! Don't leave me!" she cried. " Please, don't leave me! I can't lose you, I can't…even with everything I said, everything I did, everything that's happened since In Between, I can't lose you, Aozora. Please, don't leave me…"

He froze, stared at her. Her desperate plea was still ringing in his ears as he slowly waded back towards her. Her head was bowed down; the rain and the waterfall drowned out her sobs but her shoulders were shaking.

" Kairi? Kairi, look up," he asked gently. " Kairi, please, just look up."

She didn't seem to hear him, was instead whispering.

"…I told him I couldn't love you…because of my memories of him…but Sora, he hugged me. He hugged me…and then he told me, " Let me go." He told me to let him go…and I couldn't. But he kept talking. " Let me go, because I can't be with you anymore. If you're still holding onto me, you'll only hurt yourself and the people around you…and I can't let that happen. Please, just let me go. That's all I ask. There's someone else out there who needs you…so go to him. Never forget me…but don't stay in one place forever. It hurts me to see you like this, Kairi. I heard you that night, Kairi…and I love you, too. But please…promise me you'll let go. Goodbye…" And…and he just faded away…I wanted to ask him, ask him why…but he's gone, isn't he? He's gone…but you're here…you're here, Aozora…and I never knew that…I'm so sorry…"

" Don't be," he whispered. " I guess we're both sorry, aren't we?"

" Yeah…" she said, as she looked up at him with a faint smile on her face. " I guess we both are…"

They stared at each other, lost in each other's gaze, as the rain poured all around them. The haunting, sorrowful music echoed in the rain from the speakers in the First District, yet all was forgotten as they studied each other. Kairi then flushed and looked away, touching a small tear-shaped pendent around a fine silver chain on her neck.

" Um…."

He continued to watch her, found his eyes practically devouring the beauty that emanated from her. There was something that the rain and the glowing bluish white light that made her so…ethereal.

_They say she's one of the last Angels left in the Universe…and I can definitely vouch for that. She's so…_

"…beautiful," he whispered aloud.

" What?" Kairi asked, suddenly realizing that he was watching her,_ had_ been watching her for the past several minutes. He turned pink, then stammered, " N-nothing…it's just…I…"

She already knew, felt so embarrassed about it. She went all warm remembering the way he was staring at her. Truth was, that was _exactly_ how she wanted him to look at her…and that was incredibly embarrassing.

"…I think you're beautiful…in and out…as a person…"

Kairi looked at him, found herself smiling and shivering at the sheepish look on his face. He was clearly unaccustomed to such display, and so was she. And yet…there was something intangible running between them, some strange connection pulling them together.

_Is this just an attraction...or real love?_

He slowly neared her, a step at a time, forging a way through the glowing water to her. He wasn't that far away in the first place so he was right in front of her within seconds. They stared at each other for a few minutes, as the rain continued to fall.

Kairi found herself practically hypnotized by his wolfish bronze eyes. His smile was sad; she had never really seen him smile for sheer joy, but it was a smile that made her want to love him even more. It was a thought that made her tremble, as her insides churned and something fiery coursed through her veins. She wanted him to touch her, to caress her, to hold her close...but she was frightened at the same time, frightened of what might happen, the consequences.

His fingers brushed against her cheek and she trembled. Kairi swallowed nervously, feeling the strange fire grow. They continued to watch each other, his hand touching her face, as the rain fell all around them. She could feel him shaking, too; it was as though they both knew what they wanted, but they were too scared to go forward. Time and age were the only walls that held them back, time and age…

" You know," she whispered, blinking away the raindrops, " you never cease to amaze me."

He gave her a half-smile, as a feverish emotion welled up in his eyes. His gaze slowly slid from her eyes to her lips as he managed to say, " That's what most people say…"

He leaned forward, hesitated for a moment, then slowly pressed his lips against hers.

The rain, the water, the rising mist, the waterfall failed to dampen the fire born as she parted her lips and deepened the kiss.

""

Kimi ni moshi tsubasa ga  
Hitotsu shika nakute mo  
Boku ni moshi tsubasa ga  
Hitotsu shika mokote nakute mo

(Even if your wings  
Are all gone but one  
Even if of my wings  
Only one remains)

""

She had never experienced anything like this. It was like something within her heart gave way and all the loss and despair had spilled out to be burned in the purifying fire and washed away by the rain. All the pain seemed to melt away the longer they remained connected. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer, closer because she wanted him to quench the fire raging within her, closer because she wanted him to fuel the flames.

Aozora braced his left arm against the smooth slate wall behind her, eased her against it as she kept pulling him even closer. He never dreamed anything like this could happen but all at once, it was happening. Attraction, love, or no, he wanted her, the same way she wanted him. He could feel it. He knew it.

""

Tatoeba shinjiru mono  
Nani hitotsu naku natta toshite  
Tatoeba soko ni wa tada  
Zetsubou dake ga nokotta nara

(Even if for instance you  
Lose every single thing you believe in  
Even if for instance all that remains  
With you is despair)

""

" I…" Kairi whispered, pulling back to look at him. " I won't forgive myself…"

" Neither will I," he murmured. She smiled something truly radiant, before he leaned in and kissed her again. She eased her mouth open and he plunged into the sweet, haunting flavor he had tasted once before, a heady essence that had followed him for days since that fateful night in the Second District of Traverse Town…

Vaguely he felt her move her hands and he let her pull off the now-transparent white shirt he was wearing, leaving it to float away in the water. Kairi pulled him up against her, willing him to touch her, feel her, like nobody ever had. And though in the far back of his mind something told him this was too much, the fire roared and the feeble protest fell silent.

He nipped at her bottom lip, then slowly left a trail of kisses down her neck, reveling in her haunting flavor. She moaned, arched her neck, involuntarily pulled him even closer, until their hips brushed and the fire burned away reason, left only the need, the desire to love and be loved. Her hands found the ends of his black shirt and pulled it off, tossing it into the waters. The rain fell on his bare shoulders, ran in rivulets down his back. Her hands skimmed over the taut, lean muscles, and her right hand rested above the scar. It pulsed under her touch, became heated, and he thought he was becoming fire itself.

Aozora felt himself shaking as her hands continued to explore his upper torso, the fingers tracing circles and leaving behind trails of embers. He closed his eyes, found his way to the hollow at the base of her neck, and kissed it slowly, tenderly. He heard Kairi murmur something, didn't know what she was saying, didn't care. Her voice was soft, loving, and that was all that mattered to him.

_What is this that I'm feeling? Am I so in love that I will take it this far, far into eternity? Forever? Together?_

Kairi gasped as his hands slowly explored her, touched her. She trembled, held him tightly, yet she wanted him to never stop, to keep touching her, until the last vestiges of reason burned away. Then his hands slid down to her hips and undid the red belt. It sank to the bottom as his hands went even lower and slowly crept up under the hem of her dress.

Aozora slowly kissed her neck, then slid his lips back up to hers. He hovered at them, suddenly seemed to waver, as his hands rested on the sides of her legs and continued to send tremors and fire up her body. She had frozen, too; her hands rested on his chest, her right hand still touching the pulsing scar. They looked deep into each other's eyes, seemed to be asking each other the question, asking themselves if they could move forward, beyond the walls of time and age.

She could see the flames in his bronze eyes, the love and the lust. She felt herself drawn into them, as the side of his face brushed by hers and he whispered into her ear a question.

" Are you…are you sure about this?"

""

Douka kono inori o

(Somehow, please answer my prayer)

""

For her it was too late. For Kairi, she had done as Sora asked of her, the very last thing he wanted from her.

" …_never forget me…but don't stay in one place forever. It hurts me to see you like this, Kairi. I heard you that night, Kairi…and I love you, too. But please…promise me you'll let go…"_

_Never forget…but don't stay in one place forever…forever…_

Aozora pulled back, waited with dread for her answer. It was one or the other; no middle ground existed between them. He didn't think he would've cared, though; if anything, he knew that they had gone much too far to turn back. There was no going back, for either one of them.

Kairi blinked, suddenly remembered the rain. She then smiled, thinking of what the rain had done, the rain, the fire, the cove, Sora's words. Whatever may happen…she would face it with a heart renewed, and her lover beside her.

" Yes," she whispered, as she slid off the straps on her shoulder and began to slowly pull down her dress.

""

Hane no nai tenshi ga  
Afureteru jidai de

(In this world overflowing  
With angels without wings)

""

Yuffie couldn't help but look at Cid weirdly as he leaned against the counter, the radio next to him. He had his eyes closed as he nodded – quite madly – to the tune of the rather sad, heartfelt song. He had a disturbing smile plastered on his normally grumpy face and she felt so tempted to wipe it off.

" Cid?"

Nothing.

" Cid?"

Nothing.

" Cid!"

" What? What, what, what! Something's on fire? Are we being ambushed!" Cid yelled, jumping to his feet. The cigarette in his mouth tumbled out and onto the floor; he crushed it with his boot as he looked around wildly.

" Cid, maybe you're getting a bit _too_ addicted here," Yuffie decided as she leaned over to turn off the radio.

" No!" Cid dove on top of the radio. " Stand back! Stay away!"

Yuffie shrieked and fell backwards against the couch. " Ow! Old man, what was that for?"

Selphie and Zexion, thoroughly winded and fully soaked, walked in, holding hands and trailing water. They stopped short at the sight of Yuffie sitting on the floor, rubbing her head and her behind painfully as Cid clung to the radio and glared her to hell.

" Did you guys decide to take a shower in the fountain at the Second District?" he demanded, staring at them. " And you're trailing water into the store!"

" Uh…no," Zexion said, shaking his head and spraying water everywhere. " It's…raining…outside…"

" What!" Cid yelled, jumping over the counter. Yuffie ran to the doors and threw them open. She stared.

" Cid, it IS raining!"

" You're kidding me!" Cid barged for the doors – Selphie and Zexion dove out of the way – and stood at the doorways as Yuffie bolted out into the pouring rain and down the stairs. She then began cartwheeling in the town square as the local residents left the shelters of their homes and buildings to venture into the rain. Gepetto and his boy Pinocchio were dancing in the puddles while Louie, Huey, and Dewey played tag. Others were standing in the rain, staring up in awe or laughing with sudden, cleansing joy. Even Cloud, who didn't laugh often for all his weird, uncharacteristic changes in attitude, was laughing as he walked in circles with an ecstatic Aerith. Leon and Rinoa were standing side by side, staring up at the dark sky, arms around each other. Tidus and Yuna were standing in a solitary corner, practically making out.

" Uh…Mr. Highwind, we're in short supply of…of…of…" Rupert, who had approached him tentatively with clipboard and pen in hand, dropped them in favor of staring at the downpour. " It's never rained here before!"

" Exactly!" Cid yelled.

" Hey…they're having fun," Selphie pouted. Zexion, after the surprise move, had started teaching her Lesson One and it wasn't all that fun.

" Then let's join them!" Zexion suggested, grabbing her left hand and pulling her out into the rain. They ran down the stairs and joined the other people, all who were soaking wet but happy as hell.

" Hey, go get yourselves a room!" Yuffie shouted at Tidus and Yuna. Tidus simply waved her away while Yuna laughed, her arms around his neck.

" Hey Cid!" Louie shouted as the triplet ducklings stood at the foot of the stairs.

" C'mon out!" Huey added.

" Yeah, you grumpy old man!" Dewey agreed.

Cid grumbled. " Fuck this shit…"

" I heard that!" Aerith yelled.

Cid swore. But seeing he had no choice he walked out into the rain and down the stairs.

" Where's Aozora anyways?" he demanded as he neared the bottom and didn't see the triplets sniggering.

" I don't know," Yuffie grinned, cartwheeling away. " And I don't care!"

" And where's Kairi – whoa!"

His foot slipped on the last step and he fell flat on his butt in a huge puddle of water. Louie, Huey, and Dewey started laughing insanely.

" Why you little pipsqueaks…"

Soon everyone started laugh as the airship pilot gave chase to Donald's devious nephews. Yuna smiled, and felt Lenne smile within her as well. She then looked at Tidus, while she could feel Lenne look at Shuyin within him.

" Even in the growing darkness, we still have time for the simple joys," she murmured. " I love it…"

" So do I," Tidus said and kissed her again.

""

Kimi ni moshi tsubasa ga  
Nokosarete nakute mo  
Boku ni moshi tsubasa ga  
Hitotsu demo nokotte iru nara  
Isshoni…isshoni

(Even if of your wings  
None have been left  
If only one of my wings  
Is left then  
Together…together…)

""

Night. Rain had ceased to fall. The skies were clearing and a crescent moon gleamed among the scattered stars. It was shining full force among its few companions, the stars saved and the stars that remained untouched by the darkness. Its silver light rippled on the waters of the clear pool in the cove, shining through the faint mist the murmuring waterfall threw into the ethereal atmosphere. Its loving mercurial arm caressed the sleeping as the willow tree cast its long, weeping arms around them and provided shelter for the love they shared.

He stirred, then opened his eyes. The world lazily shifted into focus, and then he became aware of where he was. The bluish white glow was fading but the mist was creeping up the island, shrouding them and hiding them away from the wider world. There was no more music; it was silent, but it was peaceful. It was as though the darkness never existed, that the world was simply existing in its simple peaceful way, and that nothing terrible had ever happened…

_Promise me…that you'll look after Kairi for me…_

_I promise…_

" I promise…" Aozora whispered, looking at the peaceful smile on Kairi's face. She pressed up against him, seeking warmth in this warm sanctuary. Her right hand remained on the scar over his heart but he no longer felt it pulsing with the fire that once drove him mad. It was simply a mark that would remind him forever of the things he had once done…and the love that it reacted to.

He smiled, then pulled his white shirt up to cover her more. She whispered something, pressed her head against him. He lifted a hand and gently stroked her red hair. Then he leaned over and pressed his lips against her forehead. She stirred, then opened her eyes.

" Hey…" she whispered, looking up at him with her wondrous blue eyes.

" Hey…" he smiled back. " How are you feeling?"

" Tired," she said, suppressing a yawn. " Warm, I've never felt so warm…"

He smiled slightly. " Me, too…"

They watched each other for a few minutes. Then she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, She pulled him close and brushed her lips against his.

" Thank you…" Kairi whispered. " Thank you for everything…"

" Me, too," Aozora replied, then kissed her deeply. He pulled back a minute later and she flushed. He had left behind a bit of that fire they shared, the fire that burned during the whole song and deep into the night.

" You know," he murmured, pulling her up against him, " I never told you this but…"

" What is it?"

He looked at her, deep into her eyes, then said simply, " I love you."

She couldn't breathe, was frozen with surprise. As something akin to worry began to rise in his eyes, she began to smile at his confession. Whatever remained of the emptiness she had felt in her heart following the night the feathers fell vanished, replaced with warmth and love and light and hope.

" I love you, too…"

He kissed her again, pulled her close to him…

The mist rose high into the sky, thick and glowing in that strange, ethereal blue light. And this time, someone was going to notice.

""

" Riiiight….Angel Tears?" Yuffie drawled, picking up a tear-shaped whitish stone and scrutinizing it. " How come I've never heard of them, if they're so powerful and stuff like that?"

" Because I haven't seen them in years," Merlin replied with a scowl. " Angel Tears weren't all that rare…or precious, but ever since Dragon and Phoenix, the race of Angels fell into decline…and Angel Tears disappeared."

He gestured with his heavy-laden leather pouch and Yuffie reluctantly dropped it back in with its siblings. They really were pretty. But protect the wearer?

" And what do you plan to do with these 'Angel Tears'?" Leon asked coolly as Merlin securely retied the bag.

" Why, fashion them into talismans, charms, and defense weapons, of course," the wizard replied with some surprise. " What do you think? War will come, a Council has been called, and wonders upon wonders, I find Angel Tears here in Traverse Town, of all places!"

" Where did you find them?" Aerith asked curiously. " I mean, if what you say about the Angel Tears is true, then it's practically impossible to find them here, among other places-"

" Now that's the odd thing. I found them near the Sewers."

They stared at him. Then Selphie had to ask.

" You picked them up from sewer water?"

Yuffie quickly wiped her hands on her shorts.

" Exactly. I really couldn't figure out why but then there was the blue mist rising into the sky. Oh how beautiful that was…"

" Um…_blue mist_?" Cloud repeated. " We don't have that here. This is Traverse Town, not some magical world with waterfalls, moonlight, and purple trees."

" Well…" Yuffie mused, " we do have the moon…"

" I have heard of something, though…" Zexion mused. " Something about a place hidden in Traverse Town. It's a sanctuary, a sanctuary for Angels. Unfortunately, there aren't Angels alive today anymore…besides Sora and Aozora's mother…and those three who are supposedly somewhere out there right now…"

" Kairi's an Angel," Cid muttered. " Remember?"

" And I was an Angel, _was_, mind you," Merlin added. " I gave up my immortality, though…don't ask why. What? I'm serious; I was an Angel."

The others looked at each other. A look passed between them: He's _got_ to be out of his mind.

" Okay, so Kairi's an Angel and so were you," Zexion said. " Merlin, do you know anything about sanctuaries like this?"

Merlin nodded. " I do. I know what you're talking about, actually. But I never had to go there, never…"

" So there would be a reason for going there?" Yuna asked. " Strange…"

" Angels…would die if they are full of the darkest of all emotions: despair," Merlin spoke quietly. " Despair is the loss of hope, and the true light of an Angel comes from hope. Sanctuaries have been found where an Angel can shed his or herself of that despair. Sometimes it's through cleansing fire-" every person in the room shuddered at the thought "-but most often through water. And if an Angel cries – and that's very rare, I might add – then those tears would solidify and carry away the despair, the desolation, and the sorrow. These stones…take those emotions and turn them into powers of protection against the darkest evil. No Darkness can touch the heart and soul of anyone carrying an Angel's Tear, and a weapon fashioned with and Angel's Tear can destroy evil fully, completely, and without remorse."

" So…." Selphie found it same to assume, " Kairi found this sanctuary and cried there?"

" Well, there is this one odd catch," Merlin said, fiddling with his glasses nervously. " The only way an Angel can find his or her way to the sanctuary is the follow what gave that person the feeling of despair. In her case…"

" Sora," Tidus realized. " But he's dead."

" Yeah, but we'll never know what made the tears until we ask Kairi herself," Leon said. " And speaking of Kairi, we haven't seen her in a while, have we?"

" And Aozora's gone missing, too," Rinoa added. " Wait…they're both missing…and I suppose it is safe to assume he's found her so…"

She let her sentence hang, allowing everyone to come up with their own conclusions. Selphie made a face, then shoved at Zexion when he started to laugh. He fell off the top of the stonewall fireplace they were perched on but he kept laughing.

" Um…aren't they too young for that sort of…erm…thing?" Yuffie said, obviously offering an explanation of sorts. That got everybody's face twisted at the thought. They were so intent on trying to figure out whether or not that was a plausible explanation for the whole strange deal with the rainfall, the bluish mist, and what Merlin called Angel Tears that they failed to hear the doors open. Then Rupert, who had been working in the storerooms again, appeared behind the counter with Cid and smiled good-naturedly.

" Hey Aozora, hey Kairi, have you seen the rain? Oh man, that was crazy-"

" You!" Cid yelled suddenly, whirling around on them. Rupert threw himself to the floor while Kairi yelped and clung to Aozora. " You two, running off like that, and all the stupid shit that's been happening, and those ideas that we-"

" Yuffie!" Leon shouted. " He's gonna blow!"

" Right!"

Yuffie flipped over the couch she was sitting on, snatched an oil rag on the counter, and crammed it in Cid's mouth. He sputtered, shouted some muffled words, then tried to pull the oil rag out of his mouth. Nobody needed to know where that had been, thanks.

" So…" Rinoa said slowly. " Where have you two been?"

She was eyeing the white shirt Kairi was wearing over her rather wrinkled orange dress, as well as Aozora's shoes, which Kairi was wearing. He was carrying her shoes and was walking around rather barefooted. Noticing her eyes on the shoes, he laughed nervously and hid them behind his back.

" Nowhere, really," he said sheepishly, turning pink. " We were…ah…well, I did find her…and…well…we got caught in the rain…and…"

Kairi poked him. " He wants a ticket to the World Train Station and a blank ticket from the World Train Station. Well, same here, too."

She ignored the surprised look on Aozora's face as she remained clinging to his left arm. " Please?"

Cloud shook his head. " For Aozora, maybe, but you know, we can't let Princesses wander around at a time like this. Sorry."

" We can always ask the Order," Aerith pointed out.

Kairi scowled. Aozora took this as a cue to get out of the store. " Um…well…thanks…"

He slowly eased her away from building tension and the doors closed behind them. Cid finally pulled the rag out of his mouth and threw it onto the floor. He then spat on it and wiped his mouth.

" Yuffie you are _so_ dead-"

" She has to get _authorization_ to go traveling?" Zexion demanded, looking horrorstruck.

" Yeah, and the same to you, too," Leon added.

" What!"

" We can't let Princesses wander around at a time like this, as Cloud said, _and_ we definitely can't let the Society traitor go wherever he pleases. However, you are authorized to come with me to the Order headquarters."

" What?" Selphie exclaimed. " Can I go, too?"

The others looked at each other. Then all eyes turned to Leon, who had the ' Okay, _who_ voted me leader?' look on his face.

" Well, practically everybody else is going to be there, too…meaning Tidus and Yuna are going to have to come. Can you order tickets, Cloud?"

" Can I _order_ tickets? Why not let the triplets forge some instead of-"

Aerith smacked him on the head. " Cloud! I hope that was a joke!"

" Well now it is! Ow!" Cloud rubbed his head. Yuna giggled but it was Lenne who muttered, " Kids."

Leon sighed, then rose from the couch. Rinoa stood up with him. Leon looked at Yuna, Tidus, Selphie, and Zexion, then said, " Come. The king calls. We'd better go."

The others nodded and stood up. As they left the store to pack their belongings, Leon looked at Cloud, who was still rubbing his head.

" Cloud, you're in charge now. Make sure the old man keeps to his curfew-" " Hey!" "- and hopefully we won't have any problems."

" Problems?" Cloud snorted, staring at the doors. Aerith decided to smack him on the head again. " Ow-"

She then kissed him. Yuffie made a face.

" Okay, if you two want to get it on, go find a room. I'm outta here."

Cid was still sputtering for a comeback as the ninja skipped out of the store. Leon watched the swinging doors, then watched as Rupert slowly pushed himself back up to his feet.

" Um...is the coast clear?"

Leon nodded. " Make sure the old man keeps to his curfew like I said, okay?"

Rupert looked at Cid. " Riiight…"

As Leon left the store, Cid finally found his voice.

" Have fun at Council 387," he cackled madly. He then looked at Rupert. " Well, what's with the storerooms!"

**Author's Endnote:** I bet a lot of you were definitely not expecting some of the things that took place here, eh? Well, thanks for reading and please review. Share your thoughts, write nice long reviews or short reviews, but no flames, please. I may have to unleash the wrath of Tetsu upon you all then. And in case you never knew, this is the last _official_ chapter of _Kingdom Hearts: Secrets of Memories_. Amazing, isn't it? Three years…and the story may finally be coming to an end. There are two more chapters after this but you'll see what they are like. But once again…thank you. And please review, once again. If you want to complain…hm…you can do so…either by e-mail or the two sites I listed on my Bio page. And for the third time: Thank you.

**Author's Endnote 2 written because she's pissed**: Winter vacation sucks. Hope its better for everybody else. Guess that's all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	80. One Sky, One Destiny

**Author's Note**: It is finished. Beyond this chapter lies only the Epilogue. In a few weeks the sequel will be written. It has been a good three-year run. Thank you for persevering with me. Here is the chapter to finish it. Enjoy.

**Copyrights:** All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney with the exceptions of Aozora, Kobi, Lorien, Rupert (no idea if he's mentioned in this chapter), some characters down the page, and Motsu, The storyline is mine, all the way to the end, and extending further into the Epilogue.

**Songs**: The first several stanzas of the song 'Around the World' by M.O.V.E. is featured here. This is one very good, fast-paced song but it's not important, hence no English translations. The feature song is 'Hikari' by Utada Hikaru. Where would Passion fit in the picture? That's for you to find out.

**Warnings**: All you have to be aware of is the language. And my own grammatical and spelling errors. I was writing this in the midst of a headache so bear with me, okay?

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Chapter 80: One Sky, One Destiny**

Cid was losing the battle with the static on the radio and cursing under his breath when Yuffie came walking into the store, soaked. She stopped in front of the fireplace and shook her head, spraying water everywhere and the fire hissed. She then looked up, with her wild hair and all, grinning at the people in the room. Cid had stopped touching the radio to glare at the water trail she made.

" Raining again.," she said as she held up a bundle of newspapers. She then tossed it across the room to Cloud, who was sitting with Aerith on the couch.

" What's it say, Cloud?" Cid asked, still not devoting his attention to the radio as he usually did. " Anything new or are things just the same as it was for the past few weeks?"

" Heartless activity," Cloud read. " And the Nobodies. They're on the move again."

" Where?" Yuffie asked, bounding over to an armchair and plopping into it.

" Ancient Greece," the blond man explained as his eyes skimmed the front page. " They're on the move for a city."

" Does Hercules know?" Aerith asked quickly, twirling her brown hair around her finger.

" Greek army is headed for the city to counter them."

" What's the city's name? I need to alert others of this," Cid said as Rupert appeared from the storeroom with some Protega Chains.

" Mr. Highwind, I can't find the box you were talking about-"

" Goddamn it, I told you it was on the top shelf!"

" There wasn't anything on the top shelf but dust!"

Cid growled something in his throat and stormed into the storeroom, Rupert meekly following him. Yuffie grinned and gave the teenager a thumbs-up while Aerith smiled rather whimsically.

" City's got two names. The city people call it Illium. The others call it Troy."

Aerith and Yuffie nodded. Then Yuffie asked, " What else?"

Aerith leaned over Cloud's shoulder to take a peek. " Deep Tranquility is back in this Universe, thanks to Kairi. I believe Aozora's going there today. Leon, Zexion, Selphie, Tidus, and Yuna should have reached the headquarters by now. I'm expecting representatives from all worlds to be gathering there to decide how to prepare for war. It's going to start very soon, today, tomorrow, or the day after.."

" All that's in the newspaper?" Yuffie demanded, her eyes wide. " These people are nosy!"

" No Yuffie, this is stuff we know," Cloud replied, now opening the newspaper to begin reading some articles. " Interesting…people are headed for Hollow Bastion now-"

" Quiet everyone!"

The three people on the couches jumped as Cid slid out of the storeroom on his feet and ran to the radio. Quickly he twisted the knobs on it, the static shifting between very loud to rather mum. After much cursing and fiddling, he finally came to a static-free station. He put his ears close to the speakers. With the expression on his face so serious, the others leaned towards him, wondering if it was news of battle or-

" I love this song!"

Yuffie groaned. " Cid, please! Enough with the music. I mean-"

" No, you don't understand, this is like the most amazing song ever!" Cid insisted.

" Yuna can sing better than that," Aerith remarked.

" And Lenne," Cloud added.

Cid glared at them.

" What do you know? Oh and for your information, there's been a fight after all…"

""

Donna toki datte  
Tada hitori de  
Unmei wasurete  
Ikite kita no ni  
Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru  
Mayonaka ni

(No matter what the time  
I'm just alone,  
Destiny forgotten,  
Even though I kept going.  
Inside of the sudden light I awaken  
In the middle of the night.)

""

It was raining. Heavy droplets of water fell from the clouded night sky and collected in puddles and rivers all over Traverse Town. They fell on his face and slid down his cheeks and once in a while he had to blink quickly to get the rainwater out of his eyes. His hazel eyes.

He wondered if it was tragedy that gave his eyes that metallic sheen. When he returned from Hollow Bastion, he immersed himself into the history of his past, finding memories that he had forgotten. Memories including his flashing eyes. He knew Ronsend had eyes that glowed but Alara had blue eyes, like the ones Sora had. Somehow things had come out differently for him. He was told he was born with hazel eyes but there was something in them, something cold and metallic; after the destruction of Deep Tranquility, his eyes had gone all bronze and that was the way he remembered them. Until a few nights ago, when he looked into the mirror and shouted in shock and horror.

Emerald, sapphire, and flecks of dark gold. Those were the words she had used to describe them, when at night the moonlight shone through the storm clouds and the window of the Blue Room and illuminated them. She said they were like beacons of light in a dark place.

He smiled. It was a sad smile; he could never escape his sorrow.

He looked behind him at the doors of the Hotel and wondered if she was watching him. Last night she repeatedly cursed – mildly – what seemed to be the living hell out of the Order of the Hearts and Souls for preventing her from going with him to his home world. But they had no choice. Orders were orders, right?

Aozora sighed, then turned around while tugging at the hood of the dark blue coat he was wearing over his head. It was just so weird now, him going somewhere, anywhere, without her at his side. They had been practically inseparable for the last week and a half, earning the title, at Yuffie's insistence, of "Traverse Town's Lovebirds". And, she added, they had beaten out Tidus and Yuna, and Zexion and Selphie for that 'special' status.

" See, " she began to explain during breakfast a few days ago, looking quite happy at the look of shock Aozora and Kairi shared, " there weren't a lot of candidate couples to choose around here. I mean Zexion and Selphie are really cute-" Selphie flushed and covered her face while Zexion retained a lazy grin "- and I don't want to give anything away from Yuna who's been searching for Tidus for two years and Tidus himself, who has one extremely crazy life story- make that life and death, since he did die but came back to life-" the couple could only roll their eyes as Yuffie continued her insane bantering "-but you two are like way out there somewhere. Sometimes I feel like you two really are in a different world altogether."

" I thought that's what happens when you're in love," Zexion pointed out with a smile as he snatched a toast from a rather formidable pile in the middle of the table.

" Well that depends on the _maturity_ of the two people," Yuffie declared importantly. Cid choked into his coffee and Leon, with a sigh, began to bang on his back until the pilot was able to breathe again. " See, I won't bother to even begin ranking Cloud and Aerith, after everything the two have been through. They're much too way up there to even begin to rank."

" Yuffie…" Cloud groaned while Aerith laughed. She was mainly laughing at the look Cid had on his face.

" And Squall and – I mean, Leon and Rinoa, well, I would like to rank them but that would be for a different title. I would say they're "Traverse Town's Noisiest Couple" but-"

Leon began coughing wildly on a bite of scrambled eggs while Rinoa turned cherry red and tried to hide her laughter in Leon's shoulder. Seeing that nobody was helping Leon, as everybody else around the table started laughing, Cid reached over and began banging on _his_ back. Yuna just shook her head.

" Yuffie, why do you have so much free time?" Tidus asked. " And who gave you the right to listen in on what people do?"

" And while you're at it," Cloud began, trying to stifle his laughter and failing miserably, " why don't you go ahead and give that title to Aozora and Kairi as well-"

" Cloud!" Aerith smacked him on the head.

" Ow! What did I do?"

The chaos that followed was quite memorable. By the time the scuffles and finger-pointing had ended, Yuffie found herself saddled with the task of cleaning all the dishes and the tables besides. Leon and Cid were throwing each other dirty looks while rubbing at their smarting backs, Rinoa kept laughing into Leon's shoulder, Aerith was bickering with Cloud over his inability to say the right things at the right time, Yuna and Tidus went off to visit weapon shops, Zexion and Selphie went to find Gepetto and Merlin to discuss gummi ship armor and the latest updates from around the Universe, and Aozora and Kairi walked off, hand in hand, to disappear into the Second District.

Aozora sighed, smiling under his hood as the chilly rainwater dripped off the edge of his hood in waterfalls. He breathed in and out easily, watching his breath fog and fade away. He couldn't remember when he had more than a day's worth of peace. Despite the impending war, and a visit to the home he had forgotten, every day he spent with Kairi brought more smiles to his face and a happiness he couldn't explain.

Happiness, even when the dark sky, the heavy rain, the dim lights shining through the windows of the buildings, and the heavy silence around him evoked memories of the darkest sins.

""

Shizuka ni deguchi ni tatte  
Kurayami ni hikari o ute

(Quietly, stand in the exit way,  
And, in the pitch-black, take the light.)

""

The doors behind him opened abruptly and Aozora, who took had begun walking towards the doors of Second District, turned around, only to be enveloped by a tight embrace. He stumbled back a few feet. Aozora then felt hands, wet with the rain, feel for his face, then slide under his hood and touch both sides of his face.

" I'm going with you," Kairi whispered into his ear. Her warm breath brushed his cold face and warmed him.

" You know you're forbidden to go," he said softly, though he refused to actually follow orders, instead pulling her even closer to him. He missed her presence and really didn't want to let her go.

" I don't care. I have the tickets, and Merlin's going to cover for me."

" You blackmailed him, didn't you?"

She laughed softly. " Merlin was unfortunate to tell us too much about himself during our time in In-Between. It was either that or I do some dealings with the triplets, since we all know what they can do."

" When did you learn to be so evil?"

Kairi pressed the side of her face next to his, her hands sliding down to his chest, where his heart beat. " Does it matter?"

He smiled, knew the answer. " No, it doesn't matter at all."

He lifted his hands and touched her face. Aozora then kissed her. The rain gave it a sensual feel, took him back to the night in that strange sanctuary, where the rain fell, the light in the water glowed, and the love was eternal.

After what seemed like forever, he reluctantly pulled back. Kairi smiled as she pulled on the hood attached to the simple black coat she was wearing.

" We should go. The train leaves in ten minutes and I don't want anyone seeing me leave Traverse Town."

He nodded. They left the Second District for the train that would take them to Aozora and Sora's home world, hand in hand.

""

Imadoki yakusoku nante fue ni saseru dake kana  
Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa  
Kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo  
Kitto umaku iku yo

(And what about the recent promises, is it just that I'm so anxious?  
A wish that's wanting to be said, but shall be repressed.  
I'll introduce my family,  
You'll surely get along well.)

""

" Y'see anything yet?" Ashita asked impatiently. His arms were aching; he shifted his grip on the rocket launcher on his shoulder to relieve the pressure. His shades were sliding down his nose bridge but he couldn't push it back up. Slowly he peered over the ledge of the building's rooftop and studied the empty street.

" Can I _see_ anything?" Riku echoed, his voice edged with mockery. Everybody knew he could see, especially with the sunglasses he forced Ashita to find for him. Of course, that wasn't the point.

" Shut up. Let me rephrase the question: can you sense anything?"

" Yes. But it's weird. Maybe the Heartless and Nobody forces had problems trying to become one power. They're approaching from opposite ends, a group of Dusk and a group of NeoShadows. If I'm to assume anything, they're going to start the war. They're going to fight over Twilight Town."

" Well, they're in for one big surprise, eh?"

" Hell yeah. How many?"

" I've got four. Fifth one's in the launcher."

" Good. Ashita, you sure this area's cleared out?"

" The Gullwings won't fail on us, not after everything they've done to help us. They know who we are, they know what they're part of. Stop doubting them, Riku. Trust them for once, even if Rikku's not in her right mind half the time."

" Right."

Riku smiled as a fresh breeze blew, tossing his silver hair about.

" You know, I just realized that a whole year's passed by."

" And your point is?"

" I'm seventeen. One year older. And I'm going to start a war. Excellent way to grow up, don't you think?"

Ashita just smiled and shook his head. He immediately regretted the action; his sunglasses slid even further down his nose. He grimaced, then swore when he felt beads of sweat form and roll off his face.

" Damn it, I can't see!" he muttered, blinking furiously as sweat entered his right eye.

" I know you're jealous of my über looks but please, don't try and go blind as I almost did," Riku stated matter-of-factly. " I got powers but if you tried to go blind, you'll stay blind."

" Very funny," Ashita snapped. He quickly let go of the launcher with one hand and swiftly wiped his eyes while pushing up his sunglasses. He then quickly grabbed the launcher before it broke his shoulder.

" Are you ready?" Riku asked quietly. A breeze was blowing, cold in the warm twilit air.

" If they want war," Ashita said, the year rushing through his mind. It all went from Aozora's nightmares to Orion's betrayal to Riku sealing Kingdom Hearts to Sora's death to the very last seconds of peace before all hell broke lose. " If they want war, we'll give them war."

Riku nodded, his face now grim. War. He knew Selphie would romanticize it and imagine glorious charges and mighty heroes and heroines save the day. Tidus was much like Sora, ready to charge in and save the day. Wakka would laugh things off but he was serious, too, when he needed to be. He wasn't sure about Kairi, though. He had talked to Kairi once through Cid's comms. link but she didn't give much away. Maybe it was because of Sora's twin brother, Aozora. He knew about their relationship and though he honestly didn't feel comfortable about it, he let it go. Kairi needed the most help and support now, and he would do anything to make his childhood friend happy.

_How oblivious we were so long ago. How childish and hopeful and innocent. Now we're entering a galactic war against the Darkness, while forces more powerful than we can ever imagine push and pull us. And the Fates Hades knows well…they were the ones who cut Sora's life short and began it all. No, that's not it. It began long before our time. And now it is up to us to finish this. If that is our destiny, then-_

" So be it!" Riku half-shouted into the wind. " These fellows are in for one fucking bad day. Be sure you can reload fast, Ashita, because we're going to blitz them and start the fucking war that could end everything! The war begins now!"

""

Donna toki datte  
Zutto futari de  
Donna toki datte  
Soba ni iru kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
Mayonaka ni

(No matter what the time,  
We'll always be together.  
No matter what the time,  
Because you're by my side  
The light known as "you" finds me,  
In the middle of the night.)

""

In the dark world of the Gathering, nothing remained of the destruction Chaos, the secret creation of Zexion, left behind. Activity was sparse; not many remained in the Society. Whatever the traitor had tried to do had succeeded; he not only allowed Aozora to escape, but he also destroyed most of the Society.

The Society was in need of a total makeover.

That may be the nature of the meeting Vexen had called. The long-standing Society had stood the test of time until the balance broke down; in face of new threats, the structure and ability of the Society to counter them would fail. The attempt to forge an alliance with Ansem and his forces had failed to form. Crimson had declared him the enemy.

Nobody knew what became of the Advocate. He had returned from the mission at Hollow Bastion a ghost, his every movement screaming of an unspeakable horror he had encountered. Perhaps Crimson was the only one who knew what had happened, but three Society members knew. They knew but they kept this information to themselves.

" You'll never remove Marucia from his position of power, Axel, so get over it," Domitan spoke quietly as he and his best friend stared at the black sea. " You'll always remain somewhat of an outcast."

" I know that," the red-haired man replied. Upon some unspoken mutual agreement, they both fell silent for a few moments.

Of the Society members sent to Hollow Bastion to complete the task, Axel and Domitan remained unable to return to their old routines. Marucia unexpectedly took the lead in the Elite and began to vigorously change things, including taking in all the remaining Society members and training them. That included Xaldon, Roland, Sofis, and several unknown members – Demyx, Luxord, Rosalind, Helicon, and Nexus.

The Society received a shock when a blood relative of Ansem came seeking to join its forces. But they had heard enough from the man Axel had contacted for several missions in Twilight Town; the two had formed a brief alliance in trying to subdue and kill Sora. Orion would be a valuable asset to the Society's changing goals in the impending war.

" War. How I love the sound of it," Domitan suddenly said with a smirk. " I'm going to love this. Win or lose, the damage we'll inflict is something to look forward to, right?"

Axel didn't answer. There was a strange silence hovering over the normally flamboyant and crazy man.

" Hey! Don't you have anything to say?"

The redhead seemed strangely oblivious to his surroundings, until Domitan socked him on the shoulder. He stumbled to the side a few, then turned on the blue-haired man. " What the fuck was that for!"

" I was talking; you weren't listening," Domitan retortd. " Just what were you thinking about?"

" Nothing that concerns you, so stop worrying."

Domitan stared at him. This was so un-Axel. What happened for him to suddenly recant his insane ways? Did it have anything to do with the two forces they released from Hollow Bastion's secret seal, or was something else at work?

" Axel, have you seen Roxanne? I don't see her anywhere, and we have to be at the fucking meeting that asshole Vexen called."

" No…I haven't seen her," Axel answered dully. His green eyes kept staring across the black sea. " Haven't seen her at all…"

Now Domitan was irritated. " Axel, snap out of it! What's wrong with you?"

He shrugged. " I'll go find Roxanne. I'll see you at the gathering."

The blue-haired man nodded. " Alright then. But don't do anything funny. I expect you at the meeting in exactly ten-no, make that nine minutes."

Axel smirked, looking like his old self again. " I feel so distrusted…"

Domitan rolled his eyes. " I'm your best friend, Axel. I _know_ what's going through your mind. And it's an important meeting. I'm sure we're going to discuss the whereabouts of Pete so you two have better be there. Don't start screwing things up now."

Axel waved him off. " Whatever."

" Oh just go and get the fuck outta here and find the damn woman!" Domitan muttered, then vanished, leaving Axel to stand alone facing the sea. The tall man sighed, then turned to walk off into the dark world. His green eyes gleamed with the faint moonlight, the only real light in the world between worlds.

_If only Domitan knew the things I know…but not now. Later, during the war…all will be mine._

""

Urusai (when you turn my way) toori ni haitte  
Unmei (take it all the way) no kamen o tore

(Enter a noisy street  
And put on the mask of destiny.)

""

Leon led his group down the dark alleyway, ignoring Selphie's nervous squeaks and Tidus's mild cursing whenever he stepped in a puddle. Out in the streets life roared with intensity and nervous energy, but Leon rather that he and the others remain hidden. Zexion walked by his side, silent and rather gloomy at the collar that was suddenly placed around his neck as well as the leash that connected him to the headquarters of the Order. Leon kept checking his pockets to make sure he had the orders and the code needed to get past the guards at the secret door.

Alice and the Queen of Hearts quickly got off the train, both nervous of each other and the fellow passengers who kept staring at them. Alice may have been able to blend in, with her innocent looks and all, but the Queen of Hearts was altogether a different matter. She had already caused a bit of an uproar during the journey to the World Station when she argued with one of the stewards over her heart-shaped luggage. Hopefully, Alice prayed, hopefully the Queen of Hearts won't jeopardize what may be the most important meeting in ages with her temper.

Tarzan and Jane stared at the towering heights of the great buildings that ruled the skyline as they walked down the street. People bustled all around them, whispering of darker things to come and hawking their wares. With them were Pooh and Owl. Though Pooh was used to such unusual settings, Owl was jittery and kept quizzing everyone on the situation as well as the status of the city they were entering. His world was in Hundred Acre Wood yet he was the only one from that realm who had somewhat of an actual education. It had been decided that Pooh's friend Christopher Robin remain within their world to retain some sort of order; Owl wouldn't be returning home anytime soon.

Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Sultan pushed open the tall ivory doors with their sparse but elaborate gilt designs, entering a great marble room. The ceiling soared and the room seemed enormous. Hallways branched out from this lobby, weaving mazes deep into the unassuming but massive headquarters of the Order. Jasmine spoke softly to Sebastian, who had joined them on their journey from Agrabah to the World Station, then from the World Station to the headquarters. Sebastian didn't seem bothered by the chaos of the upper world of walking people, even though he was quite renown for trying to keep Ariel from entering the world the merpeople had feared the most.

From one of the halls, the one actually designated as the hall with the secret doors for those who wish to come undetected, came Sally, with a smile on her face. The seer had met with Jack Skellington and Dr. Finkelstein but it was a brief meeting; she gave them orders concerning Christmastown and returned to partake in the gathering Council.

From behind the entourage from Agrabah and Atlantica, the doors opened and Peter Pan soared in with Tinkerbell. They left golden fairy dust glittering in the air as they made spirals up to the ceiling and then straight down to where Aladdin, Jasmine, the Sultan, Sebastian, and Sally where. Peter hovered upright and gave a bow to the ruler of Agrabah, then looked at Sally, who smiled.

" This way."

""

Sakiyomi no shisugi nante imi no nai koto wa yamete  
Kyou wa oishii mono o tabeyou yo  
Mirai wa zutto saki day o  
Boku ni mo wakaranai

(Thinking too much about the future,  
Stopping things that have no meaning.  
Today I'll eat delicious things.  
The future is always before us.  
Even I don't know it.)

""

Pocahontas and John Smith held hands tightly as they weaved their way through the busy streets of the city. People were stopping in their tracks to stare at Pocahontas, at the color of her skin, her clothing, and her exotic air. She smiled radiantly at the new world around her, while John Smith studied and searched for anything suspicious. New settings told him to stay on the alert for any surprises; with so many people here, no Heartless could resist attacking.

Mulan, Mushu, Shang, and the Emperor pushed their way through the people. Mostly it was Mulan and Shang, with Mushu standing on Mulan's head and shouting obscenities at people who refused to step out of the way of China's champions and the wise and almighty emperor. The Emperor, they knew, was a very special person, and they didn't want to take any risks, though they couldn't help but stop for a few seconds to stare at the huge stadium situated by the port.

Robin Hood quickly pulled the hatch up while Friar Tuck looked around for any suspicious bystanders. Once Robin Hood had the hatch up all the way, Friar Tuck quickly climbed in. The graceful archer swiftly followed, carefully closing the hatch behind him. Underground, they hurried down the cool passageway in the direction of the Order; Friar Tuck was one of the most important people in the Universe and it would not do to have him head towards the Order headquarters out in broad daylight, at the mercy of the masses. As their feet pounded down the cobblestone, Friar Tuck quickly taught Robin Hood the code they would need to give to the guards to pass.

Hercules, Megara, Philoctetes, and Eucletes stood at the second step up to the doors of the headquarters. They were busy trying to finish the fight that began the moment messages came in from the battlefield at the city of Illium. They knew a retired admiral may be returning from retirement to join the fight to destroy the Heartless and the Nobodies. What they were fighting over was whether or not to send a message to have the Greek army sit and watch what the Heartless and Nobodies would do. Scouts had reported them moving in two different groups from two different directions. If the alliance between the two forces remained permanent, then the Greek army would fight. If the month-long silence following the falling feathers meant infighting and a possible fallout between the two forces, then the Greek army could just sit back and witness a spectacular battle between the Heartless and the Nobodies. A good thing, sure, but that just might convince the retired admiral to return home to Atlantis.

Simba padded down the dark hallway, his tail swishing to and fro. No lion, no matter how intelligent he was, could prowl down the streets in daylight and not be ignored. Under orders from the king and with the help of Rafiki, he found his way to one of the secret passageways that would lead to the inside of the Order headquarters and away from prying eyes. Rafiki walked by his side, quietly humming that insane tune that had knocked some sense into his head when Simba thought he was going crazy. Rafiki was carrying a reed-woven basket that he made. Within were Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Bo Peep, and Wheezy, the representatives of the world of City Point. They were busy hiding inside the basket underneath the fruit Rafiki had collected to act as their shelter from prying eyes and curious hands. In times of danger, people would retreat to the safety of the known world, and not many would be bold enough to demand a price for fruit as strange as the ones Rafiki picked.

Queen Kida refused to take the king's suggestion and take one of the secret passageways, saying she was sick and tired of going underground. Milo Thatch, who was traveling with her, laughed at the response she gave over the comms. link sent to them as a means of communication should they get lost on their journey to the city. Nigel sat on the silver-haired queen's shoulder, busy trying to make conversation with the gulls that few overhead. All he got was a repetition of the word " Mine," and that was the end of it. Milo kept a tight hold on the round bowl that held Gill. The fish studied the world above water with a leer as they made their way up the stairs and gave the guards their code. They were then motioned inside.

Belle, wearing her blue and white dress, strode confidently into the lobby of the building. Due to a lack of sufficient communication between Fabled Countryside and the headquarters, she had to explain to the guards why she lacked a code. They had nearly come to blows when one of the guards picked up his comms. link and listened to the order issued from the other end. She was allowed inside. As she passed by the counter on her way down one of the halls, she smiled and waved to Chip and Dale Dalton, who were busy typing away at computers, and jabbering into headsets. They nodded to acknowledge her presence, then Chip pressed a button and spoke.

" Your Majesty, Fabled Countryside has its representative…yes, the guards have acknowledged that both Pride Lands and City Point have entered the headquarters…no, Your Majesty, we are still missing…yes, Your Majesty. We'll send you a message immediately after his arrival."

Chip sighed and pulled the headset off his head, leaving it hanging on his neck.

" This is gonna be fun, huh?" Dale asked cheerfully as he continued sending orders to the other cities on the world they were on.

" You dolt, there's nothing fun about the first meeting in hundreds of years! Be serious now!"

" Yeah, I know, but all these people from all over the Universe are walking. You can't ignore the fact that…"

The doors swung open and they stared at the newest arrival, Dale's sentence fading.

""

Kansei sasenaide  
Motto yokushite  
Wan shiin zutsu totte  
Ikeba ii kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi no shinario  
Utsushidasu

(It's not necessary to go right to the end,  
Just keep going.  
It's okay if the scenes  
Go on one by one.  
The light known as "you"  
Reflects my scenario.)

""

Jack Sparrow swaggered into the building, drinking from a canteen and studying the gold in the lobby. Obviously he could sense two pairs of eyes for he turned to the astonished Chip and Dale, and winked.

" Say, savvy, where's the meeting, I say?"

They silently pointed down the middle hallway.

" Thanks."

He swaggered off, while Chip carefully felt around for his headset.

" Your Majesty, we're set. We will load the defenses in a few minutes. We'll alert you when they're up….yes Your Majesty, we're keeping track of him…no Your Majesty. Dale, where is she?"

" They don't know. She's gone. You think she went with him?"

" Your Majesty, they don't know. She ignored a direct order; what are we to do? But…oh, I see. Yes, Your Majesty, very well. Dale, start the defenses. The Council's about to begin-"

" Chip, you'd better read this," Dale interrupted, pointing at his screen. Chip leaned over and quickly skimmed the contents of the report. Then he was hurrying to his own computer and typing in commands. While doing so, he pressed the button again.

" Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We've got two reports on two fronts a few minutes ago…Yessir, it's about Ancient Greece and Twilight Town. It's a three-way battle at Ancient Greece, Your Majesty, and-Dale, shut up! Sorry, Your Majesty…yes, Your Majesty, it was a three-way battle at Twilight Town as well. Riku reports the two forces are terminated but the reports are still coming in from Ancient Greece…Yessir, the admiral is in the fight. Shall we start negotiations? Yessir…yes, Your Majesty. Chip Dalton, over and out!"

""

Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
Terebi keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo

(Let's talk more,  
And about the tomorrow that's before your very eyes.  
Turn off the television,  
And look only at me.)

""

The search had not gone well. Every single person or group of people who signed up to audition had failed miserably. Some people didn't even get their first line out before the director ordered them out the door. All attempts to find decent singers had failed; Lady Yuna very well may be the only singer out there to entertain the masses. Unfortunately, she was also a woman of power and would not be able to perform all the time.

" Next!" his colleague called out, her voice weary and bored.

In strode a duo, number 842. The young man was grinning widely, He seemed to be of a flamboyant sort, with huge sunglasses and wild spiked red hair. He very well may be a bodybuilder with a built like his but he walked with the prowling grace of a wild cat. With him was a slender teenager with fiery, sexy red hair and cold blue eyes. Her face was grim and downright serious. She was wearing a long brown coat with black faux fur on the cuffs and collar, as well as a purple tank top with gold discs and long dark blue jeans. She obviously didn't look comfortable in her clothes; while she kept brushing at the strands of the faux fur away from her neck, she glared at the other man, who gave her what seemed like a wink and a thumbs-up.

" You're going to pay for this," they heard her mutter to him.

" So…you are…Motsu and Lorien, am I correct?" the director asked while reading the information sheet.

" Yo, yo, yo, that's the stuff, yo!"

" Motsu, please."

His colleague laughed. " Interesting, I must say. What can you do?"

" He says he can rap," the woman, Lorien said, jabbing a thumb at him. " He also says I can sing."

The director and his colleague looked at each other. Their personalities were striking and at odds with each other, but if they were yet another dud, what would become of this dreary talent search?

" Okay then," the woman said, sitting straighter in her seat. " What can you do?"

Motsu looked at Lorien, who sighed. Then he grinned.

" Trip to the world! Yo! Here we go unknown world e to umareta bakari no tabibito/ narenai ashidori mo mata aikyou kimeru took dake bashitto/ So many people in this world toki ni chuushou tokamonai wake ja nai kedo/ Shimannai took ha warp shite kou suji dake ha tooshite ikiteru that's our low!

" Ate no nai trip! One way ticket to your soul, let's go buttobitsudzuke mitsukeru your goal/ aishiai jdai ni kanjiai samazama na dorama tsukutte kou/ so many things we wanna try pop song no soko ni kakureteru deep style/ gojuu oku no negai uzumakiku world kitto dare ka ni todoku your light!"

" Iki sae sukenai nemurenai machi/ suki mo misezuni warai ate/ uso sae safety honto ga empty/ abunai gurai na wanna shut up and break out!"

" Let's move into a brand new world/ let's dive into a brand new trip…"

The director and colleague stared at each other, jaws slack with shock as the two people kept singing, unaware that they have gone over their time limit. All the people in the room besides the two judges and the two singers were moving to the fast beat, while the mood in the room rose quickly with brand new hope of some new stars on the horizon.

" They're good," the colleague whispered to the director. He had to agree.

""

Donna ni yokuttatte  
Shinji kirenai ne  
Sonna toki datte  
Soba ni iru kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
Mayonaka ni

(No matter how well we're doing,  
I don't believe in us completely.  
But at those sorts of times,  
Because you're by my side  
The light known as "you" finds me  
In the middle of the night.)

""

The library was dark and stank of age. The bookcases towered in the gloom, seemed threatening, as he slowly walked across the dusty floor. Here and there he saw signs of life – his footprints, Lorien's struggle with Domitan, Riku and Tarzan's presence, Axel moving here and there, places were the dust didn't exist. But then his eyes caught something, signs of another presence in the silent, forbidden realm of Hollow Bastion.

It wouldn't leave his mind. Was it really here, in this castle, that Sora died and sealed the fate of war? But how could it be war? He knew what should have happened, knew the Universe should have gone down in torrents of black water. Did Sora fall or did he fail?

Kobi shuddered as he weaved his way silently to the windows of the library, seeking some light in this bothersome darkness. There was a pale glow and he decided to head there. When he first stood before his old home, it was raining and dark and the castle appeared gloomy; if there was light in here, then maybe-

He rounded the last bookcase and entered a space where the staircase spiraled up to the second level. The windows were towering and gave him a wide view of the dark, rainy world of his father. There were no light bulbs or torches or candles giving off the light.

It was the person standing at the window who gave off the light.

Kobi stared, and gripped his staff tightly and involuntarily. She had long golden hair, slightly wavy at the ends. She was very pale, nearly porcelain, and was shaped just as delicately, with a frail, slender frame and long limbs. She was wearing a light cream sleeveless shirt over white Capri pants, and on her feet were sandals with white straps. She practically glowed with the light.

Wisps of memory seem to rise out of her fragile form and swirl around him, whispering of the voices past. He shook slightly, realizing that Riku was right.

" _You will lose your light, Kobi; I can feel it. But once the darkness moves out of Hollow Bastion, you should go back. I know you will find another light there, another hope."_

" This is impossible," he breathed out, not realizing that he had spoken.

She suddenly turned, startling with her crystal blue gaze and her soft smile. She had pale rosy cheeks and her lips were blushing pink. Her smile was shaky, and her eyes held a look of mild surprise, but she was not afraid. She seemed…happy.

" Hi," she whispered.

His heart was pounding in his ears.

" Um…what are you…doing…here?"

_Idiot! What a way to start a conversation!_

" This was my home…. I came back. I wanted to see what happened to Old Citadel."

" Oh…"

" What about you?"

" I…I-uh…this was my home, too. I was born here and lived here for a few years…before everything went wrong."

He kept watching her, hoping and fearing. Was this really her? He decided to ask.

" Um…what's your name?"

She smiled again. " I'm Naminé. And you are-are you alright?"

Kobi kept staring at her, feeling his face heat up as memories returned of the very first crush he had.

" I-I-I-I-I-I…." he stammered, then caught himself. She giggled, while he took a deep breath and tried again. " I'm Kobi."

He waited nervously, wanted to know what she would say. He felt relieved when her smile became stronger and more certain. Her eyes were shining.

" Kobi? I thought it was you. Not a lot of people in this reality have silver hair."

" Riku does."

" He's no you, Kobi. It's been a long time, you realize that?"

" Yeah, I know…"

They were both silent, studying each other, simply content in each other's presence. It's been a long while, a very long time.

""

Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
Terebi keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo

(Let's talk more,  
And about the tomorrow that's before your very eyes.  
Turn off the television,\  
And look only at me.)

""

Naminé smiled at the silver-haired teenager as he stared at his feet, knew how hard life had been for him. The son of a king, traversing the Universe an outcast of an organization bent on abandoning its noble origins in favor of domination. How amusing. How tragic. How…amazing.

He looked up, saw that she was watching him, and smiled uncertainly in return. Then he asked, very quietly so the rain nearly drowned out all his words, " I just came here…to…to see how much this place changed, too. After all, so many of us grew up here, right? Do you…do you want to check out this place…together? You know, to be on the safe side?"

She knew why he asked but didn't push it.

" Okay."

He held out his hand. She took it and he guided her out of the library and into the dark corridors of Hollow Bastion, where children's laughter and a brother's tears echoed of innocence lost and a world begun.

""

Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
Terebi keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo

(Let's talk more,  
And about the tomorrow that's before your very eyes.  
Turn off the television,  
And look only at me.)

""

He looked calmly down the middle of the long marble table and at the strong, tall form of the cloaked and hooded old man, Eldest also known as Tesled, sat. The hood nodded in acknowledgement, as they waited for the chatter, commotion, and movement at and around the table to die down and fall silent.

His mind began to distance itself from the present situation and to the far past, when his life was first defined by betrayal. From there destiny took his hand and led him down a long and difficult road, sometimes in darkness, sometimes in light, among enemies, and among friends. All the faces of his dead family and his living friends, of his foes and allies, flashed through his mind, until the reel slowed to a set of faces. He studied them, closing his eyes and closing himself up.

_Riku…Kairi…Aozora…Sora…_

He sighed so deeply he caught the attention of everyone present at the meeting. He was still so deep in thought, as that one little strip of film played over and over in his mind. That was until Leon cleared his throat. Donald and Goofy sat at attention on either side, Goofy looking rather sad, and Donald staring at the bluish gray veins in the stone table.

King Mickey smiled as he looked up. Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy were in charge of Disney while he leads the Council of War. He, the only survivor of his royal family and a past master of the Keyblade, was to guide everyone and take them headfirst into war.

_War…_

" The 387th Council has begun," King Mickey announced in his strangely high-pitched but commanding voice. All eyes were on him now.

" Thus begins the last war…"

""

Mayonaka ni

(In the middle of the night.)

**Author's Endnote**: All that remains is the Epilogue. Thank you so much, readers and reviewers! Please leave your thoughts, opinions, suggestions, and whatnot, and do check out the Forums on my Bio page. There you'll find out what's coming up next and all that jazz. THANK YOU!


	81. Epilogue: Breath of Life

**Author's Note:** The epilogue is rather whimsical, in a sense, yet it holds deeper meaning inside of things to come. The story, as I've said countless times, isn't over. The epilogue is proof of that. Thank you for your continuous support, whether you have been following this story since its inception more than three years ago or you just began reading weeks before. Your commentary and critiques have helped me push through with this story in ways I have never done with previous attempts at writing. 

**Copyrights**: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney with the exception of such characters as Eldest, Aozora, an entity, and an entirely different world of my own creation. The plotline is mine as well, even if this is only the epilogue.

**Warnings**: There are none I can think of. If it is confusion, be patient.

**Songs**: This is the one song that all of you must listen to. In fact, I order you buy all of the CDs by this music group. The feature song is 'Gravity of Love' by Enigma, and I give credit to an anime music video somebody created for Kingdom Hearts 2 years ago for inspiring me.

**Secrets of Memories**  
**Epilogue: Breath of Life**

They were among the Firstborn, younger than only the twins who held true to their polarized power. They alone weave the Tapestry of Life, and command the threads that weave it. They alone dictate the length of each thin thread, the length of its life, and when to end it. They alone commanded life.

And they were ugly. Very ugly.

" Wind, wind, wind…"

" Measure, measure, measure…"

" Snip! Snip! Snip!"

The Fates were currently in a less-than-pissed mood, which was pretty good for them considering that they were always fighting over the one eye and one tooth that they shared. They were all blind, they all had no teeth, and they all wanted to see and have pretty smiles, even if most people are repulsed by a smile featuring one gleaming tooth.

The youngest sister spun from the raw material of Life into threads. The middle sister measured each and every string that the youngest sister produced. The oldest sister wielded a pair of gleaming scissors and snipped each thread as it reached the appropriate and negotiated length.

" Snip! Snip! Snip-"

" Sister!" the middle Fate exclaimed. " You didn't cut that thread clean through!"

She pointed at the pile of cleanly cut threads as it diminished; the magic the Fates had cast was busy taking the cut threads and weaving them into the grand Tapestry that expanded as the Universe suspended. A thread not fully cut would confuse the magic and one need not know how chaotic existence would be if there was no life or death.

Let's call the middle Fate Sue. That was the nickname Hades gave her and one that she adored. The youngest was called Deb, while the oldest was dubbed Agnes.

" What are you talking about?" Agnes snapped, indignant at the insult. " I cut all my strings clean through! These scissors haven't failed me yet!"

She waved her scissors about, not knowing what she would hit. After all, it was Deb who had the eye.

" Well, you didn't snip the string right," Sue retorted, now neglecting to measure the strings Deb kept turning out in favor of arguing with Agnes about her careless treatment of death. Deb soon realized the other two sisters weren't doing their job and stopped spinning.

" What are you two doing? We have work to do here!"

" Never you mind," Agnes said sharply, waving her off. " She's accusing me of not cutting my strings right! I never fail to cut each and every thread clean through as they are made! Are you telling me I don't cut my strings, Sister?"

" No, I'm saying you didn't cut one of the threads correctly. There was a tiny fiber holding the two together as you tossed it aside to be woven," Deb answered, gesturing to the pile.

" For your information, Sister, I don't have the eye," Agnes growled back. " You do! So now you're blaming me for not snipping correctly? I've been cutting lives without seeing for the better half of my existence and you're accusing me of a single mistake! The darkness must be addling your sight!"

" My eye works perfectly!"

" I'm sure it does! How else can you point out a _mistake_ that I _never_ made?"

" You did!"

" No, I didn't!"

Deb looked helpless as she tried to stop the fighting. She knew these few minutes of fighting was causing problems above already. Life and death begins and ends regularly everywhere; any moment when nobody is born and nobody dies is a moment to worry over.

" Ladies, ladies!" Hades swaggered into their roomy cavern. He seemed to have been disturbed in his sleep, as he looked rather drowsy. " What's the problem here this time?"

" Stay out of it, Hades. It's between her and me!" Agnes snapped. She waved her shears at him but really it was to the far right of him.

" I'm guessing it's about your appendages, eh?" Hades grinned. He picked up a cut string that fell off the diminishing stack and tossed it back into the pile. He then picked up another. Noting the three gleaming threads that held it to one of the main 'lines' Deb spun, he pulled it apart and thoughtlessly tossed the separated string behind him.

" Now, now, let's not argue, shall we? Let's do this: Sue, let Agnes use the eye for the day. Deb! Beautiful smile. Now, are my ladies happy?"

He smiled his charming, trademark smile as they giggled amongst themselves like love-struck teenagers. Three heads bobbed happily and, satisfied, he headed out the hall.

" No more fighting, ladies. This god needs his beauty sleep."

" Whatever you say, Hades!" Debs called back.

Once he was a good fifty meters down the hall and out of hearing range of the Fates, Hades stopped and turned around. He then burst into violent red flames.

" Those damn bitches! The things I would do to get rid of them forever!"

As soon as he finished cooling off and returned to his regular blue color, he heard Agnes' voice rocket through the hall.

" Oh, I DID cut the string! Why you-"

_Time to get out of here!_

Hades disappeared down the hall. Fast.

''

You're no good with that blasted eye! Putting us all in trouble with our host! He could throw us out!"

" Well, wasn't it a pity that you decided that HIS thread would be gold and not some other's?"

" He was a son of the Titans! No random mortal is going to transcend the barrier between mortal ambitions and eternal power. No mortal can be God of the Underworld!"

" Sisters, please-"

" Stay out of it!"

" No, that's not the point! Can you feel it?"

" Feel what?" Sue demanded sourly. She was lacking a tooth _and_ an eye.

" The pile of threads," Deb explained. " Look!"

" I can't-"

" What in Hades!" Agnes cried out.

She began to explain to her sisters what her eyes were seeing, what was happening.

The pile of threads was glowing. Mist the color of gold, silver, white, blue, all the colors of the pantheon was shimmering, hovering, swirling around the pile. Then slowly a thread began to glow bluish white, to the point it seemed to burn Agnes' eye.

" I-I can't see!" she cried out, throwing up a hand over her one eye.

The magic of weaving was still taking threads and inserting it into the tapestry of life. The light dimmed slightly and Agnes lowered her hand. Her eye searched out that bluish thread as a horrid feeling rose in her gut.

" I-I don't believe it…a thread's reattaching."

" What!" Sue yelled. " How can that be? No thread can reattach itself!"

" The material of Life does not behave in such a fashion!" Deb exclaimed.

" It's one…its one of the shorter threads…it's weaving itself into the tapestry…and reattaching! By the gods, the thread's reattached and become part of the Tapestry again!"

" You know what that means?" Deb whispered harshly.

The three Fates didn't need sight to face each other, conspiracy and secrecy writ in their faces and forms.

" _She's_ returned."

" _She's_ seeking to overthrow our authority."

" Breaking all the laws of the Universe, is she?"

The Fates all nodded with grim faces and even darker understanding. Their sisterly connections were tingling. They knew how the other felt.

" What color was the string again. Sister?" Deb asked.

" Bluish white."

" That is beyond death. And the color…it is the color of a warrior, a hero."

" She has returned a hero from the dead? Why would she bring one back to life?"

" I overheard Hades talking to Persephone. There is war overhead, and he cannot participate in it."

" War? Could be. But why only one? She must be planning to bring more."

" She wouldn't dare!"

" There are strings still weaving. They are connected to her. If we cut those threads, or at least threaten to, she wouldn't try again. She knows us as well as we know her. If she tries to abuse her power again, I'll teach her who's in control."

" Good, she's fiddled with us before; we're not going to let her get away with it again!"

" We're the ones in control."

" Exactly! I will show her who the master of life is!"

" Masters."

" No, master."

" Masters! We're all in this together!"

" No, I'm the one who cuts the thread!"

" Well I'm the one who makes it!"

" But I'm the one who measures it!"

" No…"

""

_O Fortuna velut Luna_

""

The stars, shining in their inner light, lay scattered across the deep blue sky. They glowed down on the world but the combined lights were faint. Long ago they were strewn about by the multitude in the night but not long ago, they began to disappear, one by one. Few there are now though it remained impossible to count them all.

Hanging in the sky with the stars were two moons, a crescent moon before a full moon. The double lights were nearly combined for an intensity of white gold, and it was this pure light that skimmed over the treetops and illuminated the untouched snows on the high mountains. The moons shone down on a swiftly tumbling river that ran through the forest, and danced upon the roiling surface. The trees reached for the heavenly light and the mountains wrapped themselves in the airy silver gown.

But there was silence.

The air was still save for a brave gust of wind. It brushed through the eaves of the forest yet none of the creatures that lived and breathed within its depths dare move. No nighttime insects, no nocturnal hunters, no beasts under the stars budged for their hideaways. They had all disappeared, hidden themselves in their homes and the shelters and the shade of the forest, away from sight. Then the wind sensed the source of the silence and fled in a wild gale.

Something moved through the woods. Something was coming.

""

Turn around and smell what you don't see.  
Close your eyes.  
It's so clear.

""

Storm clouds were spreading across the sky, smoldering the tiny bacons of starlight. The silence was deafening, despite the decided chill in the tempest rustling through the trees of the forest. No living creature dared make a sound. Something was stirring in the bowels of this lonely wilderness, something unearthly, something that did not belong in this world, in this Universe.

In the shadows of the forest something finally moved. Hot white, it lashed out at the darkness, casting light from its silver armor and folded wings. A trail of vibrant white feathers lay in its wake, the only traces of a beast that rushed through the underbrush of the forest. The wolfish head turned this way and that way, the silver helmet gleaming in the little light that made it through the eaves of the forest. Its fur was thick snow and it repelled all debris one normally picked up when roaming through the wilderness. Its long white tail whipped about, lashing out at the dark reaches of the branches. The silver and gold armor gleamed as the last bit of light vanished from the heavens. This creature gave off its own light.

The sky boiled over with a fury of storm clouds as the wolf fled through the forest. A storm was coming.

""

Here's a mirror.  
Behind there is a screen.  
On both ways you can get in.

""

Eldest strode purposely down the hall carpeted with deep rich blue to a set of double doors carved of dark walnut with gilt floral décor. He didn't knock because he never felt the need to; he opened the doors by their golden handles and walked right into the study room.

Once he entered he stopped for a few minutes. Something just came to mind. He turned his head and silently ordered the doors to close. Then he studied the doors, noting the fresh paint and the bold new designs on the doors. Nothing remained of the gouges and stains on the doors the last time he was in the room. He then turned his head. The mess that met his aged but keen eyes surprised him.

Papers and books were strewn all over the marble desk; a goose feather quill sat blotting a loose leaf of parchment paper. The glass inkwell thankfully had not met the same fate as the goose feather, saving all the papers and parchments on the desk from a fine bath of black ink. The two ornately carved chairs with velvet seats and backings were shoved to one side in a disorderly fashion and the rug that came from Agrabah had gone up on the wall in the shabbiest manner. The bookshelves all around the room and between the many high windows were filled to overflowing with books, papers, odds and ends, and strange objects, objects only someone like the fugitive Zexion would make.

A tall, delicately carved chair sat behind the desk, its back towards the old man. Clearly its occupant was absorbed in staring out the windows behind the desk and drinking in the sight of Luca the majestic city and seaport.

" Your Majesty…" Eldest whispered as he bowed in the direction of the chair. " I see you've gotten yourself a room makeover. I mean, after that fit you threw-"

He was speaking lightly, trying to lighten the heavy mood, but the chair slowly swiveled around. Its occupant interrupted the man with a strange look in his eyes. " Eldest, tell me: What can we do now?"

The Prophet was silent, studying his former protégé.

" I thought we discussed this with the delegates already," he said carefully. " Whatever do you mean, Mickey?"

He already knew why King Mickey was asking. There was a look in his face, as though life was suddenly weary. Despair. The king was suffering and now he must suffer more.

" What hope do we have?" King Mickey continued. " What hope remains? The prophecy was broken; the 'key' was destroyed. The prophecy of the key was a lie. It was all a lie!"

" Prophecies," Eldest said coldly, " give people hope or warning. Never believe them wholeheartedly. You know by now the forces at work in this reality. Any prophecy can be undone. And don't despair; we can win this war, even without Sora. We have Aozora, after all. And you know the preference of light."

" His heart is heavy with darkness," King Mickey countered. " You can see it in his eyes. His life was no fairy tale. It won't end a fairy tale."

" If you lose faith now, you might as well surrender our forces to the Darkness!" Eldest snapped, growing impatient with his former protégé's attitude. " We cannot lose it!"

" No faith remains," the king whispered, turning his chair again to look out the windows. " We have lost it."

""

Don't think twice before you listen to your heart.  
Follow the trace  
For a new start.

""

There was a scent in the wind. She could smell it. It was faint, hidden in the sharp pine sap and the rosy aroma of night wildflowers. She could smell it amongst the fear of the creatures of the deep, the creatures she had chased into hiding with a mere breath. They had fled at the mere whisper of her wings in the wind but she cared not for them. She had to find it.

There. She could smell it now. It was stronger, carried by the night wind she commanded. It was a scent, heavy with death. It was a recent death; she could smell the warmth in the death, the still-fresh blood. The body had not lost its color of life.

Excellent. That was all she needed.

She leaped through the forest, splashed her way across a slender, rippling spring, and lunged through the underbrush. Wherever she went, star-shaped flowers kissed with the hues of the moon ad sun bloomed in the rich earth. Wherever she bounded, feathers white as snow were left floating in her wake.

The trees became gnarly and twisted the higher she climbed the mountainside. Leaping effortlessly from boulder to boulder, dodging trees by the slimmest of centimeters, she made her way up the mountainside until she exploded in all her white glory onto a dirt road. She already knew the expected person would not be coming for at least a half hour, giving her time to find the source of death.

Across the road was a graveyard. Cold dark monoliths rose among the scattered boulders; it was the burial ground of giants, as the slabs were smooth to the touch and stood upright. This was a literal maze; it would take at least ten minutes to reach the rest of the forest and the mountain taking the fastest route through this maze.

That was not her purpose. She had wings to fly but she wasn't trying to reach the forest. She could smell it. The scent was strong, very strong. She placed her gold nose on the ground and let it lead her towards the source of the smell.

There, in the shadow of the moonlights, she found what she sought.

A lifeless body, naked under the clouded stormy sky, lay sprawled on the ground a few feet from the dirt road. It lay on its stomach, giving away nothing. Scars, faint as they were, riddled the body. There was no fat on this person; the body belonged to someone used to living a harsh and violent life. There was no mistaking it.

It was a dead body. It was not dead. No decay touched this body yet she knew how long the person had been dead. But she had lost count of time; in the darkness of the Limbo she could no longer tell. But in the darkness all time froze. This body was frozen in time.

She padded up to it, the scent of death and blood growing stronger as she got closer.

She knew.

It was time to call upon the powers beyond the schism of death.

""

What you need  
And everything you'll feel  
Is just a question of the deal.

""

" So much…so much tied in blood," King Mickey murmured softly as he stared at his hands. " Aozora needs to understand his ancestry and what power lies in his veins. His parents were not ordinary and neither is he. The last Angels in our midst…need to understand their own powers as well. They are truly the last of their kind; after all, Merlin had given up most of his powers long ago-"

" _Your Majesty, urgent message from Auron! Sephiroth as been sighted a-"_

Eldest reached over and turned off the intercom. " Those closest to Sora need to understand who you are, Mickey. Sora's story is not complete without your story. You know what I mean; whatever you did had repercussions in his life, including your expedition to Old Citadel. And they also need to understand the limits of your power. Your time is ending, Mickey, and they need to understand that.

" There have always been at least two Wielders. The Advocate lost his right long ago and you were witness to it. You and Aozora are the only ones left. Your powers are waning, Mickey. You may lose the Key before the war ends. And without two, we are a lost ship in a vast and unfamiliar sea."

King Mickey nodded, understanding, but not willing to embrace it as final. Then something came to mind.

" Can we not…ask the Fates?"

King Mickey's words hung in the air. The Prophet's face creased, then darkened considerably. " That is impossible."

" Listen, this is urgent, an emergency beyond emergencies." A hope gleamed in the king's voice. " Surely the Fates would understand! They are involved in this as well-"

" He is gone! He is dead! Dead! The others know this and they have accepted it. Even Kairi has accepted it! Her life is with Aozora now; if we were to ask and they, for reasons I can't imagine, comply, the havoc would be complete! You cannot play with life and death, even if it may save us time! Understand this! War is before us and it is by war we will win or lose!"

King Mickey fell silent before the onslaught. " War…"

" War will come, whether you like it nor not." Eldest said, his voice ringing with finality. The eyes of the Prophet were blazing with eternal fire. " You cannot avoid it. You can only hope to meet it and win. Ansem is as of now gathering more forces to him. His army, I should imagine, is greater than ever before. The Society stands strong, despite the massacre Zexion's monster wrecked upon their numbers. They are few but they are all dangerous. Pete…and all the other forces of Heartless we thought Sora destroyed are still out there as wildcards. And the Advocate…him I know least but I know that once he recovers from the truth, he will be unforgiving and unstoppable. He is a bitter, bitter man, and will destroy everything that caused him pain.

" Our defenses are weak and spread. We need to start mobilizing our own forces if we are to fight a war on equal terms. A handful of teenagers won't save us this time and you know it. Every one of them must be trained in the art of war and strategy. We need permanent members of the Order here and continue our monthly meetings. We need to spread the word to other worlds, so that they may lend their heroes and their support to our cause. We don't need the Door to win this war, Mickey. You must stop thinking about the prophecy and look at what's before you. He will not come back."

King Mickey nodded silently. Then a candle lit in his storming mind. He looked up at Eldest.

" You forgot. Your gates have opened. Donald and Gary can vouch for that. _They_ are out there."

The silence was deafening. Eldest passed around the floor in front of Mickey's desk, now deep in thought. His face was hidden under his hood. Then the Prophet spoke, his words burning through the stifling blanket of silence.

" Then we shall see what Time brings."

""

In the eye of the storm you see a lonely dove.  
The experience of survival is the key  
To the gravity of love.

""

She felt it.

She let her mind slip away and meld into the great river of power flowing through the Universe. As her mind became one with the river, the power began to flow into her. It filled her as though she was hollow, through her wings, into her limbs, into her body. Energy was building up in her, an unstable, powerful essence that brought with it the evocative scent of a distant sea, and the faint aroma of a far green country under a swift sunrise. Her mind took up a handful of the immortal power that lay in the forgotten land and brought it back to her through a delicate bridge that crossed the chasm of death. Now that essence was within her, an orb of intense and impossible strength, shielded in a vessel of power from the great river. It was a power only she could manipulate. It was a power she had carried in her once before.

_It has been done before. It can happen again._

""

_O Fortuna velut Luna  
__O Fortuna velut Luna_

""

She began to stir the mixture within her, the essence of the lost country and the power of the river. She made each stroke with precision and care; the melding of two powers was volatile and she knew she was the only one who had ever succeeded in blending two separate powers. Immortality and life. Life was not without death but immortality defied all laws of life. Immortality defied the rules of death. They were polar opposites…and the key.

She began to glow. Already she was pure white and glaring in the dark night, but now a light began to emit from her. A radiant aura formed around her great and noble form as she stood over the lifeless human. She had become a beacon of light.

She knew it must be done. She knew the rules must be broken.

""

The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom.  
_The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom._

""

It was a gift and a curse. So many wanted to life forever and so few knew the folly in the desire. She herself knew; she was immortal. Life had limits but possessed a freedom of release. Immortality…was something else. It was a dangerous power. Immortality unleashed one from the Universe and its trappings, its rules, and the shears of the Fate that ended each and every life. This was the power of the forgotten realm.

But that alone was not enough. The forgotten realm had a power far beyond the understanding of all other mortals. That power must be shielded, veiled in another power, the power of life. The river. That was the power that would will the eyes of the body to open.

""

Try to think about it.  
That's the chance to live your live and discover,  
What it is, what's the gravity of love.

""

She approached the body carefully, her paws touching the earth gently and leaving behind no impression. For all her armor and wings and great noble size, she seemed to be made of mere air; she glided through wind and over land and water as a spirit. She was a spirit.

Gently she lowered her head and touched the body with the golden nose. The body belonged to a warrior in the bloom of youth, though she could tell the person had been fighting before death clamed it – fighting for years, perhaps. This was one of the great curses of the Universe – the children were not safe from the violence that was sweeping through each and every world, claiming victims of those who deserved it the least.

So many didn't deserve to die. This time she was making good on it. Someone was going to get a second chance to get things right.

""

Look around just people,  
Can you hear their voice?  
Find the one who'll guide you to the limits of your choice.

""

She touched the forehead, let her nose rest against the cold skull, and began to focus. The heating energy within her frothed violently as she willed it through her body and through the point of contact with the body. A torrent of wind and earth and sea swept through the mountains and ripped through the forests, disturbing the world. Even in worlds millions of miles away from this one, people and creatures were able to sense the disturbance. The laws of Life were being torn apart, ripped to shreds, and they could sense it.

She bared her teeth, revealing gleaming ivory fangs, as the power momentarily balked in the passing. She forced the power to continue its flow, until she finally felt her body empty of the power. She could sense it fill the body, foaming as it sloshed into the limbs and the mind and the heart and the soul. She gently pulled back and watched. She waited.

""

But if you're in the eye of the storm  
Just think of the lonely dove.  
The experience of survival is the key…

""

The body convulsed violently as the person began to cough. She heard it taking in raking, ragged breaths, listened to the lungs swell with fresh air. The heart was beating rapidly and with life. The body was rising and falling in irregular rhythm as the person was suddenly brought to life. The deathly pallor of the skin gave way to warmer, life-like tones. The fingers on the right hand twitched, then groped at the soil. She lowered her head slightly and listened as the heart relaxed and the breathing became slow and even. The fingers stopped twitching violently as the person fell silent.

The person was still breathing. The dead warrior had awaken. The warrior was alive.

She smiled sadly in her wolfish way as she watched the body recover and slowly bring the rest of the person back into the real world. physically she had been successful. Psychologically…she was willing to sit on the sidelines and watch. And wait.

In the distance she could hear the creaking of wood. The fated person was coming. Her work was done. She turned away and began to walk across the road. Now and then she looked back at the body, knowing that the fated person would see the body even as it was hidden in the shadows of the monoliths. Fate was a finicky thing.

But now she had more questions to answer. She knew what had happened the last time she had done this. The rip in time was brief and easily mended. She had been there when it happened and was able to recover the lost one without disturbing the flow. This time, she had to wait. This time she had created a break in Time. The others had moved on. And now she was going to force them all to relive it again.

Life had been returned to someone lost to death, but what consequences would that bring?

For life was never given without a price.

""

Samuel J. Long tilted his wide-brimmed leather hat to the side, grumbling as soft rain began to fall. He reached over and adjusted the pole that held the lantern at its end so that he could see better in the night. He knew the storm was coming but he knew he had to get home tonight. No rain could stop him. But still, one couldn't help but be angry at the change in luck.

" Fucking clouds, what I would give to get back home…" he muttered as he turned his head to eye the goods in the back of the wagon. He had thrown a heavy waterproof canvas over the boxes, jars, and bolts of cloth, then lashed them all down to the wagon with strong rope. Still he hoped the water didn't get through.

He turned back in his seat, rubbed his large nose with the back of his hand, then pulled on the reins gently, slowing his brown mare down to an even slower walk. He didn't want to take the risks; rain made the roads muddy and slippery, especially mountain paths. He didn't want to lose his luggage and he didn't want to lose the mare. She was one of the best offspring of his prized young gray stallion and her appearance at the bazaar made for excellent advertisement for the stallion's services.

The mare, Daina, suddenly propped her legs, bringing the wagon to a halt. She snorted, then arched her neck and half-reared. The harness shook as she whistled. Something was bothering her.

" What's the matter, Daina? What's wrong, girl? Something up the road?" Long grumbled as he set the reins down and climbed off the wagon. He snatched his rifle and slowly approached the mare from the side as he loaded the rifle. The mare snorted as he reached her head and gently stroked her neck.

" Easy, girl, easy. What's the problem here, eh?" he murmured softly, reassuring the mare of his presence. Daina snorted, turned her head, and butted against his chest with her muzzle.

" It's okay, girl, it's okay."

He then slowly walked to the front of the horse, raising the rifle to his shoulder, as he peered through the misty rain. Rivulets of water ran off his hat, blurring his vision slightly but as far as he could tell, there wasn't a person or an animal for miles up this blasted road in this damn fine weather.

He looked at the wild forests on the left, eyeing the shadows of the gnarly trees suspiciously. Then he looked right at the infamous Giant's Graveyard and the great Forbidden Mountains. He studied the Giant's Graveyard carefully; everybody knew about this strange landmark but nobody knew how the monoliths came to be. And nobody planned to find out anytime soon.

" Eh…well, there's nothing up the road, girl. Besides, we're almost home," he said grumpily. " Fucking fine weather…"

He turned to go back to the wagon and continue onward but from the corner of his gray eyes he spotted something that made his blood curdle.

The lantern gave a soft but powerful glow, revealing a human arm in the shadows of the monoliths.

" By Vanye and Eriadiane, who is this?" Long swore as he approached the body, cocking his rifle. Who knows; it could be a stray wanderer mauled by the beasts that lived in the forests. Or it could be a thief lying in wait for an unsuspecting passerby to take pity on and approach. But there was the rain…and the location itself…

" What in fucking Mortigern…"

Stretched out in the shadows of the monoliths, slightly shrouded in green fern, lay the body of a young man. Long froze, rifle pointing at the body. He couldn't tell if the body was dead or if the person was still alive. It wasn't easy to tell…until the right hand twitched and dug its fingers into the damp soil. Then Long saw how the body rose and fell with regularity. He was alive.

" How'd you get here?" Long wondered as he reached down to gently pull the body forward. Then he saw, inches from the right hand, a gleaming white feather. For a moment he wondered if he was dreaming, then began to panic as he continued to stare at the feather.

_If a unicorn has passed this way, then the man is truly blessed…and truly cursed…but the curse belongs to him and only him. I pity him. He should have been left for dead…but why would the unicorn save him?_

" Best get you home, nonetheless…" he muttered as he carefully checked the body for wounds. In the light of the lantern, he found none but scars. Judging by the musculature, this man was a soldier. A soldier left to die.

He pulled off his coat and covered the young man. Carefully he lifted the body up and carried it to the back of the wagon. He forced items in the back of the wagon aside to make room for the body and gently placed him there. He left the coat on the young man and jumped off the wagon. He then returned to the driver's seat and within minutes, the merchant, his goods, his precious mare, and the unconscious young man were headed for the merchant's home in the village of New Dell, which was miles from where the Giant's Graveyard was located.

""

Halocanis stepped out of the shadows of the forest, head tilted to watch the merchant leave. She could see the meeting of two lines, two life threads. It was a meeting that she hoped would change the direction of the ancient war.

_If he remembers, what would happen then?_

She then melted into thin air, her image blowing away in a wind she summoned. She had work to do.

""

…the gravity of love…

**Author's Endnote**: So we are finished. This is the very last chapter. I may add in some extra information or some random facts but this is the end. It's been a wonderful three years plus several months-run and I thank everyone who read and reviewed this story. Please check my Bio page for links and updates, and, of course, to read my other stories. After all, an author does like his or her stories to be read.

Thank you, Reader. I speak of this with all my heart (and soul). As an expression of gratitude, I will add something relating to the sequel, _Kingdom Hearts: The End of Tomorrow_.

_For four long years the forces of Light and Dark have fought endlessly, from the deserts of Agrabah to the seas of Port Royal. While the Dark suffer from infighting, the Light is crippled by the loss of its greatest warrior and hope – the Keyblade Master foretold in prophecies. _

_In the fifth year, the Dark, by sheer accident, stir up a vengeful force in a world forgotten in the tides of war. Bent on revenge, the force will sweep through the central worlds in the war and disrupt all order within both forces. As the Light and Dark struggle to control this dangerous wildcard, rumors rise of an evil greater than the one unleashed from the Prophet's Gate._

_What hope remains in a war spiraling out of control? _


End file.
